Tried citting a piece of 3/4” maple yesterday using good double sided tape with 1/4” upcut endmill and piece went flying across the room. Admittedly double sided tape is not best hold down method but I wonder if adjusting F&S downwards would prevent this? Job Stock isn’t large enough to use clamps. Could use CA and painters tape but I wonder if F&S too powerful for 3/4” maple.
Thanks.
Mark
Could slow things down. I use blue painters tape on both the table and material. Super glue on one side, accelerant on the other. Hold strong enough to cut aluminum.
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Hello Mark,
IMHO - With the right double sided tape I find it better than CA glue. The tape has to be strong and not too thin so it can fill variances in the wood. I use outdoor rated tape. Also I use a dead blow hammer to force good contact between wood and table. Of course this means the wood needs to be faced flat before using the double sided tape.
Recently I have not been able to find the outdoor stuff and some others I tried were definitely not strong enough or thick enough. With the right tape, and taping all of the board I have full confidence in it, but hardwood maple does mean I have to slow down - more for the health of the cutter, not the clamping.
With hardwood maple for a 1/4"upcut I do 12000rpm 100ipm .100"stepdown and .23" stepover.
I have tried CA glue method but have not found it as good holding - inconsistent spreading of the glue - seemed to be too thick to spread and didn’t like the fumes from the glue and accelerant.
Thanks for the suggestion, hinro133.
Mark
Thanks for the info, Chris. I’ll give those Feeds and Speeds a try.
Mark
I use carpet tape on nearly everything to some extent, but you do have to be very careful to run conservatively so you don’t tax the limits of adhesion of the carpet tape. And of course, make sure both sides are clean & dust free that you are attaching the carpet tape to.
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I cut a lot of hard maple and other hardwoods and use mostly the Carbide 3D Clamps, tiger clamps, can’t get the image to upload, a little pricey but effective.
Never had a piece of material come loose.
Pat
I use those clamps as well on my fixture plate. I like them - relatively low profile, sturdy, and adjustable. In the photo below I use them to keep the tape held acrylic sheet from potentially shifting during machining.
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At your local Rockler or Woodcraft, you can get what is called turner’s tape. It is a bit thicker and holds really well.Turners use it to hole pieces to a faceplate on the lathe, so the CNC shouldn’t be a problem.
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I have been using Intertape 591 double-sided flatback paper tape successfully. I like it because it holds very well and is very thin. Although I normally use it for aluminum and hard plastic, it also works well for hardwood after I face it.
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I’m surprised no one mentioned that you said you used an upcut bit - that tries to pull your material up off the adhesive. I use CA and tape, but only with downcut bits.
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Same. I have not had good result with tape and upcut bits. If upcut is needed use clamps or screw it down usually. I hate losing good material and just dont like risking it.
But im sure im not using the strongest tape either.
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If it is a piece you will make multiple copies, consider making a vacuum chuck with a pocket to hold the piece I did that for the jar lids that I make & have not had a problem. I try to design my chucks so that profile cuts can be made without cutting the gasket.
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In the FWIW category, some of the double sided tapes are very thin. That said, its almost imperative that the two surfaces you are mating are flat. Like others, i use carpet tape or the CA glue and painters tape when clamps get in the way. Depending on the piece I may use tape and clamps when i dont want tabs on the cutout. Keep in mind, some carpet tape sticks so well, it can lift MDF if your not using a more solid work area.
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Thank you all for your advice on hold down methods. Wow, such a variety! I have found that for my present project that I can simply screw my material into the wasteboard, though I know that will not work in all situations. Having some backup methods will be helpful in the future.
Thanks! Mark
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