Long story short I have a friend who works in the industry and has access to some good CAD files for boards. Im looking to get a new stick and am thinking of just buying the right blank and then having him send me a file for the board I want to be shaped into the machine. Then get it cut and glassed etc. I know glassing isnt a problem but are there any generic places with CAD machines that would cut a board for me in the area? And if so, anyone know how much it usually runs?
Mike would tell you this himself, so I'm going to save him the trouble. Get the file first, see if it is what you want and then send him the file and have him order the blank with the right deck rocker. When cutting on a machine, the set-up and procedure demands that the deck rocker of the blank be close/or match that in the board file. Blanks don't "just fit" any file. Mike is a stand-up guy, and verrrrry reasonable. It all depends on how busy he is, as one offs take a lot of work with little return. I use him for all my models. I hand shape all my customs. If you are trying to get a board done cheaper by doing the "shaping" yourself, there are lots that can go wrong and you would be better off just buying what you want off the rack. If you are seeing if you would like to shape, getting the simple tools needed to finish off a cut would be a place to start. Just remember that a machine is not a magic wand and will not create a perfect board, it will only save you a little sweat. Just my 2C...........