VCarved buttons

Fresh sharp tools and high RPM are the ticket with the small bits. Since it is only a 300Hz spindle, you have to pull the MS down to compensate. 4-flute tools, although not as strong as 2-flute and not as much clearance for wood chips, will 'rub' the part 2X that of a 2-flute tool. It will effectively double your RPM...I reach for 2-flute for hogging out where I want that chip clearance, and 4-flute when I want a nice finish.

The only thing I wish the DT had was a higher RPM spindle for times like you describe. As a general rule, the softer the material, the higher the RPM you need in order to shear off cleanly. If the tool isn't sharp or RPM isn't high enough for the MS, then it just YANKS the material out. This is apparent on 3# insulation foam - pink stuff - where you can cut it at 8000 RPM, but the edge quality sucks. Pop a 4-flute tool in and run it at 18k and the edges are super crisp because it's taking lots of little bits instead of big ones.

I think you'll get better results with fresh tools...which should of course, be built into every job.

Thanks for posting...Buttons are looking good!

-B

Thanks Brady,
I put a Sharpie mark on the depth ring for every hour of Bloodwood/Purpleheart cutting, and every 3 hours of Maple/Walnut trying to get an idea of tool life for ordering. Normal Fluting toolpath buttons seem better because I can do it in one pass now(Tried 2 shallower pass depths, but the second reversed direction pass caused most tearout I found on the acute angles).
The 30 had 3 Sharpie marks on it, but 45 was brandie new.
Going to try a fresh 60 today, and then play with flat depth when fresh 30's arrive.
Need to play with my pass depths for the VCarve as we don't have as much control in the toolpaths.
I try never to max out at 18K, and just adjust for 17K.
Am I being too cautious about never running long periods at 18K? (this would be 9 hour cutting days/5 days a week/with about 1/2 at 18K)
Look at "Lady in the Woods" dress in bottom left of pic where the 30 was just too close/deep together for the unsupported end grain to survive.
That was a brand new bit I know, and I should have used a 45 or 60 I think.
Think I may be running into the same problem with this little design?
Trying for a final diameter button of 1.1" using a WHiteside point cutting roundover (.5"D .25R) and maybe asking too much of the wood and have to increase Diameter for this design.
Denser wood may solve it all by itself, but Maple and Walnut are selling well. May only offer these Bloodwood,Purpleheart,Yellowheart(never cut my Yellow though).
Fun playing/learning! but frustrating at times:)
Know a lot of people have good luck with 3F, but we only use max of about .08" of the tip usually, so these little 2F 1/8's are pretty painless to swap out at $4 to make sure we stay fairly sharp.
Will look at 4F 1/8's.
Thanks again.
scott

It's a tool...run it until it dies and buy another one. People made it. It's going to break sooner or later. In the end it's all the same whether you baby it or not. It is rated for 18k...I've run mine @ 18k for over 10hrs, and it's all good. (I've run my Colombo 5hp for 70hrs straight without stopping @ 20k)

Putting the screws to the spindle by not warming it up before all expands out to operating tolerance is what kills these things. It's exactly the same as starting your car in 15 deg weather and then mashing the pedal and doing a bonzai run. Betcha spin a bearing...When it's warmed up though...all the bearing surfaces are supported with oil/grease and there is no reason to be scared about running 18k.

Lady in the Woods looks good. It's the nature of the material that is causing you issues. If you are going to do intricate work like that, you want something really tight grained or homogenous like maple or synthetic material. Additionally, as you get down to very tiny moves at small scale, the difference in density between the xylem and phloem will cause some things to either lay over and get sucked into the bit or just snap off. When you get really detailed, under microscopic view, grain becomes akin to cables. Open grain woods really blow out when you try to hold detail because of the air/void/'interstacies' in the material. (should this be today's word?) ;)

At some point I will put a high RPM spindle on my DT for doing delicate things like this. Something in the 50-80k RPM range would suit my needs nicely. Just as a comparative yardstick per se, one of those TurboCarvers or dental drills spinning at like 350,000-400,000 can cut an egg shell, lightbulb or other delicate material with ease. You might be able to do some egg carving at 18k, but I would put money on it imploding sooner or later. The chipload is so light and 'non-grabby' with a high RPM 'spindle' that you can cut any lumber, regardless of grain or density, without tear out. The main problem with these high RPM deals is duty cycle and lack of torque...so it isn't a spindle replacement, but something to ponder in the realm of possibility as you think about improving your process in your mind's eye.

