I can’t see to get clean grooves without some very involved sanding. Grooves are 0.05" deep. Edges are ok and I don’t have a problem sanding some of the fray, it’s getting the dust out of the grooves and cleaning up the inside of the groove that’s the issue. How can I get cleaner cuts?
I’ve thought out about trying a ball end mill to have a rounded bottom that would fit some folded sandpaper better, but I don’t want to keep buying bits just to see if they’ll work. Also, going over potentially hundreds or thousands of lines on some of the production pieces I’m working with sand paper on would be super tedious, so I’m looking to find a better initial cut.
I use the Amana 60 degree inserted v bit and dont usually have to do much cleanup. Usually a soft bristle brush is all thats needed to clean up any small fibers left behind if there is any. Try a bristle brush of some sort to remove the fibers.
Sealing the wood before cutting will help with the top edge.
Set your depth of cut to just less than the total depth, or a factor of it. That will force it to make a last finish pass only removing a small amount of material.
Make sure the tool is sharp. V-Bits are pretty easy to sharpen once you learn how.
I seem to be doing a lot of engraving small lettering. What I practice is using a toothbrush to clean up the dust that accumulates in the lettering as much as possible and run the program a second time leaving a clean DOC. BTW, I use a 20-degree V engraving bit.
He’s sharpening an Ogee, but the principal is the same.
If you’re sharpening the V-bits from Carbide3D, they have a negative rake on the leading edge of the cutter. That is the flat surface you want to sharpen.
