Okay, this probable a subject that has been discussed loads of time before.
My question is this, the speeds and feed document that is downloadable isn’t quiet clear as to what it refers to.
What is the column DOC and what is the significance of the figures displayed?
Column Feed and Plunge, what is this figure inches, or mm and is per second or minutes?
DOC stands for depth of cut. The figures displayed are recommended depth of cuts per pass for that material. Obviously if to you want to go deeper than this it will just continue making passes cutting that much depth per pass.
The feed and plunge rates are in inches and per minute.
Thank you.
All make sense now 
Note that Carbide Create tool library now includes recommended feeds and speeds for a variety for material/endmill combinations, so it goes beyond that chart (which only mentions 1/4" tooling)
Thank-you.
I do have another question though regarding that chart. I have converted the wood section from inches to mm. If my conversion is right the chart tells me that I can plunge down to 10.1mm (pine) and cut at 1900 mm a minute in a single pass is that correct? just seems like a very deep cut in one run.
I never liked (or followed) the DOC recommendation in that chart to be honest, and 10mm depth per pass is too much to feel comfortable indeed, especially if one is doing slot cuts.
Personally I recommend setting the depth per pass to 50% of the endmill diameter or less. It’s always possible to experiment and cut deeper, but it’s a good starting point I think.
With a 1/4" tool in wood I usually go with 2mm depth per pass (in pine I may go to 3 or 4mm, it being so soft), and compensate by boosting both RPM and feedrate to keep a reasonable cutting time, if it matters.
I can’t remember what the recommended feeds and speeds are in CC for cutting soft wood with a 3-flute 1/4" endmill, but you should definitely prefer those values in CC tool library over the ones from this (old…dare I say obsolete?) chart.
Thanks Julien, using the 50% rule sounds more sensible and a good starting point for different woods.
Thanks again
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