Anyone have any suggestions for feeds and speeds for a 60 deg V Bit in curly maple?
Just like on a lathe, curly maple is very hard to cut without chatter or chipping - it takes a sharp tool and thin cuts - practice, practice, practice!
VERY sharp bit
Tiny cuts (you can go deeper as you see how your bit is doing)
(make sure the bit is all the way up in the collet then bring back down about 1/8" - less vibration, yet collet is away from any weld line on the bit)
Feed 60 ipm
Router speed dial on 4 (20,000 rpm)
Practice with lines on a scrap piece
Hope this helps
Pony
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Thank you… I appreciate it.
60ipm is a good recommendation. Based on my testing (here and here) 40ipm is optimal, but I would suggest a spindle speed of 18K, which is 4.5-5 on the Makita router. 4 on the Makita is much closer to 16K given it’s top end around 20-22K. Best of luck!
-Tom
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Isn’t the top speed on the Makita 30K? I’ve never tested it, just going by it’s rating.
Good videos by the way. Thanks.
I think I have better luck [in my cuts] as I do very shallow cuts, usually around .05 or less per pass. I’m in no hurry, so I don’t mind if it takes longer. The pic shows pieces fresh off the cnc last year and as you can see, I get clean cuts. 60° bit, 1 flute, 2 passes, .035 and .05
Thanks,
Pony
Hi Pony – those look amazing! And yes, I got my numbers mixed up - the Makita can go up to 30K. The manual says:
1 = 10K
2 = 12K
3 = 17K
4 = 22K
5 = 27K
6 = 30K
I usually do all my milling at 2-2.5, and occasionally bump to 3 or 4. Honestly, it vibrates so much at 4 and above, I’m worried the machine will come apart. 
Keep up the great work!
-Tom
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Thanks for the reply and the compliment.
Do you have a worn bearing/bushing or maybe the commutator is worn? I’m on my 2nd Makita and both of them have had zero vibrations and that’s with 208 running hours on my machine. And I run some bits on 6. Vibrations are not good!
Pony
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Hi Pony - I really have no clue. This specific router suffers from a lot of problems my original router never had. The speed dial moves during use, it seems louder, it gets hotter, and it seems to vibrate a lot at higher speeds. However, not worth investigating since I’m upgrading to a spindle in the future. The spindle has actually been sitting in a box next to the CNC for ~9 months waiting for installation, but I have not made the time. Soon, I hope 
-Tom
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Make the time you will only wish you had done it sooner
Pat
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Oh, no doubt Pat. Every time I fire up the OF I’m kicking myself!