I can’t find a recent post regarding fuzzies left behind and jammed into cut areas. Some clean up is ok but lots of fuzzies packed really tight into grooves is not ok.
I’m using Advanced Vcarve to do inlays into cutting boards. All types of wood. Oak, Myrtle, Ash, Maple, etc. Very fine detail in come cases. (My Shapeoko does a great job with inlays. 0.2 depth and 0.1 starting depth seems to work best for me.) Typically I’m using a 1/8 inch end bit and 15 degree engraving bit. It’s mostly the engraving bit that seems to leave behind the fuzzies. I’ve tried decreasing the stepover but that seems to have limited benefit and greatly extends the length run time.
Has anyone discovered a “quick” way to deal with this? A quick second pass using just the engraver bit, maybe using a large stepover to reduce run time? Is there a way to make a final engraver run just down the center of the cuts? How about a “contour” cut with the engraver and 0.1 and 0.2 depth settings?
Some good experiments to spend time with but I’m hoping someone has already figured this out. Thanks.
I have found that sometimes using a kitchen dish scrubber with fairly stiff, longer plastic bristles can work really well to clean up a carve without damaging the piece.
I use a stiff nylon brush to clean up after a vee cut. Recently I purchased a Groovee Jenny 60 degree downcut vee bit from Cadance Manufacturing. The bit really works well. I did a test in pine and it really did an outstanding job of a clean cut. Pine is one of the worst woods for getting fuzzies. I use dust extraction and have not experienced chip packing.
I have not had good luck with those little engraving bits on wood. A v-carve bit will give better results. My favorite right now is the Kyocera bits that have been mentioned in a few posts and specifically by @Vince.Fab. I use them for aluminum and wood with great results, 1/4 and 1/8 shank:
Super sharp so it really cuts through the wood instead of tearing it out like those little engraver bits. A good bit will make a huge difference. It’s like shaving with a Bowie knife versus a Gillette Pro Glide.
Also - it sounds like you’re doing your inlay in one pass with a starting depth of 0.1, meaning the bit is cutting a full 0.2 deep on the first pass. That may be too much for the engraving bit. I did a write up here on how to set it up for 2 passes so you don’t stress the bits:
That’s written for using Estlcam, but the same concept applies in CC as well.
Yes, I’m using a 15 degree engraving bit. I typically run it at 0.20 depth (0.1 start depth for the male part), speed of 15 or 20, and stepover of 0.006. They are inexpensive bits but seem to cut cleanly, just leave behind fuzzies, especially in long narrow cuts. I’ve never had a bit break other than once the very tip seemed to disappear … I guess that’s a broken bit?
The 15 degree angle seems to provide for a much greater inlay depth for fine detail. Important to me because I’m making inlays to wood segments used for segmented woodturning. Can’t turn much material off or you start to lose detail. That’s why the deeper inlay is important. Increasing the depth setting doesn’t help for narrow details.
Running a second pass using the profile, contour or vcarve changes the geometry of the shape. A second pass using the full advanced vcarve might work but I’m trying to avoid a sometimes hour plus repeat. I am aware of an online gcode program splitter that would allow me to use just the engraver part for the second pass. I still need to experiment with that.
Lots of options to play with when attacking this problem.
