Well, I finally decided to have a go at making the brass hardware for a project I am working on. Thought I'd share as a reference for others. I did a lot of research. Seems as though there is a pretty wide variation in speeds/settings/tools/etc. to get this done. So, this is just what worked for me. For reference, I am using a CNCRP 24x48 Standard machine with a Bosch 1617 router. I created the drawing in a very old version of IntelliCAD, saved it as DXF, then imported into VCarve Pro. The material is 360 Brass - 6x12x0.032.

My first thought was to mill the outline of the pieces with a 1/8" O Flute, then come back with a 1/16" O Flute to get more detail, then add a chamfer. To hold the material down, I tried double stick tape (woodworking/turning). That didn't work. The part popped off. Next was 5 min. epoxy. Same thing. The parts popped off in various places/bits - not consistent. My epoxy may have been bad. It felt rubbery after it cured (bought fresh today!). Next stop was super glue. The first one popped off too. Gosh darnit - I'm pretty frustrated now! I broke my 1/16 bit - user error - setting Z - I was at zero and hit the Z down button (page down) by accident! Then, I broke a 1/8" bit - not sure why - it happened mid cycle. Chucked up a 1/4 bit and no breakey. However, when I then tried the chamfer, the part popped off. Now, the chamfer tool was an Amana 60° with two carbide cutting edges. At this point, I was pretty frustrated and wondering what to do.

I then thought why do I need to do a rough cut? Why not just use the chamfer tool? I had another chamfer tool (Whiteside 60° - 3 cutting edges -solid carbide) that I use for inlay, so I tried that. I also changed my cut depth to 0.008" and slowed the travel speed to about 15 ipm. And just for the heck of it, I spread paraffin wax on the surface of the brass (no idea if that helped?). I held my breath and gritted my teeth and low and behold, it worked. Yay! I had been making 0.020 cuts or so before this. Oh, what I'm calling a chamfer tool is a V tool. Sorry. I'll be ordering a replacement since this one is probably not as sharp as it used to be and sharp is important for inlay.

Here is a pic. You can see where one part popped off. I haven't removed anything yet. I want to use a small engraver to mark the positions of the brad holes. I'll drill those on the drill press later.

Anyway, thought I'd share my ignorance/experiment/experience!

Tony