To protect the work surface from damage, lay a piece of foam down and cut the carbon fiber on top of it. You may be able to cut carbon fiber without using a clamp. Bracing the carbon fiber with your hand, a straight edge, or another surface can help you cut it cleanly, especially if you’re using hand tools. Whatever you use, make sure the carbon fiber piece cannot slip out of place while you make the cut.
You can also use a marking tool such as a silver permanent marker. Combine it with the tape for extra precision.
Using the ventilation system on a downdraft table helps a lot if this option is available to you. You may also be able to set up a vacuum hose near your workbench to suck up dust as you cut the carbon fiber.
If you do get carbon dust on your skin, you may feel a stinging sensation. Rinse the area immediately under cold water.
Any wheel or drum designed to cut metal will work. However, these lower-grade cutters will not last as long as ones made from diamond or tungsten carbide and can clog up with the resin used to make the carbon fiber. Rotary tools are very useful for making straight, smooth cuts. Many times, they are a better and quicker choice to use on carbon fiber than saw blades.
A good rotary blade will cut through the carbon fiber quickly and smoothly, so you can cut right along any guiding lines you traced.
Avoid rushing your cuts. Give your tools plenty of time to cool down when needed.
You can also use a file to hone and smooth out the carbon fiber.
Electric saws may cut even faster than rotary tools, but the back and forth motion used will cause the edges of the carbon fiber to chip more. Hand saws, such as hacksaws and coping saws, tend to wear out quickly when used on carbon fiber. In addition, you may need to drill through the carbon fiber first to start an interior cut. If you need to cut a curve or a round shape, a saw blade is more effective than a rotary tool.
The excess material can be worn off with a sanding block or file.
Remember to keep the saw blade a little bit ahead of any guiding lines you traced to avoid damaging the carbon fiber’s finish. This will leave some excess material, but removing it isn’t too difficult.
You can also use a sanding block. Get a block with a 120-grit side and a 180-grit side. The, you can use the rougher 120-grit side to wear away the excess carbon fiber and the finer 180-grit side to smooth the edges.
