Can I use a V-Bit to do mitres/chamfers

Can I use a V-Bit to do mitre/chamfers.

Unfortunately I only understand metric, so if I have a 3mm 90 deg V-Bit, I plunge 1.5mm, move 1.5mm and plunge 3mm etc.

The short answer is Yes and No.

I no longer use easel but I do not believe it allows for this bc you can only use straight bits. However the software is just going to follow a certain path. If you plan this path out, you can allow for this and just substitute the straight bit with a v-bit. Practice on scrap first.

If you are using paid software such as V-carve Pro or other higher-end software, you can perform a chamfer as any other type of cut by entering a custom bit profile.

All of this is a little finicky to begin with so practice on scrap first!!! Eventually it will become second nature. I’m still working on getting the hang of it but I have been playing around with different softwares lately and each software is slightly different.

Go slow and in a methodical manner and you should be able to obtain good results.

It might help to take a look at this video. Here i believe Mo used a 90 degree v bit to chamfer the edges six of squares to build a box.

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Thank you for the responses. They actually answer both my options.

I am going to try and design a tool path that does what I want with a V-Bit.

I love to use my X-carve in all kinds of ways to do unique routing tasks but for me with any type of edge routing besides a straight cut, It is much quicker, easier, and better quality to just use a router. In the time it takes to set everything up just right you could already have the job done, If you have the $ go buy a really cheap hand router like the one at Harbor freight and you can use it one of two ways. For larger items just do it hand held. For smaller items mount the router to a mini table that you can either make or buy (Look at Rockler). A small routing table can be made easily with a piece of plywood with a center hole and the router mounted underneath. If you need you can even make a fence for it but for a chamfer and roundovers as long as your bit has a bearing on top you don’t even need the fence. But for a mitre/chamfer you will need the fence. You can google mini router tables and see many videos and plans. I would guess you could build this quicker than figuring it out with X-carve.

Get ready for that apology. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Oh wait, you already did lol.

It’s not always that easy.

I recently tried to add a chamfer for a LCD display. Good thing I was practicing on scrap first. I used a 60 Degree V-bit and followed the exact same path as programmed for the cutout 1/32” end Mill and I also set up a new bit profile matching the V-bit. However it did not give me a clean chamfer. The bit actually left a step where the point of the V-bit stopped. I am assuming this was caused by one of two things, if not both. The bits point or there was just not enough offset.

To finally accomplish what I wanted to do I made the cutting path think it was a larger mill. This offset the bit to the inside further. I made several passes using this method each time I would recalculate the depth do that the bit would go deeper. Eventually it gave me the look that I was striving for.

Don’t get me wrong, I might have done or set something up wrong because this was the first time that I had tried to add a chamfer. But I found that it was best to offset the Tool to one side so that the point was not actually cutting on the path. It’s all about the fine details and using a Little Finesse. :wink: so practice on scrap first.

What about setting the bit size really small and then telling Easel to outline on the outside of the shape?

This is a picture of the bit from the rockler website

It is part of this set

Freud #87-208 8-Piece General-Purpose CNC Router Bit Set, 1/4’’ Shank

In Theory it should not have a flat tip

The Vbits that Inventables sold me have 0.03" flat tips. The Whiteside bits that I bought don’t.

The 0.03 flat tip causes math issues if you assume it goes to a point. That’s why in Vcarve you put it as an Engraving bit and not a Vbit.

Robert is right, a chamfer/mitre is simply a line. Trial and error can get you the effect that you want. A flat tip will cause a step unless you go all the way through the material.

Or you can use math to calculate 2 things:

  1. Where to draw the line
  2. How deep to cut the line

Those answers will depend on the dimensions of your Vbit and the desired effect you’re going for. Any flat tips would need to be accounted for in any calculations.

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Awesome thanks for sharing