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I hope to build a couple of Sopwith biplanes in the next few months, and have been casting around for a laser cutting service to save a few hours of (even I have to admit) fairly tedious cutting out. I wanted 60 ribs and 60 half-ribs; more than enough for one model. The quote from Belair was £50 so I asked Chris at Laser Cut Models, based in Poole, for his ideas on price. I sent him an accurate drawing of what I wanted and his quote was £35 for the job, plus £7 for the balsa and £3 p&p, so although I didn’t save much, I have at least established a working and local relationship with a very helpful enthusiast.
He did mention that I would find it cheaper if I specified 3mm Liteply instead of 1.5mm balsa, but as I’m not keen on LP, I opted for the latter. He sent me a specimen of the Liteply option, and as you can see in the bottom rib, it’s amazing what can be done. The weights of LP and balsa ribs are very similar (2 of each weigh 2g on my scales, but all 60 balsa ones weighed 48g. Next time, LP perhaps.
You can contact Chris via his website at http://www.lasercutmodels.co.uk—Ed,
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