What if you take a down cut bit and cut a shallow first or first few passes, then switch to an up-cut bit. I am thinking this would take care of tear-out at the top of the project yet help with chip removal for the remainder. Does this make sense? 
1 Like
That makes a lot of sense, but is it necessary? Only you can say for your project.
I’ve used an up cut bit with success by offsetting it’s path outward a bit. Then I came back with a down cut bit on the line, but at full depth. Since the down cut was only cutting a small amount, it could handle the full depth.
I know that a down cut bit doesn’t do well in the last 0.1” of a cutout via profile cut. Too much wood gets crammed into to little space.
Yes, that makes sense, if the additional tool change is workable for your project.
1 Like
There is likely a “sweet spot” depth to run the initial downcut in your scenario. Not enough & the upcut may still chip out. Too much & chips could bunch up causing the tool to get to hot.
My preferred strategy would be to use the upcut to clear the pocket, cutting all the way to the bottom but leaving some stock on the walls, Then come back with the downcut and finish just the wall at full depth, or the length of your flutes if the depth is deeper.
1 Like
You can also use a down cut bit to get deep enough for a compression bit to take over a little deeper than its up cut depth. If you are doing thru cuts this will yield clean edges on both surfaces.
5 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.