Need help, buy or build to cut steel, stainless steel, titanium etc

[routercnc]

... I make bike frames out of bamboo.

Was that you in the paper recently (article in a Derby paper which in-laws brought down with them on their recent visit) having had a bamboo bike stolen, then later recovered it at some dodgy market?

Bit rare to have a bamboo bike so thought it worth asking . . .

[fatguyslim]

Was that you in the paper recently (article in a Derby paper which in-laws brought down with them on their recent visit) having had a bamboo bike stolen, then later recovered it at some dodgy market?

Bit rare to have a bamboo bike so thought it worth asking . . .

No this company you are talking about is based in Scarborough. My designs are different from them and use different technique. Will be posting some of my frames here in the future if you want?

[FatFreddie]

No this company you are talking about is based in Scarborough. My designs are different from them and use different technique. Will be posting some of my frames here in the future if you want?

I'd certainly be interested to see them - I meddled with steel frame building and carbon fibre handlebars back in the late 80s and like to see innovations in bike design.

[fatguyslim]

I'd certainly be interested to see them - I meddled with steel frame building and carbon fibre handlebars back in the late 80s and like to see innovations in bike design.

Some real innovation going on in the carbon market but carbon is too stiff ride and road bike industry won't sway from it no matter what you come out with. People are obsessed with the weight of the bike, they refuse to loose few kilos on their body yet they love to pay £6000 for something that weighs few grams less than a £3000 bike. Oh well I can keep going on and on about this lol.

[irving2008]

Some real innovation going on in the carbon market but carbon is too stiff ride and road bike industry won't sway from it no matter what you come out with. People are obsessed with the weight of the bike, they refuse to loose few kilos on their body yet they love to pay £6000 for something that weighs few grams less than a £3000 bike. Oh well I can keep going on and on about this lol.

ohhh can of worms -> opening time lol. But I'm in agreement with you re weights v costs and the power of marketing. When I was able to ride a bike I loved my ali frame/carbon forks/carbon monostay road bike @ 8.5kg, so not the lightest but light enough. I tried many full carbon but never liked the 'feel', the stiffness was great when putting the power down but tiring for long rides on uk road surfaces. For longer rides you couldn't beat my Condor Fratello steel tourer. It was almost as light @ 9kg but the feel was very different and took the worst out of the road surfaces. Of course the wheelset is just as important as the frame for ride quality...

[fatguyslim]

ohhh can of worms -> opening time lol. But I'm in agreement with you re weights v costs and the power of marketing. When I was able to ride a bike I loved my ali frame/carbon forks/carbon monostay road bike @ 8.5kg, so not the lightest but light enough. I tried many full carbon but never liked the 'feel', the stiffness was great when putting the power down but tiring for long rides on uk road surfaces. For longer rides you couldn't beat my Condor Fratello steel tourer. It was almost as light @ 9kg but the feel was very different and took the worst out of the road surfaces. Of course the wheelset is just as important as the frame for ride quality...

In that case you will love bamboo bikes not just because I build them lol but also the fact that you can go for long rides on bamboo with little to no fatigue. Steel can go through high number of fatigue cycles before it deforms completely so it is a good choice for touring bikes still but bamboo is a pure beast it goes millions of cycles before anything happens to it. I have a bamboo fixie that ride quite often and trust me going uphill is a joy on this bike than a struggle. It is a very interesting material to work with to be honest. I will in near future offer hiring service here in york for people to try bamboo bikes and give feedback as to what they think about it. Will be posting my frames when I get the testing through so yeah keep an eye out lol. Cheers

[Lee Roberts]

Will be posting some of my frames here in the future if you want?

Ok count me in, i'm intrigued to see your designs and how these things are made.

There was a similar story to this one on here long ago, a lad wanted to work with carbon fiber. He was also advised that it would require a decent machine, that carbon fiber was a very unforgiving material to be working with and not to expect much tool life from cutters.

From what I can remember he went on to build a machine, the last memories I have are of watching his YouTube videos, of the machine making parts with carbon fiber as the stock material !

I look forward to seeing this one come to fruition fatguy, I think you’ve already had the sound advice you need at this stage so won’t add to it.

Stay positive, nothing is imposable and good luck for the future.!

.Me