yeah I hear you. FB is not my favorite form of communication either but it is the choice of the supplier for their non-media outreach.
yeah I hear you. FB is not my favorite form of communication either but it is the choice of the supplier for their non-media outreach.
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Hey Chris,
Beautiful bowl! Any advice on tooling/feeds and speeds when working with bamboo? I'm experimenting for the first time (profile cuts only for now) and the less expensive material I have to waste the better. Thanks!
I was not asked but like to answer anyway because bamboo is one of my favorite materials. Actually the entire frame, gantry and z-plate of my CNC are made from bamboo plywood (don't have a Shopbot). It is dimensionally very stable and rigid.
I just cut it with the same feeds and speeds like typical hardwood (e.g. maple or cherry). However, the "natural" straw yellow bamboo cuts nicer and is harder (about 1700 Janka and very strong) than the pretty caramel color heat treated or carbonized bamboo (about 1200 Janka and quite brittle). I cut with 1/8" end fishtail upcut endmill at 15krpm and 100-120 ipm or 1/4" 12krpm and 120-200ipm, both 1 diameter or more deep. Faster may be possible I did not try to push harder. Even with upcut bits there is little fuzz and what is there can be scraped off with a fingernail. It almost cuts like plastic, see the shavings of a turned piece below. I know some people recommend downcut bits but I found they pack the groove quite bad.
That is all for profile cuts. I did not do 3D ballnose cuts with bamboo yet.
To give an example what you can do with bamboo, here a housing of my CNC pendant and the pulley that synchronizes the two x-axis screws.