I'm Green!!

My name is Rich and I live in rural Vermont. I purchased a Buddy PRS Alpha 48 with spindle and 12 inch z axis. My bits just came from toolstoday.com and are the Amanda 10 piece 1/2" sign set as a place to begin. I am totally new to the world of CNC but am an accomplished woodworker and see the CNC as a means to better and more accurately produce just about anything I can imagine. My computer skills are pretty good and I've done a bunch of VCarve Pro and Fusion 360 tutorials to start to get up to speed.

Last night I made my maiden voyage. I put on a 2x4 spoilboard, created a file with toolpaths to drill countersunk mounting screws, cut a z axis reference line and then flash cut about 1/32 off the surface. It's slow going to get all of the steps committed to memory but repetition will eventually prevail.

My first failure came in the form of cutting a modest number sign into hard Maple. Using only CNC tape it all went well for the number cut with a 90° v bit and an outline cove using a 1/2" ball nose. The last step was to perform the cut out with tabs using a 1/2" end mill. It tore the workpiece loose and gouged it. Several things come to mind as I use this episode as an opportunity to learn.

First, the wood I am using is very hard so I need to learn the best feed rates and cut depths for each pass of each bit I choose for the various cuts. Second, I need to determine if I should make a corner cleat at XY zero to lock my workpiece into with the addition to the tape or if I need to utilize a wedge on the opposite two sides, perhaps only when using harder wood.

So all in all, my first day actually working with my new Buddy was a resounding success and I look forward to meeting people here in the forum and advancing my skills for many years to come. Any advice will always be appreciated as I know there are veteran users here and I hope you will be patient with me.

Keep cutting,

Rich
Charlotte, Vermont