I have a 3/4 in x 1/2 Bull bit 1/4 in shaft my bit looks like it’s getting very dull after only four or five projects cuts are .45 deep
.015 each cut , .375 stepover.
100 feed, 16000 rpm this is with hard wood , maple, walnut , cherry.
Am i cutting to much or to little?
This is an amana bowl bit
Any advice will greatly be appreciated
My understanding is that one roughs out the bulk of the material using normal (and less expensive) tooling and then use a bowl bit to remove a thin layer of material around the perimeter.
If I remember a youtuber advertised it as being the best way to hog out alot of material for your buck. I have one I’ve never used for some reason… and I think that’s it
Can you share a closeup picture? Is it getting dull? Or just dirty?
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I think? I have some input. You are selecting .45" max depth, .015" depth/cut, .375" stepover, 100ipm travel and 16k rpm in maple, walnut and cherry? Is that correct?
tnx,
Scott
Not hearing back on this so I’ll just offer my personal input given what you posted.
I cut a lot of trays and bowls. Using a bowl&tray bit to clear and edge is a lot of wear on this style bit versus learning to rough out with an end mill and then follow up with a Contour. I’ve tried different combinations over and over. Here’s what I end up using daily.
I rough out all my tray/bowls with a 1/4" roughing bit. .3"depth/cut, 50% stepover, 100ipm. YONICO Upcut Router Bits Spiral 3 Flute Solid Carbide CNC Rougher End Mill 1/4-Inch 1/4-Inch Shank 36366-SC off of Amazon. In the past month more brands/mfg are being offered. There must be a demand. These bits want to be pushed along. I have wore out many prematurely by going to slow and to shallow.
Keep your bowl&tray bits clean. Scrape the burnt junk off them all the time. Use solvent if you want. I quickly scrap with a sharp pocket knife. After 3-4 trays I run them on a 300 grit diamond plate about 10-15 strokes each side on a 8" long plate. I don’t press to hard and brush off the build up as you go. Sometimes I use soap and water in the bottom of the sink. Keeps the metal build up in suspension. I personally don’t bother with finer grits.
Speed and feed on bowl&tray bits so as to not burn and not take forever is a lot of trial and error. I only use them on a top/down contour pass after I have roughed out. The wood you are cutting will affect speed and feed as well. This is what I use on walnut, maple and cherry. All considerable hard woods. .05"depth/cut, 70ipm. Maybe .06"depth/cut. But the key for me is keeping the bit clean and sharp. I don’t need a stepover because it’s a contour path I’m using from the top down. For my entire wood working process I have fast and efficient sanding practices.
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