I wanted to try playing around with making a few small catch all trays and maybe some spoons with a bowl bit. I dont have one but while going through my dads router bit collection i found this one that looks promising. The dimensions listed on the shank is 1/2 diameter and 3/8 length.
Presumably it could be used thus.
Looks as if it could be entered as a ball-nosed tool.
One concern is the 1/2" shank diameter will require an ER-20 spindle.
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That is, for all intents & purposes, a 1/2" ball mill with a 3/8" flute length & 1/4" shank.
It should work great for bowls & spoons, as long as it’s kept sharp.
You’ll probably want a 3D CAM software to program the contoured surfaces. (CC Pro, MeshCam, etc…)
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Thanks. It actually is a 1/4" shank with a cutting diamtre of 1/2" My apologies if i wasnt clear.
Thanks for your input. I wasnt going to attempt any 3d with what i had in mind. I was planning on just running pocket toolpaths with some shaping by hand.
You should be able to minimize hand-work using the technique suggested at:
I was originally planning on just trying a pocket operation but the example you showed looks like it will result in a nicer finish. You used a 1/8 ball nose in your example, whats the best way to modify the contours for my 1/2 bit?
The geometry is the same, just the scale is different — you’ll also want to set up the layering to match the depth per pass of the tool you are using.
Core box bit. I use those for lettering on trail signs. My bowl bits have a flat on the bottom with radiused sides. You can use it but it will leave a scalloped surface on the bottom unless you use a tiny step over.
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