Large Model Association Forum

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone knows who is cheapest and the best at CNC cutting?

Cheers,

Mike.

Cheapest & best don't always go hand in hand Mike!!!

Belair cutting is excellent (Laser).......SLEC also do nice work but theirs in CNC routed.

Phil

slec do also have a laser

Hi

Very true. It never does go hand in hand.

Cheers. I am getting a quote off slec at the mo. He has done work for me before and it was ok. Just was wondering if anyone had had experience with anyone else?

Cheers

Mike

Hi

I have gone with slec for the cnc routing. They were the cheapest and hopefully will go to pick the kit up in the next two weeks.

Then the building starts.

Mike

Mike what kit are you getting cut to build

Mike altham wrote:Hi

I have gone with slec for the cnc routing. They were the cheapest and hopefully will go to pick the kit up in the next two weeks.

Then the building starts.

Mike

I went to Belair two years ago in January and was still waiting in August. He seemed very put out when I cancelled.

Then went to Slec and managed to get my cutting done OK but still had to wait 3 months.

Maybe I'm just unlucky. Incidentally Slecs quote was 15% more than Belair.

Tony.

Hi

It's of a 17ft2" nimrod

The cutting should be done in two weeks.

I have had kits cut by slec before and they were pretty good.

It comprises of 10 x 8 x 4 sheets of ply, and liteply etc.

Mike

I have had large models cut by both Slec and Belair.
For me Slec wins hands down...they do CNC laser as well as CNC routing and also stock all the other wood I needed (Belair don't supply long lengths).

I also had the 8 month wait issue with Belair and too many phone calls to sort it out. I also got an LMA Genesis recently and this can only be got from Belair. After talking to Leon, who runs Belair, about my previous problems he promissed that the Genesis would be doen in a week. It was, but it has lots of errors in it...pieces that don't fit, pieces missing and rather strangley 5 lots of some pieces! Belair also could not supply the other wood needed to complete the kit and I got that from Slec !

Cheers
Andy

Hi Andy, Did Belair correct the genesis kit for you?

Hi Stewart,
I haven't bothered with many of the errors as it has been quicker just to alter the pieces myself. The one part I could not alter was that the very large aluminium undercarriage that was pre-drilled to match the mounting holes in the fus - but in different places. I spoke with Leon at Belair and I said that drilling more holes in the ally would leave it weakened because they were close the existingg holes. He said he would send a new part....I waited 2 weeks, then reminded him, then he sent me the laser cut wood pieces that are part of the fus. As the fus was already built this was a waste of time. I then called him again and he said oops. However, he would not replace the ally U/c he said it would be fine in his opinion to drill more holes in it........hummm.

Regards
Andy

Well lads, I reckon there's got be a moral there somewhere.

Tony Collins 1073 wrote:Well lads, I reckon there's got be a moral there somewhere.

use Slec

Andy Boylett wrote:Hi Stewart,
I haven't bothered with many of the errors as it has been quicker just to alter the pieces myself. The one part I could not alter was that the very large aluminium undercarriage that was pre-drilled to match the mounting holes in the fus - but in different places. I spoke with Leon at Belair and I said that drilling more holes in the ally would leave it weakened because they were close the existingg holes. He said he would send a new part....I waited 2 weeks, then reminded him, then he sent me the laser cut wood pieces that are part of the fus. As the fus was already built this was a waste of time. I then called him again and he said oops. However, he would not replace the ally U/c he said it would be fine in his opinion to drill more holes in it........hummm.

Regards
Andy

That surprises me as I've had a few kits from Belair and all have been of very high quality, quick turnaround and at a good price. Most of his kit prices seem to average around the £200 mark which when you consider what you get as well as time saved is very good. Our 109 kits were done by another British based laser cutter and they were nowhere near the quality of Belair and I wouldn't use them again. The modified firewall in the Spitfire I'm building was made by Leon and arrived at my workshop about 3 days after ordering it.

Stewart

-Removed- (Please note the user removed this post not the moderator)

Hi Mate,

Sounds good,

May have more projects in the future.

Ian at Slec did a great job of cutting. Plus he did me a great deal as well.

Mike.

I have also used both building a 1/4 scale glider the kit was cut by Belair, problem was only half the wing parts were cut.
So I had to buy more wood to complete what was missing, and a lot o the hard wood required was not included ,and for the price I thought it was quite expensive but I will say what was cut was a good fit.
I also used Slec for the rest of the materials that only they could supply for my requirements which included long lenghts of spruce and a very good job they did as well at a very nice price.
I would think twice next time where to get my next kit cut, but I was tied down through a partnership between plan company and cutter company.

I would just like to say after writing on here a couple of days ago, I had Leon of Belair ring me up to find out what sort of problems I was having with my Glider kit.
after out chat the following day I had all the parts that was missing sent to me.
So thanks Leon for that.