I am currently machining a 3D image into some African Mahogany. I getting quite a lot of small shards that have to be brushed out. I am using a 1/32 ballnose with a .009 stepover.
My current setup is cutting with the grain. Does anyone have any experience cutting perpendicular to the grain? Does that make the cuts any cleaner?
I usually find cutting across grain is worse. But if you have a scrap, try it out. That grain may be tight enough to hold. If your tool is really sharp!!! If your process allows, do a rough pass close (0.010 - 0.020"), and then seal the surface well with a good absorbing wood sealer. That will bind the fibers together & reduce fraying quite a bit.
How much material are you removing on your final pass?
I haven’t experimented a lot, but I found that having a very small amount of material removed helped the surface finish.