I then made a test engraving and painted it (this was just crap wood in the garage). The size of the board is about 12 in x 15 in. I was going to vcarve the inside of all those shapes, but ESTLCam was telling me it would take almost 6 hours and I wasn’t going to start that at midnight.
Now I’ve cut a piece of plywood to fit into the leveled area cleanly (it’s 21.5 inches square) and I’m trying to figure out how to design a series of 6mm (1/4 inch) holes in a grid pattern in it so that I can use that to fasten my work piece down (without having to drill into the work piece itself every time). Learning more every day!
So, quick question, what do you all do about very long jobs? Currently I’m looking at a 5 hour job cutting 6 mm holes in 19mm plywood in a grid pattern and I don’t want to start right now because I have plans for the superbowl (which starts in 3.5 hours) and I am not going to want to stay up after the superbowl for a 5+ hour job. I"m sure there are tricks available, but I was wondering what you all do here.
Thanks. Did that and ran the first fifth, so far everything looks good except the bit, which looks burnt. I’ll post a picture tomorrow but should the bit get burnt up after 89 - 6mm x 19mm holes?
The bit should be able to mill forever without getting burnt. Theoretically, the chips take away the heat, so drilling might be the hardest operation in terms of heat, because there isn’t a great way to remove chips, so they get re cut a lot.
Thanks, I mean they are cheap bits that I bought off Amazon. so I didn’t expect them to last forever. And it does make sense that the drilling operation would generate more heat(especially since the hole is technically < 2x the bit width (I’m making 6 mm holes with a 3.18 mm bit), but I was just surprised to see this after 89 holes:
I was more expecting that after something like 200 holes. I guess the glue in the layers of the plywood isn’t helping either. Either way, I’m hoping to be done with the spoilboard tomorrow morning sometime and then I can start working on some real projects.
Oh, the machine was never alone. I literally was sitting next to it with a vacuum hose near the bit as it went for the full 1:06 hours. But yeah, if I had set that for all 441 holes and just left, that would’ve likely started a fire
I have a bit or two that look that way too. It happens to me when I cut too slow and the bit is cutting in a groove full of saw dust. The acetone should clean most of it off. The bit’s cutting edge should still be sharp.
I have encountered this when my vacuum wasn’t quite getting everything up and there was chip buildup. Thinking about an air assist, but that’s a long way off.
How can I tell the difference? I bought a 10 pack of these of Amazon, link earlier in the thread, and they’re listed as end mills (I know that it doesn’t mean much, just saying)
Hmm, if I use air assist do I also need vacuum? I am about to get my 25 gallon air compressor back that I loaned to a friend for a project so I can wait before I burn a third bit too try that instead
Currently in the process of assembling my MPCNC, am planning on having a clearing line from my compressor, but also hook up the vacuum to attempt to reduce the amount of mess.
Having seen one type of rotozip bit in person, the nose of it was more of a point, for stabbing it into drywall.
I’ve never seen a single flute end mill before, but it should have at least one cutting lip at 90 degrees out from the shaft so that it can cut a flat bottom.
If they were rotozip bits, that would definitely explain the heat build up!
Have a closer look at them and some pictures online and if you still aren’t sure, take a couple pictures of the end of the bit and post them here.
Thanks for the description. I checked and these are definitely end mills, however, they are not single flute but double flute end mills. How much difference does single v double flute make? I can’t seem to easily find single flute on amazon but I do see a few on EBay. Is there a preferred seller people here use?
Ok, first end mill soaked in acetone for hours and then I brushed it with a stiff nylon brush (started to get some cleaning done) and then I used a brass brush (cause it’s softer than the steel that the end mill is made of in an effort to avoid damaging it) and it looked pretty good. Not perfect, but pretty good, so I mounted it and went about drilling the next 90 holes and this is what it looked like AFTER that operation.
Not sure if you can tell, but it looks better, after cutting the same number of holes, than it did after the first round. This leads me to believe either A) I’m doing a better job holding the vacuum at the right angle, or B) there is a coating on the bits for shipping that burns up and gets nasty. Bit 2 is currently soaking in Acetone and I’m wondering if I should soak bit 3 in Acetone before mounting it just to see if it looks better after 90 holes. Decisions, decisions.
