I am just about to order my Shapeoko XXL. My first project is to cut circles all the way through 3/4" pine and engrave text above. (this is for a hay feeder for bunnies) I am a complete newbie to CNC. I was hoping to get a little help with what endmills would work best for this project.
I was looking at the X-Carve, but after many you tube reviews I feel the Shapeoko might be better for me.
The #201 which is bundled with the machine will work for cutting so long as the features are large enough, but may result in some splintering at the surface.
I’d suggest a #251:
For engraving text a V endmill would work best:
such as our #301 (for larger elements) or #302 (for smaller):
If you need further information for the comparison please see:
Thank you for such a quick response. I will definitely be researching, but this helps me get started!
I use the #201 all the time. I also use the #102 1/8" endmill, the #112 1/16" endmill, the #301 90 Degree Vee Cutter and the #302 60 degree Vee Cutter. There are lot of other bits you can use buy to start out you will find these pretty good. The starter packs are expensive if you do not use all the bits. Personally the start packs are a waste of my money. Get your feet on the ground and you can purchase bits as you need them. The Carbide3d Bits are as cost effective as any you will find on Amazon and other sites. Plus the bits are already defined in Carbide Create. The only other bit you might want would be a 1" fly cutter to level your spoil board. The Whiteside 6120 is a very good one but there are others. Amana makes a 3 wing with replaceable cutters and it is quite expensive. The replaceable cutters are a good in a job shop but for hobby you will likely never wear out a fly bit.
Thank you, I was wonder about the starter sets. I really will be cutting mostly pine to start and doing basic things. I have never used a CNC machine before so it’s all new. I did start playing around in the Carbide Create, seems easy enough. Now to take the plunge and hit submit on my order!
The “cutters and collets” section in the ebook may be of interest, as a brief overview of the various typical types of endmills and their uses:
https://shapeokoenthusiasts.gitbook.io/shapeoko-cnc-a-to-z/cutters
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