Hi everyone I do alot of pockets in hard wood typically no deeper than 1/2" and I am wondering what peoples prefered bit for roughing is?
The standard 1/4" Down/Up removes very minimal material each pass. With a standard router I would use a bowl bit or a 3/4" Straight Bit.
Any recommendations?
Depends on the size of the pocket. Large pockets - use a bowl bit that is 0.75 - 1" wide. Smaller pockets, use a 1/4" or 1/8" flat end mill. I cover some of this in my 101 video series - video 4 is about bits.
Great videos I just binged them! Thanks!
Do you have a recommended Feed rate, DOC and Step over for the 3/4" Bowl bit?
With hand routing its just so easy to go by feel, CNC not so much.
Hi Brandon - thanks for the kudos. Using an adaptive pocket in Fusion, I used a feed rate of 60ipm and 0.125" DOC. I just looked at the file and Fusion doesn’t seem to have a value for step over for an adaptive cut - I never noticed that. I generally accept the default anyway, which 90-95%. That should work fine with the OF since it is a good deal sturdier than the X-Carve.
I suspect the settings might work for a regular pocket (non-adaptive) as well, but to be safe, I’d reduce the DOC to 0.7" or do some testing first in a comparable material.
I do plan on doing some speed/feed testing for the OF, but I haven’t made the time yet.
Hope this helps.
-Tom