[corpse]

Sorry in advance if this is too stupid of a question ;-)

I'm pretty new at machining, so I'm trying to learn more optimal way of doing things. The CAM software I use has basic feedrate calculations in it, but it doesn't seem to take into account how much material it's cutting.

So lets work this from a practical example..
Say my stock (6061) is 10(x) 5(y) 2(z), and I want to trim 2" off x.
The end mill is a .750 end mill (rougher), with 2" of cutting area..
a) Would it be better to take a light side cut, say .050" (x increments) of the full 2" of depth.
Or, b) make a heavier cut, like .250" (x inc) but only cut .50" into the material?

These numbers are mainly to compare - I just pulled the values out of my butt. I don't have the experience to do it by "feel". It would seem method A is what I would use for finishing, and method b for roughing..

Of course, the feedrate is whole nother story - I'm focusing more on where to remove the material from.. The feedrate I'm getting better at judging once chips are flying, and adjust the feedrate as it goes along, if need be.

As for the machine - it has a 1.5hp motor, ~1800rpm, an 1/4hp servo's..

[Rekd]

Not a stupid question at all. Most machinists ask themselvse this question quite often. The answer lies in a) your tooling, b) your setup and c) your needs.

I would try first to side cut it. But don't be shy, take deep cuts with lower RPM/Feeds. If you've got a sturdy machine/setup, try running around .004 to .012 chip load with a full radial cut.