So I ran my first project and it turned out pretty well…almost. There was supposed to be a shadow on the Southside Market letters but they got all jagged when running the 60 degree bit. I know it’s only plywood so that has part to do with it. Could it be the bit? Though the bit is new. It’s the one that came with my Shapeoko. Could it be that I used 60 degrees and should have used a 30 instead? I posted a picture below of the original picture as well as the project to compare. Thanks, as always, in advance.
You are trying to leave a narrow sliver of material — it’s unlikely that the plies/glue layer in plywood will be up to that (maybe Baltic Birch).
You may want to rework this design so that you it inherently has multiple layers.
See:
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Yeah it is pretty narrow. I might just scrap the shadow of the text.
Ply is pretty bad about chipping out and being fuzzy. The bottoms of pockets generally turn out bad enough that I just don’t pocket ply. A downcut endmill and v-bit might help, but may still not get you the results you want.
Okay. Good to know. What inexpensive alternative do you suggest to practice? MDF maybe?
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MDF is the poster child for inexpensive practice stock.
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Lol! Well MDF it is then!!!
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Just make sure to have good dust collection and respirators. The fine dust makes a mess and is not at all good to breath.
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I haven’t worked with it yet so this is good to know. Thanks!
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I also agree that MDF is a great practice material. Ply is to because it’s cheap, just to get the feel for what happens when you try things. But the results are just messy.
As pointed out, MDF dust is not great. It’s also pretty abrasive and wears out bits faster than most materials. But it also a great job of showing you results.
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This is really great information. Thanks!
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Maybe giving the ply a couple of light clear coats will help with the surface fuzzies, but not below the surface.
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Thank you. I’ll give it a try!
MDF dust is very dangerous to breathe, the panels are made with formaldehyde and is a known cancer causing agent. I highly recommend if you are cutting MDF that you get a strong shop vac and use a Sweepy dust boot, the dust gets everywhere if you do not.
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Thank you. I do have a strong vac and a dusty boot but thinking I should add a mask too.
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Gosh, I dread wearing that in this 100+ degree Texas weather but it’s smart to do!
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These work great, I usually keep a pair in my pocket for farm and CNC work. Leaving them there to go through the washer cleans them right up if they get grubby.
My audiologist wife had a bowl full of them on her receptionists desk, now she’s retired they’re good enough we buy them for ourselves. I first used them in the 70s, before children and mortgage when I could still afford to fly, the FBO sold them and I hadn’t yet met my wife. They blocked most engine and wind noise but you could still hear the radio.
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That’s exactly what I need!