Very nice . Let’s try to cover all materials and make it a master sheet . For us beginners . For someone who’s thinking about an XCarve .
pretty sure DOC is meaningless without the end mill diameter specified. Did I miss that in the spreadsheet?
At the bottom it states that everything is based on the assumption of 1/8th inch bits.
So I decided to open the file up to editing. We’ll see how it does. 
(Yes… I made a backup.)
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That sounds great, NAM. Before everyone can start contributing, I propose that we first decide upon what variables should be included in the spreadsheet?
Here’s all I can think of:
- End Type (Ball / Flat / V)
- Nominal Bit Diameter
- Number of Flutes
- Feedrate
- Depth of Cut
- Spindle Model
- Spindle Speed (Estimation for Dewalt based on 16,000 - 23,000. An in-sheet calculator would be nice, we can reference @MalcolmStanley’s calculator here)
- Material
- Toolpath Overlap (Optional; this is a variable in more advanced CAM processors. Units? % of tool diameter?)
Some variables that I think would be a good idea to include optionally would be:
- Machine upgrades, such as stiffening
- Machine size, 500 / 1000
- Dust Removal (Yes / No)
- Cooling (Yes / No)
All of those will have an effect on the quality of the other settings, which may cause those settings to be less effective for unupgraded/undustshoed/uncooled setups.
My $0.02
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Honestly, I think that’s over complicating it a bit.
This (originally) was supposed to be more of a quick-reference baseline guide. Tweaks will have to get made in any environment, but this was to be a (better?) extrapolation of the default values supplied by Inventables in Easel. Adding to much granular detail is going to make it VERY hard to maintain. That’s why it’s based on 1/8" bits, 40% set over, and a fixed Dewalt setting.
(Obviously… that’s just my opinion.)
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Good idea… maybe add a “log” in a separate tab and reserve the main tab for the distilled version.
Whether all of that information is excessive for what the spreadsheet is meant to accomplish, a person will have all of that information when the run a cutting program. So, it’s the difference between taking 15 seconds or 30 seconds to input all of the fields.
I like the idea of having a quick reference and a detail page, though. The sheet could be set up in a way that items entered on one would automatically populate on the other so that a person could look at either page (if they want the quick reference or details page) and see everyone’s input.
On another note, there’s something else I forgot to pitch:
Quality of cut
Settings that someone puts up on the sheet might be “ok,” which I then tweak with identical machine and bit set up until I find a better quality cut settings set. How would this scenario be taken care of? In the next week there’s going to be five different users that mill Acrylic with an 1/8" two flute flat end mill with Dewalt set to 1. Do we have multiple entries for the same setup but different feedrates and DOC, etc.? Or do we discuss the quality of cut for different settings and then decide which will be the current recommendation?
I think what we are doing here is sorely needed,
especially for new users who are just figuring things out.
I strongly suggest we standardize this information for a stock, unimproved, Out Of the Box X-carve,
That way there is guidance on what should work with what everyone starts with.
The idea that we log cuts and quality is good too.
It is a shame we cannot add that information as part of the Easel pre-flight/post-flight so it becomes something that everyone can contribute to as a matter of course, and access as part of the setup…
I wonder if we added that as a feature request if we could get it implemented?
Agreed. This should be a “lowest common denominator” file.
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great thanks!
What characteristics, quantitative or qualitative, would you use to judge a cut finish?
The post flight questionnaire on easel is actually pretty good, IMO
one area where it is silent is on chip sizes versus dust,
was the bit struggling as it went through the material,
did you have proper stepover when running a ball mill or do you have visible grooves.
I would note that I am new to this whole realm,
I made several cuts using the easel defaults,
it was mostly dust.
I had no concept of chips until I started using fusion as a CAM tool and had to figure out wjhat settings to put into it.
The first time I saw chips I was all like ‘oooooooooh’.
maybe we need post pictures of the chips we got,
or figure out how to characterize them, like a visual cheat sheet,
so we can see if we are getting ‘optimal’ or adjustment is needed…
did you make a difference in feed rate and doc between fullcut and step over cut?
if i make a "filled"square with defaut 40% step over. i think it will be easier for the x-carve than a “outline” square
if i’m right, we can go faster on filled shape than on outline shape
we need guidance on differences between ball mills and end mills.
In fusion 360 it prompts you to manually define stepover for ball mills.
I was setting up a toolpath last night for a 1/8" ball mill and had no idea what to put in there…
For 3D work the stepover is pretty subjective and you’re going to get some disagreement on the “required” values.
You generally want to use the largest bit you can get away with to minimize scallop-ing (which can be counter-intuitive). Basically, the smaller the bit the more passes you need (smaller stepover) to produce a clean surface. Look at this for a good guide:
I’m using a Makita variable speed router with a simple “thumbwheel” select speed knob. To set the speed, I purchased a CyberTech model DT2234A tachometer from Amazon for $17.00. It’s optical, so you have to attach a small strip of reflective tape (included) to something on the spindle that turns. I attached a small piece to one “facet” of the collet nut. (Obviously, you don’t want to “wrench” on this facet.) You just push the “test” button on the tach and adjust router speed to what you want. There are many different optical tachometers available on Amazon. Gary
Hi Malcolm,
Do you have a mm spreadsheet. Would be great if you did.
Regards Julian
yeah, sorry, no…
First, let me say thank you to those that took the time to put this together. It helps immensely and is very much appreciated! I understand that these feeds and speeds are all based on a 1/8" end mill but how do these values change for a 1/4" end mill or a Vbit?
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