Profile cuts in hardwoods using 1/8th bit?

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Natenator76
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Profile cuts in hardwoods using 1/8th bit?

Post by Natenator76 »

I know it's not really a vcarve centric question but hopefully it's allowed.

Working through a previous post and considering a small design change to some contours that would mean I need to profile cut using a 1/8th bit to cut hardwood at 0.75-0.9- depth. I'm currently using a 1/4 bit which hasn't presented any issues so far.

Wondering if anyone else has cut hardwood at such depths using that small of a bit and if there were issues or if you were, generally, successful doing it? Don't want to blow my money just breaking bits left and right lol

Thank you!

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TReischl
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Re: Profile cuts in hardwoods using 1/8th bit?

Post by TReischl »

A) Buy some cheap chinese endmills, that way you can play without going into bankruptcy
B) You will need to get the kerf cleaned out to prevent heat buildup at those depths so you may need to either blow them out or have good enough suction. What I have used is a small aquarium air hose with fairly low pressure.

But yup, it is totally doable.
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Re: Profile cuts in hardwoods using 1/8th bit?

Post by Natenator76 »

TReischl wrote:
Tue Jan 31, 2023 5:18 pm
A) Buy some cheap chinese endmills, that way you can play without going into bankruptcy
B) You will need to get the kerf cleaned out to prevent heat buildup at those depths so you may need to either blow them out or have good enough suction. What I have used is a small aquarium air hose with fairly low pressure.

But yup, it is totally doable.
I get to play on an industrial cnc at my makerspace so we have dust collection hooked up and I also follow the bit around with compressed air just to keep things cool as much as possible.

Good to know it's a possibility!

Thank you.

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Re: Profile cuts in hardwoods using 1/8th bit?

Post by jfederer »

I do it a lot. There are 2 key things: As Ted said, keep the kerf clean. The other thing I've found is to do multiple shallow cut passes. I usually don't go more than .15" per pass with a 1/8" bit. And of course, buy Chinese bits in bulk so you won't worry about the budget. I've found they are as good for this kind of work as any others, and at a couple bucks per bit, who cares if one breaks? But with the shallow cuts and kerf cleaning, I haven't broken one in ages.
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Re: Profile cuts in hardwoods using 1/8th bit?

Post by Natenator76 »

jfederer wrote:
Tue Jan 31, 2023 5:27 pm
I do it a lot. There are 2 key things: As Ted said, keep the kerf clean. The other thing I've found is to do multiple shallow cut passes. I usually don't go more than .15" per pass with a 1/8" bit. And of course, buy Chinese bits in bulk so you won't worry about the budget. I've found they are as good for this kind of work as any others, and at a couple bucks per bit, who cares if one breaks? But with the shallow cuts and kerf cleaning, I haven't broken one in ages.
Thank you for the feedback.

Can you recommend some of these chinese bits you mention? Didn't realize you could buy them for a couple bucks each lol

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Re: Profile cuts in hardwoods using 1/8th bit?

Post by martin54 »

I really only work with hardwoods, I do the odd project with sheet material & plastics but probably 90% of what I do is hardwoods, as long as you can buy a 1/8" endmill with a long enough cutting edge length then it is not really any different from any other endmill, you just need to take more care to do the things you are suppose to be doing anyway as has been mentioned above. The longest I have at that sort of size are 3mm endmills with a cutting edge length of 32mm (about 1 1/4") which work perfectly well :lol: :lol:

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Re: Profile cuts in hardwoods using 1/8th bit?

Post by Burnside »

I don't buy cheap bits. For me, my time and usually the project are far more valuable. Bits don't always break away from the project :D

I work mostly with hardwoods and I do what you describe often. I use a bitsbits astra-coated 1/8" up cut endmill with 1/4" shank and 1" LOC. It's 30 bucks but performs perfectly for me and IMHO is not "expensive". It stays sharp and cuts great. The 1/4" shank makes for a stronger bit.

