Brass V-Carving

LowRider CNC Advice
1

Hey everyone,

I was interested in making my own brass branding iron for marking projects with my logo, likely out of a 1x1” square or 1” dia. brass rod cutoff with my logo engraved on the face. I have seen some aluminum milling done with the Lowrider, however I was wondering if anyone had experience or theoretical knowledge regarding feeds and speeds for brass V-Carving?

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2

I haven’t tried with v1e machines, But rough quideline try 20% less RPM and feed than you would use in Aluminium. Try C36000 grade and let us know :wink:

3

Gwizard is a free (trial) feeds and speeds calculator, and it includes brass (along with a ton of other materials).

Free to use for 30 days (I think), but if you ask nicely, they will usually extend the trial period. Also if you purchase a one year subscription after the trial period (currently on sale for $64), they include lifetime free use after the end of the year (2 HP spindle limit).

The site also has a ton of resources for learning more about different types of milling (trochoidal, climb vs. regular, lots of other topics).

The only down side that I have found is that they do send a lot of emails encouraging you to convert the free trial to a subscription purchase (hey, they gotta make a living, I guess). Those emails usually include some special pricing.

4

As an experiment, I put the question to ChatGPT to see if it might be a useful tool (I have found it to be very helpful in other situations). Here’s it’s response:

Summary for 30-Degree V-Bit at 10,000 RPM:

Brass:

  • Spindle Speed: 10,000 RPM
  • Feed Rate: 42.33 mm/s
  • Plunge Rate: 16 mm/s
  • Depth of Cut: 0.75 mm per pass (up to 1.5 mm for more aggressive cutting)

Aluminum:

  • Spindle Speed: 10,000 RPM
  • Feed Rate: 33.86 mm/s
  • Plunge Rate: 12.7 mm/s
  • Depth of Cut: 0.5 mm per pass (up to 1.0 mm for more aggressive cutting)

These settings should work well with the 30-degree V-bit, offering a balance between material removal and maintaining tool life and surface quality. Adjustments may be necessary depending on the specific conditions of your machine and material.

Any thoughts?

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5

I just used my aluminium settings, but there is a little chatter. Never perfected it. :frowning: