Can someone recommend good 1/8 woodcutting end mills (both up cut and down cut) that can actually reach the bottom of a 3/4 inch piece in the HDM? The #102 is too short by 1/2 even with the stock slightly elevated. Raising the stock much more complicates work holding. I’m afraid that none of the 1/8 that Carbide3D sells will work for any full height cutting in this machine. I suppose it will be the same for metals. The 1/8 downcuts I bought from Drillman on eBay will probably also be way too short. Those are the ones I used before in my S3. I might not even be able to cut through 1/2 stock.
This is as low as it goes above the bed. Next to it is my 1/4 shank Onsrud plastic cutting bit, also too short, both extended as far as I would want to go. Is this spindle set too high?
If you’re going to be cutting a lot down to the table you can lower the spindle in the spindle mount.
Be careful, the manual says you can loosen the clamping screws and use one of them in the center hole to expand the mount to free the spindle. Mine was loose as soon as I removed the screws. Fortunately, I was holding on to the spindle
Ha, yeah, that’s what I just did. I wasn’t sure if that was a recommended thing to do. I should have read the manual fully maybe. But hey, I’m a software engineer, I don’t read manuals It’s simple enough so that I can raise it again if that turns out to be detrimental. I was also hanging on to it, as I suspected it would just fall out once I got the second screw loose, and it did
Thanks. I will try some of those eventually although the amount of stick out is a bit scary I did cut my project today using a 1/8 after lowering the spindle. That Amana bit looks good too.
I have the same issue, but I haven’t lowered the spindle and I don’t think I will. Instead I’m going to modify my slats with treaded inserts and dog holes. On top of this I will use sections of sacrificial spoil boards with the same hole patterns. That way I never have to cut into my slats and can easily replace the sacrificial pieces as needed. Eventually I’ll replace the slats with 1/2” phenolic material. That way I can use either the sacrificial mdf or fixture plates and so long as I use waterproof phenolic I can use misting with the fixture plates without worry. I’ve already made a spoilboard that runs horizontally and has a recess to accept a 74x701mm slat so I can easily modify the existing ones or build new ones. This is where I got the idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwffKG55itc
Thanks. I have a bunch of end mills arriving today. Looking forward to it, although waiting on support to continue helping with a couple inaccuracies with the machine.
It’s simple enough so that I can raise it again if that turns out to be detrimental. I was also hanging on to it, as I suspected it would just fall out once I got the second screw loose, and it did 