Printable View
When I'm cutting the 18mm thick MDF with a 2mm dia cutter with 3 flutes I set at 3 equal depth cuts and around 18000 rpm at 750mm/min.
Obviously with the long series cutter it suffers from vibration, so my finish isn't quite as nice as I would like it on the edges of the finished product.
So, more flutes, less speed, more speed, less feed or what ?
Limited to around 18000 rpm by the machine head and rating, so higher revs unavailable unless I convert the head to a better faster one.
I use a 2 flute upcut bit at 24000rpm at 6000mm/min and get good cuts but I would do an 18mm depth of cut in 6 passes with such a thin cutter a cutting depth off 6mm per passs will certainly cause the cutter to flex and I should think cause a bit of chatter as well. A 2mm cutter seems a bit on the small side if you are cutting right through, your feed speeds are also a bit low IMO but you cant push them too high at the depth of cut you are using.
Al
I cut 18 mm Mdf in two passes with a 9.5mm cutter at 6m/min.
It should be possible to cut it in one pass but that depends on the size of the machine.
The higher the feed rates and the fewer passes you take the longer the tool will last, so if you are looking to run production pieces this is something you should look into.
Mdf is harsh on tooling it's massively abrasive and will wear out tools fast.
http://zero-divide.net/?page=fswizard
It's called deflection
I can't image ever being able to get a really good finish with a 2mm tool cutting that deep.
As was mentioned, MDF is very abrasive, and a 2mm tool will be getting dull before you even make it through.
Did not know MDF was abrasive, thing you learns on here :eagerness: