What's up with v carve

I am carving on baltic birch and my 60 v bit leaves the wood like this. What do I need to change with my settings?


Plywood is hard to vcarve on. The top layer is thin and is prone to chipout. I can see other objects like your football that has a nice smooth bottom. With plywood you have to customize your tool paths to match the layers of your plywood. Every piece from a different manufacturer has different layer thickness so each piece must be measured and adjusted for depth in the tool path. There is nothing worse than getting a half way through a layer with another layer and the uneven texture of both layers. You want to cut through the upper layer and make sure you have some meat left in the layer you want the flat area in.

If you are concerned about the fuzzies then you have to do a few things.

  1. Use a very sharp v bit. If a 60 does not work try a 45 or 30 degree.
  2. Use something to harden the top layer like dewaxed shellac or polyurethane. Wood chips no matter how hard it is under the right conditions. When the bit moves cross grain you will get more fuzzies then when the bits along the grain.
  3. Try using a mask like Oramask 813 or Easy Liner Adhesive Shelf Paper. Some people have said that Tyvec sealing tape works. Tyvec is the house wrap used to form an air barrier in new house construction and the tape they use to seal the house wrap is what you can use.
  4. After carving you can use a stiff nylon brush to clean up any fuzzies to an extent and not remove any paint/finish you have already applied.
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That’s great thanks. I try out some of your tips.

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