correct tools for carving

[monlover]

Hi,
VCP has some limitations in regarding to working and creating models, so I am planning to get Aspire and learn more about the 2D and 3D Carving, want to start with something like the attached downloaded file from the internet. ( most of the time will be carving on solid wood)
so which tools do I start with, Amana has so many tools to pick from, after watching YouTube they show using tapered tooling but no information or specs for tools used.
for example, the radius starts at 1/64 all the way to 1/8 what is this can effect the details I mean when do I use 1/64 and when I use the 1/8 radius, also the angel it gets confusing.
any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[scotttarnor]

From my limited experience the size of the TBN you use depends on the size of the carve , the detail of the model and the detail you want to see.
The best thing about the software is you can experiment with previews using different bits until you get what you want(provided the model is detailed enough to give you what you want).

[martin54]

Your best bet is to download the trial version of Aspire & experiment yourself, as scottarnor has said the toolpath preview is very accurate & allows you to view the completed job using different sized bits.
The smaller the bit you use the longer the project will take to carve so there is often a trade off between the level of detail & the time taken to machine the model.
The general idea with 3D is to use the biggest bit you can that gives the level of detail you require,

To give you some idea I believe the models from Design & Make are designed to give you the maximun level of detail when machined using a 1/8" diameter (1/16" radius) bit at their imported size which is round about 6 inch. If after importing you reduced the size of the model then you might have to use a smaller bit to maintain that level of detail. If you enlarged the model then you may be able to use a larger bit & still get the same level of detail. This as has already been said is where the toolpath preview comes in handy for checking

The panels that you have shown are probably going to be fairly large in size so you are unlikely to be looking at very small bits like the 1/64" (radius) for jobs like that you are more likely to be looking at 1/8" radius or larger