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View Full Version : Torn and rough looking carvings...



lpcsales
03-16-2006, 07:09 PM
Here are some pics that show the roughness I'm getting with all of my carvings on my machine. Can anyone compare with theirs and let me know if this is normal or not? If I carve a flat surface it is slick smooth, but anything 3D gives this rough and torn look. The wood used here was maple and very good quality. The same happens in poplar (soft) and oak or walnut.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/PICT0039.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/PICT0038.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/PICT0033.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h153/lpcsales/PICT0032.jpg

yenne
03-16-2006, 09:29 PM
Generally this feathering of the grain can be cleaned up with a wire brush. Have you tried this?

lpcsales
03-17-2006, 01:36 PM
Using a brass bristled brush cleans up the finer fuzz as one would expect, but in the areas where the routed feathering curves in and away from the letters (as in pics), it is 'far too rough' to remove.

To me it looks like a feed problem in the x-axis, where possibly it should be slowed down if the bit is descending or ascending during the cutting. Notice how smooth the cuts are when the bit doesn't have to plunge down or up, such as in the tops of the letters, where it is moving at the same relative depth as the position just before the current position. The deeper the plunge of the bit from the last position, the worse the problem is, as in the edges of the letters.

Can you make a variable feed rate based upon the relative change in depth from one step in the x-axis to the next? Also, some user selectable feed rates based upon the type of wood being routed, I bet , would greatly enhance the output quality in the finished piece.

Just an observation or two...