Welcome to the forum, Jack! Your feed rate is too slow or your router is running too fast. What bit(s) are you using? I run most jobs at 175ipm, 18k rpm, about 0.300" depth of cut and using a 1/4" compression bit. I get chips, lots of chips. But I also cut hardwoods 99% of the time - Walnut, Cherry, Maple, Purpleheart, etc.
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
I am by no means an "expert" in using a router, but I will say that I listen to the router as it cuts. It will have a certain sound for cutting too slow, and cutting too fast. And then there is the sweet spot, where you can HEAR the sharp blade gliding through the material like a water skier on a calm lake! You can also listen to a table saw, a sander, a planer, and other tools. THEY TALK TO YOU!
Joe
Thanks for the welcome. I'm really anxious to learn how to properly carve because this is a lot of fun. (Except when........)
This is a list of the endmills in tool database, they are all downcuts with .250 shanks: (.031) 10 ipm @ 2700 (.0625) 20 ipm @ 2700 (.125) 35 ipm @ 2200 (.250) 80 ipm @ 1900
I have a .250 compression bit that is set as the same as the .250 downcut.
My V bits are .250 shank; (90) 50 ipm @ 1700 (60) 40 ipm @ 2200 (30) 35 ipm @ 2700.
We haven't done any hardwood yet as we are still tryin to get the machine set up properly. I had a bunch of pine boards and some birch plywood laying around that we are practicing on.
I've attached a few pics of some experiments we worked on
Attachments
Hey Guy in Town. I read your post on LA Hobby forum. That Vardo trailer you talked about is sweet.I am by no means an "expert" in using a router, but I will say that I listen to the router as it cuts. It will have a certain sound for cutting too slow, and cutting too fast. And then there is the sweet spot, where you can HEAR the sharp blade gliding through the material like a water skier on a calm lake! You can also listen to a table saw, a sander, a planer, and other tools. THEY TALK TO YOU!
Joe
The first pic is the dust we are creating when we are carving. Not sure if it matters but we are using some very old pine boards that have almost no moisture or resin in them at all.
The other pic is our machine. Its a bobs cnc evo 5. We are using v carve desktop software.
The other pics I sent were done on birch plywood. The raised letter took over 3 hrs, and the others a little over 2 hrs.
Attachments
Late to the party as usual but...
I would suggest you learn about chip load. This is what drives feeds and speeds. Chip load is basically the thickness of a chip that your bit slices off with each pass of the cutting edge. Too small a chip (ie dust) and you get rubbing and heat. Too big a chip load and you get tearing and sometimes broken bits. Most bit manufacturers (at least good manufacturers) provide a recommended chip load for each bit and the materials that it is intended for. Most good CAD/CAM software will calculate chip load for a given bit based on your feed rate and spindle speed. See the example Speed and Feed chart from Amana for a 1/8" spiral. Then look at the VCarve Pro Tool data for a 1/8" spiral end below that. You will see that I need to increase my spindle speed or decrease the feed rate to get my chip load correct.
If your machine is flexy, decrease your depth of cut to reduce the resistance force as you push the bit through the material.
![Font Rectangle Parallel Screenshot Number]()
![Rectangle Slope Font Parallel Screenshot]()
I would suggest you learn about chip load. This is what drives feeds and speeds. Chip load is basically the thickness of a chip that your bit slices off with each pass of the cutting edge. Too small a chip (ie dust) and you get rubbing and heat. Too big a chip load and you get tearing and sometimes broken bits. Most bit manufacturers (at least good manufacturers) provide a recommended chip load for each bit and the materials that it is intended for. Most good CAD/CAM software will calculate chip load for a given bit based on your feed rate and spindle speed. See the example Speed and Feed chart from Amana for a 1/8" spiral. Then look at the VCarve Pro Tool data for a 1/8" spiral end below that. You will see that I need to increase my spindle speed or decrease the feed rate to get my chip load correct.
If your machine is flexy, decrease your depth of cut to reduce the resistance force as you push the bit through the material.
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
