Vcarve Detail With 10-Degree Vbit

So I’ve been doing detailed inlays for the past 5 years or so. My workflow typically includes a 30-degree vbit so I can have reasonably high detail, particularly on pieces that range from 2-10 inches square.

Just for fun, I thought I’d swap out the typical vbit for a cheap 10-degree type I would typically use for pcb milling.

On the plus side, detail is pretty stellar. Because of the low angle, your pieces get a good amount of contact together even in thin lines. Another positive is leveling and sanding. With a more blunt vbit, your sweet spot is pretty narrow. Sand too much and your image will become distorted. The steeper walls of the 10deg make that sweet spot more forgiving.

Down side? Even using an end mill for “large area” clearance, the machine times are pretty high. You really have to run some pretty slow speeds to keep the 10 degree bit in one piece.

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