Micro CNC Bits for Inlays Help

[WillAdams (William Adams (Carbide 3D))]

We’ve had some discussion of this here previously:

https://community.carbide3d.com/search?q=pearl

Probably the easiest approach is using epoxy and powdered MoP:

D&D Dungeon Master Screen w/ mother of pearl inlay

Started with one rough walnut board and chunked it up and planed it thickness with my surfacing bit on the shapeoko, sanded it up, then carved out pockets for strips of steel on the inside to hold magnets, and pocketed an inlay design that I filled with mother of Pearl flake. My buddy loved it, and i had fun trying out a couple new techniques. [50518-20191222032332000000] [50596-20191224055416000000] [50516-20191222032239000000] [50597-20191224055530000000] [50598-20191224055608000000…

but see:

Cutting mother of pearl

Has anyone here cut pearl on the Nomad? (Think 1.5 mm thick blanks.) My last big concern before springing for a Nomad is the maximum spindle speed of 10,000. The PreciseBits website, where folks seem to have done a lot of experimentation, recommends speeds of 24,000 RPM. Will slower feeds compensate for reduced spindle speeds?

Micro End Mills 0.2mm - 0.5mm Feed & Speed

Your bit needs sound just ike mine although most of my work so far is in wood and pearl. My one cut in silver suggests soft metals will be easier. More homogenous than the wood, less brittle than the pearl. I generally rough-out with a 0.794 mm then finish with the smaller bits. I had a lot of bit breakage but folks on the forum here helped. Some suggestions: If you’re working in CC, forget the recommended speeds for micro bits. I generally run around 9000 RPM in both wood and pearl, I used tha…

and esp.

Snowy Owl inlay scene

This is an inlay in a box for a nephew. For scale, the moon is about the size of a penny. All done on a Nomad Pro. [IMG_3421] The oval is from Gaboon ebony stock I’ve had since my days as a luthier. It was left as a rectangle for subsequent inlay operations. The tree branches were inlayed first, the composite then surfaced in a drum sander. Pockets were then cut for the remaining components. A minor amount of work with a small blade was needed for a few square corners. The owl was then profil…

Hopefully @bpedit will be able to answer any questions you might have.