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IndustryArena Forum > WoodWorking Machines > Uncategorised WoodWorking Machines > Help with tips and with milling this bookshelf
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Posts
    6

    Help with tips and with milling this bookshelf

    Hello all!
    It's my first post here and i'm glad to join this great community.

    I recently bought a CNC Router for milling wood and since i am new to this area, i have many problems and questions and i couldn't find any serious guide that would help me.

    Can you suggest me a place to learn and get better with milling strategies, do's and don't's, feeds and speeds rules, etc? I had end mills slip out of the collet and cuting the machine bed, bits breaking, etc. and i'm not sure what i'm doing wrong. I searched the forums for answers but it would be much better if i could just find a guide/book/tutorial to learn from.


    - Can i dive deeper than the cutter length using several passes? Would the shank rub against the wood and burn or break? (shank is the same diameter as the cutter).

    - Also, would it bend and break because the end mill is so long? Should i avoid using long endmills because they are prone to break?

    -Machine manufacturer suggested i should use a lubricant (like wd40) on my collet and cone to avoid rust long term. Could that be the reason my bit slipped in and out of the collet? I cleaned and degreased the tools now and tried a few more cuts and it slipped again. Could it be that i'm not tightening it enough? Should i use another key to counter the torque so i can tighten it better? Would i damage the collet if i tighten it too much?

    I've uploaded some images with my machine, tools and the piece i want to mill, just in case it helps. The bookshelf is 2600x2100x450 mm approximately. My machine XYZ is 2500x1300x300. I want to use Oak wood. I was thinking about slicing it in half to fit my X limitations, then slicing it several times on Z. I use vcarve pro software and i was thinking about doing a profile cut first to remove the material i don't need (round shapes), then use a roughing and finishing strategies to mill the 3D areas. I would also need to turn the material on the other side because i have concave areas. The spindle can rotate on the x axis, but vcarve doesnt support 4 axis milling and i am not advanced enough in fusion 360.

    I would really appreciate your advice on this.
    Cheers!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Posts
    660

    Re: Help with tips and with milling this bookshelf

    On my opinion it can be done by profile cutting first the inner slots with tabs, avoid hatching it because it`s so time consuming and you will surely break a tool bit in the process, a 5mm pass will be just fine even if you just use a high speed steel end mill, the codes will be divided into 4 parts, inner profile cut, surface contour cut, inner profile cut on the drawers and drawer face profile cut, attacking it via 3D process will surely stress it`s either your machine or your tool bits used. I can help you with the codes if you want, I have worked on furnitures bigger than your drawer. if you divide the work process it`s much more easier than machining the whole thing straight, even if you say it can fit on your CNC table.

    Advantages on dividing the codes - you can assign a tool bit used in each code, you can re sharpen the tool bit and reload it on the next code as so on and so forth.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Posts
    35538

    Re: Help with tips and with milling this bookshelf

    I think that bookcase was probably done with a bandsaw. Or, with a lot of hand tools to do all of the shaping.
    A CNC Router is just a tool, and is not always the right tool for the job.

    If it's really 450mm deep, then you're only option would be to slice it into multiple layers. I would try to keep the layers in the 50mm thick range. Get tools with cutting edges long enough to reach through.

    If the tools are coming out of the collet, then the collet nut is not tight enough. If you use WD40, make sure to dry everything of before assembling it.
    Gerry

    UCCNC 2017 Screenset
    http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2017.html

    Mach3 2010 Screenset
    http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2010.html

    JointCAM - CNC Dovetails & Box Joints
    http://www.g-forcecnc.com/jointcam.html

    (Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Posts
    24

    Re: Help with tips and with milling this bookshelf

    That bookcase was made from gluing, bending, shaping. Not any special tools per se.

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