By jrbloom
Full depth cuts in plywood
Hi.
I am fairly new to both CNC and HSMAdvisor, so this is probably a stupid question :-)
I am preparing a post for cutting out kitchen cabinets in 19mm hardwood ply, with a 1/4" solid carbide spiral endmill.
When hand routing I generally never go deeper than the cutter diameter, based purely on the feel of tool. However, HSMAdvisor is happy to give me some recommended F&S's for a full-depth/full-width cut.
My question is, can I be reasonably confident that this will not break the tool? Or am I missing something? HSMAdvisor shows the force/torque to be only at 13%, which suggests it is well within the capabilities of the mill. But it just, feels wrong :-)
Secondly, is it actually a good idea to back off the feedrate? This shows an increase in tool-life, but this contradicts what I have read on Google, re not 'babying the cut'. Am I actually better taking the 100% feedrate, so that the Feed and Speed are properly matched?
Thanks,
Jon
Eldar Gerfanov (Admin)
Updated by: Eldar Gerfanov (Admin)April 26, 2024, 4:00 am
Hello,
I did test cuts in different materials recently and the 2 and 3 flute end mills for aluminum worked fine. Didn't break a single one.
But. I have a 500lb hobby CNC machine and if yours is lighter/weaker, you may run into issues.
When in doubt (new material/tool/holder) always start slow.
This is what I always do and recommend to everyone.