Speeds and IPM and feeds

Can anyone take a look here and let me know if I’m on the right track with setting up some Freud bits. I’m using VCarve Pro. Thank you!

Ya, I’ll bite…
Stop listening to some of the people on here…
Slow your feed way down… something like 40 to 60… especially for hardwoods!!!
You’re going to break a bit or burn the wood!
Just saying…
You HAVE to do your test runs to see what works for the job you’re doing!

And shame on some of you guys… you know better!

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Thanks. I’m new and have never cut anything with a CNC. So I’m just plugging the math in as it spits out of the different calculators. The IPM seemed quite high to my inexperienced CNC self. I’ve not actually got too much of my info from this forum on this topic. Just trying to wrap my head around it all.

@NINE18
Don’t get me wrong… I’m not mad at anyone, but…
(and we all know what comes after BUT).
I get there are a lot of first time people here, and I really don’t mean any disrespect… but those of us who have done this SHOULD be helping the new people to make a better product, no matter what it is they do… I’m assuming that’s why we have a community?
I’m just currently having a weak moment trying to understand why some people are pedaling crap…
But that just might be my perception…
And if I’m wrong, I apologize and stand corrected…
All I ask is that those who have REAL experience, step up and help guide people who invested in this platform…
Everything else is just balloons, pinwheels, and fluff…
Ok, rant over…

To answer your original question… Your feed are way too fast… you will break expensive bits and burn your projects!

Always do a test run… and adjust your settings to get the best results!

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Couldn’t have put it any better myself, Gerry. :+1:t2:

This guy explains it really well. Slow speeds are what burns and breaks bits. And your feed speeds are what I run my machine at so you will have no problem at that speed. I think you may want more stepover but that is personal preference. This stuff is not an opinion its a technical specification that has one right answer. That answer may be hard to nail down due to material hardness and moisture content but the math for chipload will not be far from the specs that are given for each bit.

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@JDog thank you for your help! I’ll check these out. This is definitely the kind of info I’m looking for! Just trying to learn and get myself to some type of starting point. Thanks again!

Here is a video from 1F a year ago cutting 6061 aluminum at 275ipm 30krpm .015doc 1/4 single flute.

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After a ton of research, trials and errors, because we all want our projects to be done ASAP, we have a tendency of going way too fast. There are tons of articles about feeds and speeds but if you’re learning I’ll tell you what I found to be the best. There is an app called “IDC Woodcraft”. you download the app, you will then open it, then skip the intro and then you are able to select what bit your using (he has his brand of bits for sale as well and he calculates with them but you can just use your own) enter what wood you’re using and it calculates the best feeds and speeds.

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I’m gonna comment more generally on my first few months with the machine. I’m a complete noob with only a few of projects under my sleeve so take this for what it’s worth. I’m working mostly with wood but I’ve dabbled in aluminum, brass and copper.

In general the machine and most bits are capable of more than you think. If the bit’s manufacturer says 200ipm on the feeds and speeds then it’s capable of that speed. It shouldn’t break.

The machine is pretty sturdy and I’ve yet to mess it up despite my best efforts. Several wtf moments where bits crashed into material at high speeds and depths well beyond what they were supposed to go at. A couple broke but more survived when they probably shouldn’t have.

These forums have recommended speeds that vary wildly depending on who you read. When I felt lost and needed confidence this is what I did: I took some scrap walnut and ran several toolpaths with a 1/4” bit starting at 80ipm and went up the 215ipm in 20 ipm intervals (which was recommended by the manufacturer.). The bit and the machine didn’t care at any of those speeds. I settled around 140-160 ipm for that bit mainly cause my table isn’t rigid enough so I was getting unacceptable vibrations and chatter. But it was my table top that was vibrating not the machine. (Table upgrades will be incoming)

For me I generally start at the lower range of what’s recommended and work my way up. I change my router speed based on my feeds so I’m getting as close to the recommended chip load as possible. If I don’t like something or feel uncertain I run a test on scrap with the bit and material from my intended project similar to what I described above. Listen to the sounds of the cut and watch the chips. you’ll start to know pretty quickly when a cut is ok and when it’s not.

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This is a single edge cutting tool, and I would try to run it at 100 - 125 ipm to start.