Thanks @WillAdams, I will check out the beta after the fathers day rush. I am just getting started and have had some great success with sales over the last week. Don’t want to switch to a beta version while making last minute changes for people’s gifts.
I am not too worried about the Inkscape SVG format not working. Choosing plain SVG always works for me. It is just another type to choose in the save as menu. Should the Inkscape SVG work as well?
In my limited experience, Inkscape SVG works — if we can collect files where it doesn’t, either we can document why, or perhaps have CC’s SVG import improved to allow them to import.
Haven’t seen it mentioned elsewhere in this thread, but four questions:
Have you checked the size of the end-mill to confirm it is 0.125" diameter? (FYI, DON’T use calipers for this, you will probably chip the endmill. Find somebody with an optical comparator that can do it for you.)
What type & brand of end-mill? For example, if you are trying to use a straight-sided end-mill that doesn’t cut on its face, plunging could cause quite a bit of deflection. Likewise, too many flutes on a spiral and it may not be ejecting chips fast enough, again causing deflection. The deflection can manifest itself as an over-size hole.
Is your router/spindle trammed and at 90* to the bed? Likewise is the bed flat and the material well secured and also flat w/ two parallel faces? This can produce holes that are a bit wonky in size.
How are you measuring the resulting hole size? Again, a simple set of calipers isn’t going to be the most accurate way of doing this. at 0.125", not sure you can get telescopic gauges that small. A nice set of machined pins and experimenting with the fit might be more useful. I ask this because you are claiming 4 digits in your measurement of the holes. Not typically something one gets from handheld calipers.
Update: I finally got home this morning after playing around with inksacpe and CC last night. I scaled the entire design up in CC just slightly like Ryan mentioned and I’m just running the first test with a piece of scrap. So far so good, I can’t thank you guys enough!
Hey Will,
Quick question on that Beta drill tool path if you don’t mind.
Is it intended to be used with standard endmills and the existing Carbide3D tool library, or are you using actual twist drill bits like these?
I can picture both use cases. Pecking with an endmill would be great for my acrylic stuff (no gumming up small holes) but CNC drilling in wood/aluminum would be pretty cool as well- especially when it can go right through the part and into the wasteboard.
It would work with twist drill bits if you can source some which are intended to spin at the speeds which trim routers run or if you have a spindle which can be slowed down to the speeds which they are rated to run at while still having the necessary torque.
Here is an example of rpm for a 1/8 and 1/4 inch drill bit in wood
Hardwood and softwood drill speed chart
Diameter (in) Speed ( rpm )
Softwood (Pine) Hardwood (Hard Marple)
Brad-point bits
1/8 1800 1200
1/4 1800 1000
A C3d, Makita and/or Dewalt trim router cannot run that slow. I think the Makita and c3d minimum rpm is 10,000 RPM. That is 5 times faster than recommended speed for a 1/8 inch drill bit.
The source for this did not specify drill angle but most wood is used with 118 degree bits and metal bits tend to be 135 degrees. You can drill metal with a 118 degree but it will dull fast.
I use these carbide drill bits from drillman1 for peck drilling cribbage board holes in boards I make. I can drill thousands of holes before I feel the need to replace the bit.
Do you use a router (high RPM) or a custom spindle? Currently I use a stock Carbide router and don’t plan to upgrade until the Pro HDZ is out.
I am using a VFD, and I usually run the 0.1250" drill bit at ~10K RPM. I also used these bits with my DeWalt router and SuperPID controller at ~10-12K RPM before I installed the VFD and spindle.
cut your holes with a 1/16" bit instead of an 1/8"
The 2mm (0.07874016") #282Z:
may be a better choice than the 1/16" (0.0625" or 1.5875mm) depending on the material.
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