Most of the stuff I’ve done is rather small, 12x12 sort of thing, so I’ve taken to using a tight stepover, 4%, to avoid a lot of sanding.
I’m now doing a large one, 3x4’. Am I crazy for thinking I can stretch that out to 8 or 12% without getting terribly bad scalloping?
A .03" (12%) stepover with a 1/4" ball will give you a .0009" scallop height. 8% stepover would be .0004" I always ask myself how much do I want to sand vs. how much longer do I want the machine to run. After which, I will still need to do some sanding.
That was kinda my thinking. It’s for a sign, so this thing isn’t going to be inspected with a magnifying lens to begin with.
I made up some sample boards of different types of wood, grain direction, and stepover variations with all my ball endmills. It helps to have a visual reference and a fingernail test instead of relying on the simulation in CAM. I’ve been able to cut way down on the re-runs and waste.
That’s not a bad idea. Have a pile of scrap to play with. Beats being paranoid and wasting time.