Feeds and Speeds

[Snowman]

Is there any information on the min/max speeds for the water cooled spindle that ships with the Shark HD4 Extended?
Thanking you in advance for your support.

[Bob]

Here is some more detailed information. It's probably more than what is wanted, but a good resource:

http://cdn.dynamixse.com/blog/wp-conten ... -Tools.pdf
Bob

[SteveM]

Speeds and Feeds depend on what you actually want to cut.
As an example, if you have a 15" square and want to cut at 150 IPM it may cut that fast, but slow down when making turns.
If you have a nice 2.5d carving and you're using a 1/16" or 1/32" tapered ball nose and try running at that speed, it really won't cut that well.
When I'm cutting something like that, it's usually cutting at 40-60 PM. The RPM's will also vary. Usually about 12,000- 15,000 works for me for almost everything.
The material you're cutting also affects feed and speed. You really have to experiment and find your sweet spot for what you are cutting and what bits you are using.
If you get the Vectric site and look at Michael Tyler's projects, he is usually only cutting at 30 IPM. That to me is very slow and when I cut one of his projects, I adjust my feed rate to cut faster.
It also depends on the machine you're using. If you start to get chatter, your cutting too fast and need to slow down.
When you use Vectric software, in their tool data base there are already suggested speeds and feeds set for most bits you would normally be using.
Start from there and make adjustments accordingly.

[OCEdesigns]

Speeds and Feeds depend on what you actually want to cut.
As an example, if you have a 15" square and want to cut at 150 IPM it may cut that fast, but slow down when making turns.
If you have a nice 2.5d carving and you're using a 1/16" or 1/32" tapered ball nose and try running at that speed, it really won't cut that well.
When I'm cutting something like that, it's usually cutting at 40-60 PM. The RPM's will also vary. Usually about 12,000- 15,000 works for me for almost everything.
The material you're cutting also affects feed and speed. You really have to experiment and find your sweet spot for what you are cutting and what bits you are using.
If you get the Vectric site and look at Michael Tyler's projects, he is usually only cutting at 30 IPM. That to me is very slow and when I cut one of his projects, I adjust my feed rate to cut faster.
It also depends on the machine you're using. If you start to get chatter, your cutting too fast and need to slow down.
When you use Vectric software, in their tool data base there are already suggested speeds and feeds set for most bits you would normally be using.
Start from there and make adjustments accordingly.

This is pretty much what I have been doing. Lots of practicing and notes.

[gdon_2003]

Good advise above. I have had spotty results emailing router bit makers about feeds and speeds. Whiteside is very responsive with their feeds and speeds. I had bought a Whiteside 6210 One Inch 3 Wing spoil board cutter and emailed them and they replied back the same day. They recommended 100 IPM and 15,000 RPM for a starting point. I have recently found Irwin Marples router bits on clearance at Lowes. I emailed Irwin Tools and it took them days to get back and all they said was the router bits were discontinued and "Good Luck". But the upside is I got 3 1/4" Upcut router bits for $3.00 each that were $15.00 each. I also got a couple of down cut and some 2 flute 1/4", 5/16" and 3/8" bits for the same $3.00 because Lowes clearanced them because Irwin is discontinuing router bits. Some of the manufactures put feed and speed data on their web sites.

Eagle America and Infinity Tools have been good about replying back with feed and speed data.

So it is a mix of replies from manufactures

[wilsond]

I recommend trying the software from CNC Cookbook. You can try it for free, and Bob will offer help as you learn to use it. The tutorials are very helpful. You first set up the software to use the capabilities of your CNC, including the minimum and maximum speeds, and the power of your spindle. The software will then help you determine the best speed and feed combinations for the bits you plan to use, the material to be processed, and the type of routing to be done. It may sound complex, but the software makes it fairly easy to determine feeds and speeds which will produce good results and reduce the wear and tear on your CNC and bits.

[OCEdesigns]

I recommend trying the software from CNC Cookbook. You can try it for free, and Bob will offer help as you learn to use it. The tutorials are very helpful. You first set up the software to use the capabilities of your CNC, including the minimum and maximum speeds, and the power of your spindle. The software will then help you determine the best speed and feed combinations for the bits you plan to use, the material to be processed, and the type of routing to be done. It may sound complex, but the software makes it fairly easy to determine feeds and speeds which will produce good results and reduce the wear and tear on your CNC and bits.

Thanks for the info!