Feed rate too conservative?

Question: Are the pictured feed rates TOO conservative for Mahogany?

I’d like to cut down the carve time if i can, but don’t want to push the limits too far…
I know i have to get better at recording proper tool measurements in the tool database, especially since I want to start doing dimensional carves, but for now I’m trying to focus on learning proper feed rates (or at least more appropriate rates).

thanks in advance

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:angry:

I’m not really qualified to answer as to whether or not its too conservative; but with a 12 hour carve time I would rather burn through a cheap bit than have to mess up a carve this extensive. Also I think 100 ipm for the last finishing pass might be too quick. Just my 2 cents.

Personally… I have never carved in Mahogany, however, you may be able to bump them up a bit. I typically carve around 60-70IPM for other hardwoods and dont seem to have any problems. I’ve modded my Y axis rails to stiffen them a bit which helped remove chatter.

My recommendation would be start slowly bumping up the feed rate and see what sort of results you get. There are a lot of variables that come into play so what worked for 1 persons machine may not be exact for yours. If you feel like its too slow, give it a go. If you get the sense that the machine is starting to struggle, stop it and lower it. Take some scrap Mahogany and to some test toolpaths at different speeds and see what results you get.

Maybe not the answer you wanted to hear but I bet you will learn a lot from it.

My suggestion would be to get a piece of scrap and make test cuts:

to determine the optimal feed and speed for your machine.