Official Luthiers Forum!

Ripping CF bars, pretty tough to cut, blunts blades quickly I have heard, and dangerous to breath in dust I know.
I've been pointed to an economic source in EU (thanks Miguel) but would need to rip cut a 1 metre bar to get the thickness I want (3mm)
What would be the best to use?
Tablesaw (proxxon FET table saw 22mm cut) with TCT teeth (24 or 33 TPI) / Diamond coated blade (really for glass/tiles/stone)
Or
Bandsaw with TCT blade. - what kind of TPI?
To be honest, I'm leaning towards the bandsaw, but anyone got experience machining this stuff?
I would of course use a mask and run a fine air filter for this operation.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Colin,

Have you asked the supplier if they will cut to the size you want? Might be a cheaper/healthier option.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

I would either ask the supplier to sell you the size you want or laminate thinner pieces to reach the size you want. The last thing I would want to do is cut CF for anything other than length. Even for that I use a hacksaw, not my good woodworking blades.

Do you have a wet diamond saw? That seems like the logical choice...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

bandsaw, diamond or TiCn coated blade, .50 X .025~.035 is good, minimum 3 teeth per thickness of cut, about 80~90 SFPM blade speed (don't use that silly feeds and speeds chart that's probably on your saw -they're almost always wrong), cool mist. air/water mixture nozzle pointed right at the cut. keeps thing chill and contains the dust. glove up, mask up, wear your goggles, and clean up the mess when you're done. let the blade do the work and keep the heat down. use a fence, run the blade guides nice and close, set the blade bearings/bushings/blocks (whatever your saw has) to minimum clearance to remove sloppiness from the set up. heat management and rigidity are really, really, important when cutting cf. your aperture plate should be in good shape as well in order to support the cut. cf is easy to deal with just take your time.

good luck!

I use a cheap wet tile saw with a diamond blade. Cuts like butter, last a long time, and no dust.