Has anyone used their CNC with a tapered bit to score kerfs in plywood for bending? I want want to make a 30" high TV table with 24" deep oval-shaped sides using 3/4 inch plywood. I found an online calculator for determining kerf spacing using a tapered bit - but no explanation or discussion of the process. The advantage of a tapered bit is that the inside curves will show minimal kerf lines compared to the standard saw-blade kerfs. But I’ve not been able to find any discussion or results from anyone who’s actually done this.
I’m currently finishing up a bar front using 1/4" plywood that I kerf cut using a vbit, it worked out exceptionally well however I haven’t tried anything thicker material wise. Just confirming it can be done to an extent.
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Although I’ve used saw-cut kerf bending on 2x lumber and one project with 3/4 plywood, they all had hidden edges so I didn’t worry about cutting too many kerfs. My project would show the edges, if possible, which is why I want to use a tapered bit. How did you determine the number of kerfs to use? Also how deep did you cut the kerfs?
I used a 90 degree Vbit and spaced them just barely apart from each other. As the edges of this are hidden as well I wasn’t worried about the spacing as I could hide it. I originally had used an 1/8" straight bit and did them 1/8" apart 70% the depth of the wood (So in this case 0.175") but the straight bit left a lot to be desired and didn’t allow for a nice curve, I then switched to using the 90 degree Vbit without changing any other settings and it worked perfectly allowing for a nice smooth curve. The radius for the curve I used was 4 1/2" and the wood was easily able to make that bend.
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