I've started a new "thread"simply about metal because it seems that there are more and more people (including myself) who are getting jobs that in some way involve materials such as aluminum, brass, stainless, etc. Most of us do not have a plasma cutter so we'll be trying to work with the router we use for our everyday kind of jobs..
I have a customer who has asked me what Shopbot's capabilities are regarding the cutting of brass. I have searched the Forum history and found a few mentions of the process, but nothing in any depth yet. My customer's question is;what thickness of brass sheet could he give me to cut with my PC 3-1/4 hp router? He normally works between .020-.050 and wanted to know if I could do that with a "clean"edge. I have never tried it, so I need some feedback from those of you who have.
What kind of bits work better (1,2,3 flutes, straight versus spirals, etc.)?.Is misting a necessity with brass? Do I have to keep my feed speeds very slow? etc. I haven't committed to any job with this customer yet because I first wanted to see if it was going to be a major pain, but I'd like to at least have some guidelines for future reference as well. If anyone out there can add some insight I'd appreciate it. TIA, Bill P.