Unsmooth lines

Has anyone been having this problem. I started this project with a 1/8" DC then went to a 45 degree V bit, because it had fine lines and I wanted to them as deep as I can for colored epoxy. After the carve was finished, i noted a lot of the lines looked horrible and looked like a straight bit when it chatters. I watched the v bit carve and it never chattered and my speeds were not high at all. As you can see some lines were smooth. I use Amana v bits with replaceable blades

Try a harder wood like maple, pine will do exactly what you are getting. When the router rotation is cutting one direction will be cleaner than the other ( depends on on if the cut is against the rotation or with it.

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You are also getting the roughness on the end grain. That is very common with pine. Also, the tear out is from the small pieces on top of the carving. That also is the grain breaking. As I have said before and what Steve said, a harder wood will help a lot.

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It looks to me that in the area where there’s chip out, that you have a very narrow flat area that has the grain running perpendicular to the grain!! Therefore the chip out !! Where you have more meat, with the same perimeters, there is no chip out !!

i’m a newbie and i was wondering if that may be the answer. thanks a lot for your response!

Also consider using a sanding sealer or shellack which can help tie the end-grain together and gives a smoother edge I’ve found, but yeah, I only use pine as a prototyping material because it is dirt cheap and I can mess up some 3D carve that I want to test with less chance of breaking a tool or ruining a $45 piece of hardwood. Screwing up a pine 2x12 for a 3D carve vs a beautiful wavy grained maple 2” thick wide plank is a big difference. But I’m not looking for perfection (it’s like MDF for me)

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