weight withholding allowance question

[RRLedford]

If I can order extruded aluminum framing in cut-to-length sizes by just typing in the length on the ordering web page, is this considered custom or standard?

If it is COTS standard item, then, if I cut it in half, are the two halves considered COTS, or have they become custom?

If I order a 36" piece of extrusion online, and then cut it into (3) 12" pieces before arriving at competition, can I still consider the pieces COTS (if I could have just clicked QTY: (3) LENGTH: 12" online), or must my Invoice actually read "(3) 12" aluminum extrusions, to not have to count it tord the 30lb limit.?

If Home Depot gives one free cut of lumber, can I consider any size piece of their lumber as COTS, or must I bring a standard 8' length and only cut it in the pits to the length I need.

What about fasteners? Can I buy 3" fully threaded fasteners, and then cut some down to 2" or 1" before competition, and then still consider the shorter ones COTS, or must I only cut them in the pits, in order to use them without counting toward the 30LB limit of custom stuff brought?

If I know I am going to swap 3 items on my bot for 3 other COTS items that require a total of 36" of framing, and I already have a 36" COTS piece of of framing, must I only bring the 36" piece as COTS and then cut it into the sizes I need in the pits? Can I pre cut it and still consider the pieces as COTS? In order to arrive at competition with three pre-cut pieces, must I make a new COTS order for three more cut-to-size pieces on the website. This seems wastful, since I already have the COTS material needed to cut the three pieces from.

Is the intention to limit use of available COTS items inventory brought to competition, or to limit amount of in-the-pits modifications, using COTS items, that can be done during competition by preventing the pre-competition investment of labor into cots items ?

-Dick Ledford