I have a menagerie of bits that I have purchased from hither and yon:
MNKNENG 8 Set 1/4-inch End Mill Bits 4 Flute Straight Milling Cutter
EANOSIC 5PCS Spiral Router Bits Up/Down Cut Compression Bit 1/4 inch Cutting Diameter
BINSTAK CNC Spoil board Surfacing Router Bit, 1/4" Shank 1-1/4" Cutting Diameter
SpeTool 5Pcs 2-Flute Square Nose Carbide End Mill 1/8 Inch Router Bit with 1/8 inch Shank
SpeTool 1/4" Shank Bowl & Tray Router Bit 3/4 Cutting Diameter Double Flute Woodworking Milling Cutter Tool
Plus, 6 bits from Shark Bits, and an Amana Tool 55227 Carbide Tipped 82 Degree Countersink Set with Adjustable Drill Bit Depth Stop and No-Thrust Ball Bearing 3/8 Dia x 1/8 Drill Dia x 1/4 Inch Quick Release Hex Shank
My question is, how in the world you build a tool database from all these disparaged bits? Feeds, speeds stepovers, ect.? If you download a database, say the shark bits database, they are all filled in for you
Building a Tool Database.??
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- Adrian
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Re: Building a Tool Database.??
Everything apart from the fixed settings (diameters, flutes etc) are down to the machine you are using, the material you are using and the type of toolpath you are using.
That's why there are multiple materials and machines at the top level of the database so you only have to set the fixed settings once and then you can create a new database entry for the machine/material combination as needed.
One piece of advice I would give is to not setup every single tool you own straightaway. Set them up as you need them. When I first started I spent hours putting every tool in and never used 99.9% of them.
Downloading databases doesn't give you anything other than the fixed information really. You still need to adjust all the other settings for your situation which is just a learning exercise. Chip load tables will get you in the ballpark and you'll soon learn by using your eyes and especially ears where you need to be for the best tool life/quality of cut.
If spiral bits are screaming they need more rpm or a faster feed rate. If a bit is anything other than warm to the touch after cutting then it's being pushed too hard.
That's why there are multiple materials and machines at the top level of the database so you only have to set the fixed settings once and then you can create a new database entry for the machine/material combination as needed.
One piece of advice I would give is to not setup every single tool you own straightaway. Set them up as you need them. When I first started I spent hours putting every tool in and never used 99.9% of them.
Downloading databases doesn't give you anything other than the fixed information really. You still need to adjust all the other settings for your situation which is just a learning exercise. Chip load tables will get you in the ballpark and you'll soon learn by using your eyes and especially ears where you need to be for the best tool life/quality of cut.
If spiral bits are screaming they need more rpm or a faster feed rate. If a bit is anything other than warm to the touch after cutting then it's being pushed too hard.
- martin54
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Re: Building a Tool Database.??
As Adrian has said it really comes down to the machine & set up you have, even if you download a full tool database from a tool bit manufacturer you are going to have to alter the settings they provide to suit your machine.
Good advice on entering them as you need them, like Adrian I spent a lot of time manually entering bits at the start, it's easy now its all set up & if I do buy a new tool that I don't have listed it's just one or two tools at a time.
You should be able to find speed & feed settings online for most of those bits (doesn't need to be same manufacturer) to enter which will give you a starting point, once entered have a look at the chipload in vcarve & adjust those figures to try & match the chiploads for the material your cutting.
You are probably going to have trouble with the 4 flute bits trying to get the right settings, 4 flute bits are generally more suited to Mills that have a much slower spindle speed than a CNC router.
What is the speed rating on the Amana set? I wouldn't personally use anything on a quick-release hex shank on a CNC because of the spindle/router speed. Good chance that if your near the machine when the router ramps up you will be wearing the bit. You definitely don't want to be using any kind of depth stop.
Think Adrian meant to say that if a spiral bit is screaming you need less speed rather than more speed
Good advice on entering them as you need them, like Adrian I spent a lot of time manually entering bits at the start, it's easy now its all set up & if I do buy a new tool that I don't have listed it's just one or two tools at a time.
You should be able to find speed & feed settings online for most of those bits (doesn't need to be same manufacturer) to enter which will give you a starting point, once entered have a look at the chipload in vcarve & adjust those figures to try & match the chiploads for the material your cutting.
You are probably going to have trouble with the 4 flute bits trying to get the right settings, 4 flute bits are generally more suited to Mills that have a much slower spindle speed than a CNC router.
What is the speed rating on the Amana set? I wouldn't personally use anything on a quick-release hex shank on a CNC because of the spindle/router speed. Good chance that if your near the machine when the router ramps up you will be wearing the bit. You definitely don't want to be using any kind of depth stop.
Think Adrian meant to say that if a spiral bit is screaming you need less speed rather than more speed
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Re: Building a Tool Database.??
Thanks for all the Advice.!!!