Custom Snowboard Manufacturing with a ShopSabre CNC | Franco Snowshapes

In this customer spotlight, we head to Victor, Idaho to visit Mikey Franco, founder of Franco Snowshapes. Known for crafting some of the finest bespoke snowboards in the world, Mikey shares his manufacturing journey—from shaping boards completely by hand with utility knives and router sleds, to dealing with the nightmare of a foreign-made CNC, and finally upgrading to an American-made ShopSabre RC8.

Mikey breaks down why a welded steel frame is an absolute necessity over a cheap aluminum extrusion frame. That heavy-duty rigidity provides the extreme precision he needs to cut ultra-thin aluminum sidewalls and route flawless channels for hand-poured urethane. He also explains how the machine allows him to cut single-use, 1-of-1 custom molds tailored to each individual rider, as well as create stunning wood veneer inlays and etched copper top sheets.

If you are curious about what it takes to manufacture high-end sporting goods or want to see the real-world difference an American-made CNC router makes, this episode is packed with inspiration and insight.

Episode Highlights:

• [00:00] – Introduction to Franco Snowshapes in Victor, Idaho.

• [00:52] – Moving from hand-shaping snowboards to fighting with a foreign-made CNC.

• [01:41] – Why buying an American-made CNC router was crucial for tech support.

• [02:58] – Aluminum extruded vs. welded steel frames: The precision needed for aluminum sidewalls.

• [04:20] – Machining single-use, customized snowboard molds for individual riders.

• [05:01] – Etching copper top sheets and routing channels for hand-poured urethane sidewalls.

• [06:10] – Same-day setup: How ShopSabre University makes CNC training easy for non-engineers.

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