Vexed By Vents

After mangling the first slot on my vented short course body, I’m afraid to keep cutting. What’s the secret to getting the cutouts right?

It’s all about the tools that you use to make it happen. When cutting vents, a body ream and fresh no. 11 blade are your best friends. If you try to cut tight corners with body scissors, the tips of the scissors gouge the surrounding area, and the cuts tend to be sawtooth nibbles rather than smooth curves. Instead of scissors, use a ream to make a hole at each corner then use your hobby knife to score across the vent from hole to hole, then pop out the waste plastic to open the vent. Clean up any rough edges with a rotary tool on low speed.

Ream holes to shape the corners, then connect the corners with cuts. Opening up all those vents takes patience, but the result is a better-flying body.