[kensheets]

Hello
I have made my first project with vcarve pro. I havent got all of the tooling that I needed just yet as I am waiting on some vgroove bits from Ebay so vbit carving wasnt attempted on this initial voyage.
I have enclosed a pic of the project in MDF, I am not happy at all with the edges of the cuts especially around the circles. My machine has a 24" square capacity built from extruded aluminum and uses rails and carriages so it is fairly rigid, in as far as hobby machines go.
I got a new 1/8 collet and I have not measured for run out.

My settings are as follows.
Feed- 100IPM
Speed- Bosch colt, around 3/4 of its rated capacity
1/8 2 flute end mill (New) not chineese
plunge rate 30
direction- conventional

Any ideas as to how I could have made cleaner cuts would be highly appreciated.

Thanks
Ken

[ger21]

Use downcut spiral bits, like these.
1 8" 1250" Carbide 2 Flute Endmills Soft Plastic | eBay

[kensheets]

Gerry
Thanks, I get a couple of those bits on order. Do you think that most of that rough edges lie with the bits more so than any of the settings that I had set in the software?
Thanks
Ken

[ger21]

Yes, if it's just the edges that are the issue, then a downcut should cut much cleaner.
Cutting slower might help a little, at the expense of tool life.
The quality of the material also plays a factor here. Some materials will cut fine with an upcut, but some will chip. Even different MDF from different manufacturers can cut very differently.
But a downcut will almost always give you a much cleaner edge.

[victorofga]

ken


looking closely, i believe the strands are too rough in this mdf..
beside downspiral, you could try an engraving bit just clean the edges.. like 20 deg sideangle and bottom about 0.2-0.3 mm

3 x V Shape Carbide Engraving Bit CNC Router Tool 10 20 30 Degree | eBay

like these bits.. in us you can try bits n bits net..

[kensheets]

Guys
Thanks for the input. I did place an order for bits from both of ur suggestions. I also agree that the fibers or strands of the board I have are fairly rough
Currently I am really diving into VCP and am learning something new with every project I develop.
Anyway looking forward to posting a pic of the next project, hopefully a few steps better than the last.

Thanks
Ken

[PaulRowntree]

Ken, I wonder why the circle edges are much rougher than the letters. Is it possible that the feeds / speeds were different for these two toolpaths?