I did a quick test carve on a composite plank.
It carved just fine with my 1/4 downcut bit and plywood settings. Good chips and a smooth cut. It did get a bit warm to the touch but not hot enough to cause any issues. I think I can cut much more aggressively. I will have to experiment and see if I can up the settings
It will work well for my application. Only a couple of designs need a wider plank. I may try to get clever and redesign them so they fit together from smaller pieces rather than mess around with glue ups. unless I can find a really effective glue.
Nice chips and a clean cut
There are a little bit of fuzzies on the bottom edge. But they sand off easily.
(I will give my compression bit a try and see how that works.)
A dry fit of the finish build. It looks good and best of all should be weather proof:
A close up of the wood grain detail:
A close up of the edge:
It is significantly heaver than wood, about 3 times? But will be perfect for this application.
(I have another project to make weather proof transport boxes. I think this will be too heavy for that application)
The original prototypes were put together with pocket screws. But the final version needs to use traditional screws with screw holes and countersinks cut by the machine to save labor. The challenge will be that my 1/8" downcut bit only cuts to 1/2" thick. So I need to source a longer 1/8 downcut bit, or do the screw holes with a different bit from the profile cuts. Ideally, I want one bit for the whole job to save labor