I need to find the right endmill for cuting out letters

Post by **Kurt** » Tue May 15, 2007 12:31 am

Help, looking for advise on cutting out 2" - 3" letters out of MDF and or Plywood 1/8" - 1/4" thick with out leaving a heavy burr on the edge for sanding. Is there an endmill out there that can accomplish this or leave little for sanding? I have tried std. 2 and 4 flute 3/16" diameter carbide end mills.

Post by **Paco** » Tue May 15, 2007 4:00 am

Well, spiral up cutting edge work in those material but I prefer straight edge (standard carbide tipped router bit) with MDF and compression is my favorite for plywoods. Cleaner cut is what I get from those match.

I must admit that, from your post, I'm not 100% sure of what you mean by "burr on edge"...

Post by **Paco** » Tue May 15, 2007 4:02 am

Oh, is that 2-3 inches tall letters in 1/8-1/4" thick stock? Go with the straight edge(s)...

Post by **TReischl** » Tue May 15, 2007 3:26 pm

Just a note, I have pretty much quit using standard 'end mills' for a couple of reasons. The first is the nasty burr or lifting of of the material, the second is that they tend to lift the work right off the table, or at least make it flex enough that you see tooling marks when pocketing.

The purists will tell you that most straight flute router cutters do not end cut. And they are right, but if you keep your plunge depth reasonable, like an 1/8 inch or so, it does not make any difference. I have plunged 1/4 dia router bits to 1/4 deep with no problems.

I have not had any luck with with the reverse spiral end mills either. Since they are trying to push the chips down, they pack the routed slot solid with chips and dust.

Good luck!

Post by **Kurt** » Thu May 17, 2007 1:41 pm

Straight flutes have seemed to work. Thanks for all the help. Now if i can figure out feeds and speeds for the tool. (HA).

Again thanks for the help, I am making chips again.

Kurt

Post by **James E** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:20 pm

There's MDF and there's MDF.

I just did some letters, straigth 1/8th bit, some came out sweet, others came out with fluff along the top edge. The difference? The poor cut was in slightly softer Mdf. It looks a bit creamy coloured. The other stuff is greyer. (But it's not the exterior version Medex.)

Jim

Post by **Kurt** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:22 pm

Thanks for the information on MDF. I actually found darker MDF from a Home Depot that cuts cleaner than MDF found at a Menards. I have yet to see any with a grey tint though. I will keep an eye out.

Post by **James E** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 10:57 am

That may be it. The stuff I found was a darker colour, just a hint of grey green in the cream. I guess it's the feel. it feels denser, harder,..
I wondered about coating it first, with mdf sealer, (mostly pva) to glue the top edge down, but that could lead to some distortion, unless, both sides were coated.
glad you found something better than the creamy fluffy stuff anyway.

Jim