Issues with 1/8" bits in Maple

Mostly Printed CNC - MPCNC Troubleshooting
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Does anyone have any tips for using 1/8" bits in maple? Doesn’t matter what type of bit I use (upcut, downcut, single flute) I am getting chatter and wobble when trying to drill with an 1/8" bit. I have now ruined over $100 worth of lumber trying to drill 350+ holes in a maple board. I don’t have the same problem in ACX plywood or pine. 1/4" bits work fine and I found out I can actually cut faster than I thought.

MPCNC Primo with a Makita RT0701C router. I have been using 1mm plunge at 3mm/s. Slowed the feed down and still get the problem. Upcut and downcut both have the problem. Everything is tight enough that I don’t have any movement but I can still spin the bearings by hand.

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What speed are you running the router at?

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Setting 4 so about 22k RPM. I have tried 6 (30k) as well.

As I thought about it some more, it only happens on drill operations. I can do pockets and profiles with little issue.

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Do you have any pictures of your bit? Endmills aren’t usually very good at drilling. You can sorta get away with it if the flutes go all the way to the center, but I think it still makes more pressure cutting that way, and can really show you where your Z weakness is.

Since you are making cribbage boards, helixing in with a smaller bit would probably add way too much time.

Consider something like this instead.

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Here are the ball end and single flute i tried. Flat end mill is identical to the ball nose except…well…flat.

I am going to look into the bit. I was thing of trying a drill bit as slow as i could get it to go which still wouldn’t be slow enough.

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I use a smaller mill and spiritual pocket for a 1/8 hole a 2 mm would be good. Not sure of speed but i use 6mm for 1/4 inch holes and it works well.

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I just bit the bullet some day and bought drill bits. Works like a charm and is less expensive than ruining wood. :sweat_smile: You can get them any size as well: Sorotec Online-Shop - Werkzeuge and Sorotec Online-Shop - Werkzeuge, as an example.

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Using a 1/16 bit and doing a helical drill would take 3x as long. It’s already a long operation due to the number of holes.

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Well…I just looked at running a regular pocket operation instead of a drill and it’s actually faster than drilling with the 1/8" bit. Might have to give that a test.

Additionally, does anyone know how to disable to peck during the drilling operation in EstlCAM? If I get the drill bit mentioned above I won’t want to peck drill each hole.

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You’ll likely want to keep this on as it helps clear chips, lower tool heat, and keeps wear and tear down.

As others have said a drill bit will really improve this, if you are more looking for speed and not CNC type accuracy, you could always use the CNC to make a small indent where the hole is needed then use a drill guide to make the holes.

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Did the manual drill with another one. Huge pain. I’d love to let the CNC do all the work this time.

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Then leave the peck. :smiley: If you figure out the right speed it will still be much faster, drilling is really quick. :slight_smile:

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When I make reloading blocks there were 25 deep holes each. Used estlcam hole operation with1/4" upcut bit. Work well and relatively quick.

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hts_1

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All 1/4 inch holes except the custom 410 size board i cant find pictures of atm :tired_face:

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Use a real drillbit and a ‘pecking’ routine to clear chips.

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That’s what we’ve been telling him… :smiley: He does not want to listen to reason. :stuck_out_tongue:

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Those boards look nice. 1/4" is too big for the holes I need, though. I working with 1/8" pegs.

I did order the drill bit from IDC. Should arrive today and then I’m going to try some tests before I ruin yet another 12" chunk of maple.

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Ilike IDC ypu will be happy with those my BIL used one and worked very good :+1: yes lots of tests and fun and games its what makes it hand made and personal :blush:

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Well, it wasn’t the bit. Running the high speed drill bit from IDC Woodcraft and both 2mm DOC/ 3mm speed and 1mm DOC/3mm speed it skipped and widened a hole. Guess maple is just out of the question. Going to try oak next.

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Only time I’ve had issues with drilling in any material was because of the set screws coming loose on the pulleys. Might give that a check. I wobbled a few holes before I figured it out.

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