[rianmullins]

I'm putting together a CNC router from David Steele's designs, and am wondering what kind of bits people have the best luck with when cutting wood.
I'll be using a small 1-hp variable speed Bosch router with a 1/4" collet.

I'm inclined to use 1/4" ball end or corner-rounded end-mills. Are end-mills good for cutting wood? Or are router bits somehow better? (What's the difference? ) I assume 1/4" is the right size because people seem to be using small routers with 1/4" shanks in their machines.

What about roughing end-mills? The ones with all the jagged bits on them. They look like they might make quick work of cutting wood. Although I can't seem to find them in 1/4".

Should I use many flutes or a low number of flutes? And should the helix be high or low?

I guess straight router bits tend to have 2 flutes and a low helix, so that's probably the right thing for cutting wood. But are straight router bits even center-cutting usually?

I'm leaning toward the roughing end-mills right now, because they seem like they would shred the wood nicely, minimizing forces on the router caused from tearing into he grain.

Thanks for any info/ opinions.

Rian Mullins

[dertsap]

i buy the cheap bits from kms tools , they go on sale really cheap (3 bucks )
router bits are cheap once you find the right supplier

i would recommend you not use endmills on wood , i nearly lit up my first machine ,
a 1/4" endmill i was using created a lot of friction because of the bit clogging and it lit up the mdf dust , if i wasnt right there it could have been ugly