As others have noted, keeping the kerf clean by evacuating the swarf is important. I usually do an upcut only, but if the surface is final/critical, I'll do two toolpaths, one with a downcut the first 1/8" and the rest with an upcut. This alone greatly helps clearing out debris. If you can accommodate a few thousands > 1/8", you can create a pocket toolpath instead which will allow your spindle dust collector to clear things out. I recently did this in 13/16 bloodwood that was wicked hard gummy. Also noted, keep the pass depth to 1/8" or less (I usually do 1/16 or so at around 30-40 IPM)

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Re: Profile cuts in hardwoods using 1/8th bit?

Post by jfederer »

Natenator76 wrote:
Tue Jan 31, 2023 5:29 pm
Can you recommend some of these chinese bits you mention? Didn't realize you could buy them for a couple bucks each lol
The ones I purchased are no longer available, but there are many others, such as amazon.ca/Piece-Mills-Material-Plastic-Finishing/dp/B0B39JCPWD/ref=sr_1_121?crid=524XZB82ELN0&keywords=1%2F8%22+end+mill&qid=1675205557&s=industrial&sprefix=1%2F8+end+mill%2Cindustrial%2C119&sr=1-121
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Re: Profile cuts in hardwoods using 1/8th bit?

Post by Rcnewcomb »

eBay sellers of inexpensive 0.125" end mills sold in sets of 10. ->Link
Screen Shot 2023-01-31 at 3.15.49 PM.png
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Re: Profile cuts in hardwoods using 1/8th bit?

Post by Natenator76 »

martin54 wrote:
Tue Jan 31, 2023 6:12 pm
I really only work with hardwoods, I do the odd project with sheet material & plastics but probably 90% of what I do is hardwoods, as long as you can buy a 1/8" endmill with a long enough cutting edge length then it is not really any different from any other endmill, you just need to take more care to do the things you are suppose to be doing anyway as has been mentioned above. The longest I have at that sort of size are 3mm endmills with a cutting edge length of 32mm (about 1 1/4") which work perfectly well :lol: :lol:
Can you send a link to this endmill please and thanks?

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Re: Profile cuts in hardwoods using 1/8th bit?

Post by martin54 »

I bought 2 packs of 10 quite some time ago so I doubt I would be able to find it now, plus I am in the UK so won't have the same suppliers :lol: :lol:

But as others have said there are lots of suppliers out there, one ebay seller that has good some recommendations from people on the forum is drillman1 (think that's right) don't know if they are still on the go or if they do what you are looking for but might be worth checking.

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Re: Profile cuts in hardwoods using 1/8th bit?

Post by Natenator76 »

Man, I. Having a difficult time finding these cheap bits with a 1" cut length :(

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Re: Profile cuts in hardwoods using 1/8th bit?

Post by AboveCreations »

Rcnewcomb wrote:
Wed Feb 01, 2023 12:17 am
eBay sellers of inexpensive 0.125" end mills sold in sets of 10. ->Link

Screen Shot 2023-01-31 at 3.15.49 PM.png
Randall, the problem with your search is that it is finding tons of hits, but most have 1/8" shafts. Don't think that is what the OP is looking for. I tried refining the search and specified 1/4" shaft and dum dum ebay is hitting the same 1/8" hits. The 1/4" shafts are in there. You just have to spend lots of time going through tons of hits to find one. I realize ebay is a decent source for chinese cheap bits, but ebay search is pathetic. Many foreign sellers aren't very good at advertisement ads on ebay and if the seller is IN China, be prepared to wait weeks for delivery. Just some things I am pointing out to the OP regarding ebay and cheap bits.

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Re: Profile cuts in hardwoods using 1/8th bit?

Post by AboveCreations »

Natenator76 wrote:
Thu Feb 02, 2023 2:04 pm
Man, I. Having a difficult time finding these cheap bits with a 1" cut length :(
I hear you. As I said in the previous post, ebay has them, but they are really hard to find since you have to curry-comb tons of ads to find any. Then when you do, be prepared to have them shipped from China (takes weeks sometimes). I personally stopped messing with ebay and its funky operation and just pay a little more on amazon. Plus, as a prime member, I get them pretty darn fast.

I purchased a few of these and they do the job! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QN ... UTF8&psc=1

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