[areinike]

Looking to up from 2 flute to 4 flute when cutting hardwood. I typically drill pockets and have to ramp about 10 passes to finish each pocket. It's slow, but works.

5 Pcs YG1 4 Flute 1 4 End Mill Solid Carbide TiAlN Coated x 3 4 x 2 1 2 CNC Bit | eBay

[awerby]

Usually, 2 flute bits are better for wood. 4-flute bits work best in steel. What makes you think that you need more flutes?

[areinike]

Not really sure. The 2 flute carbide bit seems to stress a bit running at half the SFM it should based on chip load calculations. That and the spindle I'm using runs at Max 12000 RPM. Thought going 4 would give me a little more wiggle room in getting that desired chip load without stressing the machine. I'm guessing its stressing due to occasional vibrations I'm getting during cuts. Trying to hit the sweet spot.

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[areinike]

Actually, the 4 flute seemed to work okay, not as good as the 2 flute bit I'm afraid. Vibrations are worse. Should I even go as far as looking for a single flute or even a rounded bit? I'm using the Shapeoko (Version 1) build so the Z axis isn't the stiffest, but I've added a bit of re-enforcement to it to help with that. I go slow enough so it doesn't flex, but I still get vibrations here and there, sometimes it vibrates the whole table and can get loud.

[Jkountz]

Sounds like you may have some binding issues. If its making alot of racket when cutting something is binding up somewhere. Check everything then check it again to make sure. Sometimes the slightest adjustment can make the biggest difference.