-B

Thanks Brady....18K it is!(even if it is almost 2 months of SSDI)
Yep "Lady" is for the house, and a little work with my small 1/8" V palm gouge cleaned it right up.
Super Curly didn't help, and may just have hit the grain wrong.
STILL using standard Default VR settings and that's probably not helping...Rereading your VR article and may finally give myself a "Custom Small VCarve" setting.
Turns out today will be hand sanding/bristle disc'ing/recoating some B.Walnut buttons that came from up North and are unacceptable as is for our first commercial account customer:(
Just as well to wait for the new 30's.
Be interested in what you're looking for at in a high speed spindle when you get to it.
Too bad we aren't always so specialized, and need the low end torque for other stuff...Not sure it's worth the trade off for me, but good to know.
Got $30 bucks each for the little Loon 3D buttons(collector's mainly) at the national show, so may have found my personal niche for custom batch persnickety work once the production bread and butter Alosada stuff on the Northern Desktop is done:)
I appreciate all your help over the last 2 years!
scott

Niche markets - that's where it's at. If you find a little corner of the world where you can be a big fish in a small pond for a while, you will do well. Always do your best and you will be peerless.

I am not going to assume to know your business, but my initial thoughts about new markets would be to consider widening your margins a bit by offering a different material. While wood buttons have a certain allure; and plastic usually doesn't; metal is something that may bring higher profits due to perceived value.

Of course, you can't cost effectively machine metal buttons...However, you can leverage what you do have to first machine a perfect master in some synthetic material. Then polish it up so it is perfect. Then make a silicone mold. Then do a cold cast brass, bronze or copper casting and buff the finished product with black wax. Material would be dirt cheap and you could cast and demold 30 in less time it takes you to machine only one...

Something to consider...Smooth-On

-B

Thanks Brady...Vid was interesting and hadn't seen that before and my fiberglass mold making experience could come in handy.
Reminds me of the buttons I bought at the April show specifically for you to scan, only to get home and flip them over and find copyright marks on them:( (what can I say....previous day was 16 hours making my very first 3D Loon button at .9" height...and woke up after 3 hours sleep to sand and oil them...totally spaced taking them off the display card and checking the backs before they were wrapped....cameo was $35 and the geometric was $20).
Cameo was made using a silicone mold it turns out...so definitely NOT an IBild scan candidate.
(Still glad I sent the Soapstone Inuit antique carving though...just wish I could get around to carving the Walrus face though)
Kind of a Purist though, and even have a hard time convincing myself to try the 99.9% Silver polymer clays to mount my Opal.
http://www.riogrande.com/Content/PMC...s-HT-psd?Pos=4
Still want to try cutting a cuttlefish mold(or ceramic using "lost wax") on the Desktop for Sterling though.
NOT in it for the money as the big 6 0 is 2 months away, and would only be doing it to supplement SSDI.
Button collectors are VERY interested in small limited edition button runs in rare/unique pattern exotic woods! signed/dated/numbered though.
Mary only brought 6 to the National Button Society National show(all I had finished with 4 coats) and she wound up buying 2 for herself.
Sounds about right for me at this stage. Of course when Dad does finally die, money won't be a concern(Hope he lives to 120!!!), but still only want to do work I love.
I CAN see using that process for some stuff though.
Bumming about Walnut buttons I was refinishing...Reminded me of your "Back to Basics" thread. One of his backer boards(spoilboard for buttons) must be .03" too high as the entire design/material thickness is too thin.
Bad enough the button is only .17" (too thin), but at the bottom of design the buttonholes are only .04" thick material and I just took some embroidery thread and managed to rip out the Walnut fairly easily....All 30 are JUNK:(
If your spoilboards aren't FLAT and accurate....you might as well not cut small stuff.
There! Vented.
scott

Nature has some of the best copyright-free designs out there...and many of them are GOOD! :p I've scanned walnuts, acorns, shells, branches, flowers, fruit etc etc for customers. Scale isn't a factor because you can scale them down. Some have sent 'arrangements' of natural things to be scanned (even rocks in a specific pattern or to create a unique 3D textured background).

There is no such thing as making too much money....especially when you get paid to do what you love. I'd never feel guilty about that. If you do, you can donate.

Artists do limited 'prints' all the time. Same with coins. Your cast parts can be done the same way. Number and sign. Make them heavy enough (plaster filled) and few will know they are not metal. If you make up your own catalog, you can have limited 'sets' every year. Once they are gone, they're gone. Gold or silver leafing is another possibility...

Yes...flatness is king. You can cheat a bit by doing less per run across a smaller area. This will keep the Z more consistent.

-B

Yep. Came really close to sending you some mineral specimens to scan, but the most interesting ones had undercuts or were so busy I really didn't think they would cut well. (Pyrite "sand dollars" for example)
Almost sent you a really nice very funky shaped burl as well(may in the future).
Gotta run and get my LaFuma lounge set up for the eclipse:)
Hope you have clear skies like me.
Life is tough:)
scott

Our first commercial account just tossed our first four basic fluted designs in their Christmas catalog.
Been building inventory.,and forgot to take pics for 3 weeks.
Captured these before they went out the door yesterday.
All done by a retiree named Bonnie who had never touched wood before.
Teaching her how to cut so I can be downsized:)
scott

Scott W.
Can Infinity bowl and tray bits plunge/spiral ramped in a .1" oversized hole?
Love to try one vs diamond grinding a SETools extra brazing off?
Thanks
scott