Stringy prints in basswood

I’ve been carving in basswood for a while, but have never had this degree of stringiness until a few days ago. It’s occurring both with small (.8 mm) and larger (1/8") bits.
IMG_3355.HEIC (802.2 KB)

you’d be better off to upload jpg files. :sunglasses:

some woods are stringy, no matter what. Try a new sharp bit. Try a downcut bit. Maybe that helps.

Thanks; sorry for not checking the file format.

My lead screw was loose at the top, but I fixed that and the problem didn’t go away. I think it might just be low quality wood. Every time I’ve cut basswood before, it was very smooth.

My experience with using 1000 BF of basswood a year is that it was a finely grained wood. Low quality basswood would have knots and cracks over higher grades. Maybe try a different or sharper bit. That fuzz should come off when you sand it either way. It also could be just the grain direction.

The stringiness is present regardless of the bit. I’m wondering if it might be a mechanical problem with my x carve.

I would say that that is improbable.
The problem is not mechanical in nature. It is a result of a bad interfacing between your bit and the wood. So one of these 2 must be the culprit, or a combination of both. Did you try a downcut yet?