[troyerscnc]

I am ganna be cuttin 2.5 and 3 inch hardwood and am wandering what kind of bits ull are using to cut that thick of wood?

[awerby]

Cutting it how? Are you cutting simple shapes out of it or 3d contours? You need different tools depending on what you're trying to do, but if you want to reach the bottoms of those thick pieces of wood, then you need tools that are long enough to reach there, and enough headroom to clear the workpiece.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

[troyerscnc]

It is a arched table leg without a profile. is it better to do several passes with a hogger then one pass with a finsher?

[awerby]

Yes, you should set up a roughing operation that gets most of the material out of the way with successive passes of a large tool that aren't too deep, leaving a little material positive on the surface. Then, when you're close to your net shape, set up a finishing operation to put in the details or smooth the surfaces. All but the very most basic 3d CAM programs allow you to do this, but if you don't have one, download DeskProto and try it.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

[zool]

Try to remove most of wood with a bandsaw. Then you might be able to just run the finish cut. Normal power and/or hand woodworking tools used in conjunction with CNC are a powerful combination. Plus it gives you an excellent excuse to have more tools!!!