I need to mill some arches in 1 x 12 redwood. I was wondering what bit and feed/speeds would work best.
Thanks Tom
I need to mill some arches in 1 x 12 redwood. I was wondering what bit and feed/speeds would work best.
Thanks Tom
For soft woods, ON MY MACHINE, I use a 2-flute downcut spiral. My speed is 13K RPM and my feed is 5" per second (IPS). But that is what's right for MY machine. You might need to do some fine tuning to find out what is best for your machine.
Don
Diamond Lake Custom Woodworks, LLC
www.dlwoodworks.com
***********************************
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece; But to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, bank accounts empty, credit cards maxed out, defiantly shouting "Geronimo"!
If you make something idiot proof, all they do is create a better idiot.
I find redwood to be a very easy material to mill. It's soft and has a low rate of tearout. A 2-flute downcut, as suggested by dlcw, is a good idea although I've had great results with upcuts. I keep the rpm's down to under 10k and the speed around 6 ips. That seems to be a good chip rate. I like the Onsrud 1/4" end mills for soft woods. They're sharp and sturdy.
One thing to keep in mind about redwood. The dust is an irritant and some folks can even be allergic to it. I find it irritates my eyes, nose and throat so I always use a dustmask when sanding.
ShopBot Details:
2013 PRS 96x60x12 (Centroid upgrade)
4hp Spindle
12" indexer
Aspire
Rhino
Fusion 360
Ferrari 360
Prusa MK3S+
Prusa XL multi-tool