New CNC user mistakes and info

**Pilsbury** · 08-09-2020

Dean.... only joking.... patience is a virtue I’m told. But I’m clearly not a very virtuous person. I’ve demonstrated that on many an occasion😏

**JAZZCNC** · 08-09-2020

Originally Posted by Pilsbury

Dean.... only joking.... patience is a virtue I’m told. But I’m clearly not a very virtuous person. I’ve demonstrated that on many an occasion😏

Yep, it is but it will be worth the wait I promise you that.

Regards the HSS then it depends on what your cutting but I'd always go with Carbide for a router as it suits high-speed spindles better as you can run them at higher speeds and higher loads without destroying the cutter. Only downside is they are more brittle and less forgiving if you crash them.

**Pilsbury** · 08-09-2020

So perhaps my carbide purchases weren’t all that bad. TBH I’ve bought some end mills, ball nosed v bits, flattening bits, v carve bits and still had change out of £20 including postage. Not the end of the world if some meet an untimely end. Think I’ll be more upset about nackering my project.

**Zorbit** · 08-09-2020

Removed.

**Pilsbury** · 08-09-2020

Originally Posted by Zorbit

If you can use a decent diameter tool then do so, an 8mm cutter is a lot stronger than a 6mm.

You’ve just reminded me about another question! I’ve recently watched a YouTube vid about a bloke talking about the pros and cons of his small 60x90, medium 120x120 and large 120x240 machines. He surprised me when talking about their capabilities. All looked decent expensive machines but he said in the smaller and medium ones 1/4” bits in hardwood would struggle. Only in the big machine can you use them due to rigidity and spindle power. Suppose it depends on the machine, but they were branded gear which wouldn’t have been cheap.

**Clive S** · 08-09-2020

Originally Posted by Pilsbury

You’ve just reminded me about another question! I’ve recently watched a YouTube vid about a bloke talking about the pros and cons of his small 60x90, medium 120x120 and large 120x240 machines. He surprised me when talking about their capabilities. All looked decent expensive machines but he said in the smaller and medium ones 1/4” bits in hardwood would struggle. Only in the big machine can you use them due to rigidity and spindle power. Suppose it depends on the machine, but they were branded gear which wouldn’t have been cheap.

How about a link to the vid !!!

**Pilsbury** · 08-09-2020

Originally Posted by Clive S

How about a link to the vid !!!

Here you go!
https://youtu.be/_YQoOfAm7UU

**routerdriver** · 08-09-2020

I don't think you will go far wrong with the bargain level carbide cutters.I haven't even seen an HSS router cutter in twenty years or so although I suspect I have one at the back of a drawer.One thing to watch out for is that not all the TCT cutters have inserts all the way to the centre and consequently won't plunge cut.I bought a few of these myself and it doesn't actually cause many problems as I have the option of a ramp entry tot he cut.As for the holy grail,that has to be Poly Crystalline Diamond and really needs to be experienced once you are confident the cut won't go through a clamp or worse a high tensile bolt head-but if spotted in time and with a control that adjusts feed speed you may be able to machine a nice flat on the edge of the bolt head-not that I'm admitting anything.....

**Neale** · 08-09-2020

So much depends on what you need to achieve. That guy is a professional looking to maximize throughout from his investments. As a home user, the priorities are different. I try to keep cutter rpm up (I keep reminding myself that when I use a handheld router I'm running a 1/2" cutter at 26K rpm) and feed rate up - too slow burns wood. So I tend to use depth of cut to set the load on the machine. Maybe DoC = cutter dia might be a starting point, but a limiting factor will either be load on spindle (I probably wouldn't be using a 1/2" cutter at that depth...) or how well you can clamp the work, especially trying to hold down the piece you are cutting as you break through. Double-sided tape is great but a real pain to get off afterwards!

I use 6-8mm a lot in wood - and mostly 6mm - but have a 50mm cutter for surfacing. DoC is pretty small for that one. And I won't be trying to cut out 12mm ply in one pass - apart from anything else, my dust collection couldn't cope! On which subject, for the odd one-off, I often forget the dust shoe and just track the cutter with a handheld nozzle on the shop vac. Plastic nozzle, of course, which is looking a bit tatty now after a few years' use!