I’m posting just to ask if people would please share projects they’ve completed in which they carved very fine detail with the X-carve? And please include bit types/sizes, feed rate, depth of cut per pass, material, etc…
I’ve been struggling to do some very small carves with very fine detail and I’m hoping maybe seeing some examples of successful projects would help me figure out how to improve my detail carves.
Here is what I am currently working on, cut in Maple, approximately 5 inches high.
3D clipart from Ventric
Cut with a tapered ball nose bit
Tip Radius: 1.0mm
Stepover: 0.2mm
Take a look at paw paw’s projects. I use a 1/32 bit for almost everything. The two stage carving is done with a 1/4 bit. The box was done with a 1/8 bit. On some of the first project I used a 1/16 bit. I only use easel and Inkscape for software an I have had my machine for a few months
V-Carve Inlays, using the 30-degree bit from this set: http://precisebits.com/products/carbidebits/2500_scoreengrave.asp
When carving hard woods like Wenge, Padauk and Bloodwood, I use a feed speed of no more than 40 ipm. I have time to spare, so I usually don’t use another bit to rough out the flats. .125 doc with a 25% stepover to rough, then .0625 doc with a 4% stepover to finish.
The pocketing of the portion of the inlay only takes 10 minutes or so, but the carve for the male portions can take 6 to 8 hours depending on the amount of detail involved.
@StephenCook: What bit type/size, material, software, and feed/cut settings did you use to carve the horse?
I used 2 bits and 2 passes
1 first pass was a 1/32 end mill 2 flute up cut (inventables with white collar)
2 nd pass was a tapered ball nose bit .5mm
I do not recall the cut settings but I will check my files to retrieve it later and post them.
@StephenCook: Where did you find a 0.5mm tapered ball nose bit?
I got mine here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/331870905670?orderid=&rmvSB=true
I use a Amanda tools collet adaptor for them as they are not 1/8"
Here is the collet adaptor:
https://www.toolstoday.com/p-5161-high-precision-steel-router-collet-reducers.aspx?variantids=5544,0/?gdffi=df1cb0f3ab644accbe5cae9671f148bf&gdfms=DF8308F683894186820713CD7F62A30A&gclid=CMPDkI3On9QCFUoW0wod6HoJsg
RB-104
There are other sellers that sell the bits with 1/4 or 1/8" so you do not have to have the collet adapter.
Dang. That is cool.
@StephenCook: As the link you provided takes me to a page that lists a lot of collet adapters, it is not clear to me which collet adapter you were using. Please advise.
I also couldn’t seem to find the other sellers with the 1/8" collet that would hold the 0.5mm bit? And I’m wondering. I HAVE the collet from Inventables that lets me hold their 0.02" engraving bit (0.02" is approximately 0.5mm). So I’m wondering if that collet is sufficient?
Not done with a X-Carve, but here is one of my fine detail projects.
This Lithophane was made from a scanned glass negative that I inverted positive and edited/cleaned up in Corel Photo Paint. I roughed it out with a 1/8" BEM, then cut it with a 1/32" BEM. I made the finish cut with a 1/64" (.0156") BEM to achieve the very file detail. This Lithophane is 7-1/2" wide by 5" high and it took 34 hours total time to cut it in Corian. 
If you go to the page you have a graphic:
The Large D is the outer diameter of the collet and the d is the diameter of the inner portion.
What you want is to match up the two with the bit. 4mm on the “d” and 1/4 on the “D”
So you can use this one:
To answer you 2nd question:
I know I have seen somewhere there were 1/8" shank bits with small sizes… Just forgot where.
Also it depends on what your doing. If your doing something 4" to larger in diameter then I would say it would be sufficient. Its the details you want to achieve that determines the bit sizes. I am doing stuff almost the size of a 50 cent piece so I have to have tiny bits.
I agree with Robert. However I had these collets prior to getting the X-carve.
I will be upgrading soon.
Great carve! But that wasn’t done with an X-carve, right?
