slotting body tubes

This is an update to a VERY old rec.model.rockets thread...

I asked what is the best way to slot a body tube, and one guy said to use dremel cutoff wheel (or in his words, an Asbestos cutting disk).

Well years of guitar building taught me this: Carbide end mills.

Chuck it in a dremel tool, find/build a jig to cut a straight line. Carbide end mills will cut most anything (except maybe paper) cleanly and quickly. I've been using it for cutting guitar sound holes. This is true if you got one of those filament fiberglass/carbon tubes (in fact those carbide end mill was designed for cutting circuit boards)... but wear respirator if you're cutting carbon (or do it underwater by using an air pencil grinder instead of a Dremel)

You can buy them at www.stewmac.com for a VERY inflated price, though those end mills are very sharp and remained sharp for a while, or eBay where they have end mills costing much less, but I do not know if they are as sharp as the Stewmac ones.

I've used the dremel w/ metal cutting wheel for G10 / G12. If the slots can go all the way to the end of the tube, I just use the table saw with a composite blade.

A buddy drills both ends of the slots and uses the dremel to connect the dots. I'm sure the end mill will do great if you build a jig or have a router table.

Solid Carbide Spiral Downcut router bits do a beautiful job on most rocketry material best used in a router with a jig.

John Coker has a nice solution on his web page... www.jcrocket.com/finslots.shtml