I'm in the market to upgrade the poplar arms on my v-tail quad to carbon fiber tubing. I'd like square tubing, but round would do also. Each arm is around 40cm long, and right now I'm using 10mm square poplar, so I'm looking for CF around that size. HK seems like it's a decent deal, but it's a little frustrating that you need to pay for like 500g of shipping (since it needs to be packaged in a long tube). I'm in the US, are there any brick and mortar stores that actually sell the stuff? If I'm going to pay $30 from HK and wait 3 weeks to see it arrive, I wouldn't mind spending that much somewhere local (or elsewhere online).
Where do you guys like to buy your carbon fiber tubing from?
- Thread starter jaygreco
- Start date
OutcastZeroOne
Fly, yes... Land, no
I tend to get all my CF stuff from my local hobby store. Most of them can special order the parts, they useually get other long, odball parts so if their suppliers have the size you want, good chance your local hobby store can pay the shipping. you get the parts faster, probably pay about same when you include the shipping, and you keep the money in your local comunity.
Tymtravler
Member
I got mine from eBay, (4) 12mm x 250mm Carbon Fiber Tube /Tail Boom for Quadcopte​r X-copter for $10.98 plus $6.00 shipping took 8 days (China). Hobbyking takes to long, I've waited 3.5 weeks for my retrackable landing gear.
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Mostly LHS, some national mail order. I've found some great pieces of CF at HK's local warehouse. They don't sell it as "raw" CF, but as spares for models. Don't matter, though, it's cheap and no postage penalty either. Check out the tail boom for the auto-g, for example. Still, no one who is picky about whose box you eventually get, your own or someone else's, should order at HK =þ (yes, still mad).
Cyberdactyl
Misfit Multirotor Monkey
I really liked Fortis' wood filled carbon fiber square tube.
I can only imagine it would REALLY stiffen the booms and eliminate any vibration from flex, and of course being virtually indestructible in a crash. I'm very tempted to do that for the quad I'm building, but I really like putting the wiring inside the tube. It gives the MR a much cleaner look and also has the advantage of an ultra small planform obstruction to the thrust column (<~2%).
In the comments he said he likes to do that too, but I agree with him also in that, in a crash, you have a much bigger mess to repair if you do crack or break the tube.
I can only imagine it would REALLY stiffen the booms and eliminate any vibration from flex, and of course being virtually indestructible in a crash. I'm very tempted to do that for the quad I'm building, but I really like putting the wiring inside the tube. It gives the MR a much cleaner look and also has the advantage of an ultra small planform obstruction to the thrust column (<~2%).
In the comments he said he likes to do that too, but I agree with him also in that, in a crash, you have a much bigger mess to repair if you do crack or break the tube.
F1wanabe
Member
If you have time, can't beat these ebay prices. $19 for 10 cf tubes or rods of varying sizes, free shipping. I like the 4mm x 2mm
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-4mm-O...Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4aca02610f
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-4mm-O...Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4aca02610f
Cyberdactyl
Misfit Multirotor Monkey
A nice boom could be had by cutting them in half, clamping at each end, spaced in parallel pairs by around 1" in an over-under config. which would make it 8" with 3/4" clamped at each end. Now THAT would look good with the wires inside! 
Another + for RCFoam. You cannot beat the service.