Optimal VS Best

[Frederick_P]

OK, so I bought the ROCK (Love it!!!) and also some fancy coated bits from Precise Bits and I am carving, pretty much always, oak and purple heart. There is a huge difference in the carve times from the BEST to the OPTIMAL settings. Am I wasting machine time using OPTIMAL all the time or would BEST give me just as good results. Mind you, I am very picky, so if there was anything more than the slightest difference I would wait for the longer carve. Anyone have any testing experience with this?

[dbfletcher]

I am pretty sure the consensous was with the rock.. best is equiv to the old optimal. optimal will probably still give u slightly better results... but I am plenty happy with best and the rock.

Doug Fletcher

[TerryT]

A lot depends on the type of wood and the degree of finish you are looking for. Optimal has produced fantastic results for me, however, the added time is only worth it on special carves. I would say that 85% of the time "Best" will work fine. The rest of the time"Optimal" gives the desired quality of carve.

You need to decide if "optimal" is needed for your project of if "Best" will do. If your project requires the best carve with the least sanding go with "optimal" If you need a good carve but can do some clean up sanding go with "best".

[Steven Alford]

Best way to find out is to try one of your carves at Best and then do the same carve at Optimal as see how you like it.

[Frederick_P]

Thanks for the quick responses. I agree, the only way to know for sure is to test it. I will have to devise a clever little pattern designed to show any differences. It's just taking me forever to carve these cabinet door panels (7 hours each panel) and since I am carving purple heart, the wood quality is not an issue but I wouldn't want to ruin a door by lowering the quality setting to save some time.

But I was curious if anyone else had run the test so I might not have to. I do appreciate the feedback!

[TerryT]

I would really like to see some pictures of doors you are making. I am taking on a set for a wine rack I am building.

Using best rather than optimum will not ruin the doors. At worst you will need to do some extra sanding is all.

[hogiewan]

If what you are doing can be easily sanded, there is not reason to waste the time in the machine. However, for intricate patterns that you can't get in and sand easily, smaller passes of the bit will help.

[Frederick_P]

I bought some grape vine patterns from Vector Art 3D. The patterns are fairly detailed with leaves and stems and so sanding them without destroying the detail is problematic. I have an abrasive brush for the Dremel that seems to work OK but so far I have only had to use it on the oak. The purple heart comes out as smooth as a baby's bum and the detail is fantastic. This is why it is one of my favorite woods. The material is so dense that it carves like plastic and the color is very rich. But I am worried that I would not get this result is I used the BEST setting. I have been lokking for some sanding mops for my drill press but I can't find an outlet or a Canadian distributer that sells them.

I will post some photos as soon as the doors are assembled.

[Steven Alford]

I am willing to bet you that if your purple heart is that smooth on optimal, that it will not change that much if you use Best.
I would definitely try a scrape piece of purple heart with a filigree pattern on Best and see what it does. You would also save a little life on your bit. That purple heart has to be hard on the bit.

[Frederick_P]

Steve,
You're right. That is why I ordered three of these bits ( http://www.precisebits.com/products/carbidebits/taperedcarve250b4f.asp ) with the ZrN coatings on them. The standard bit looks like the same one that Ron sells for the Rock Chuck, but Precise Bits sells the coated ones for the same price. I can't complain about the carve quality. Now the limiting factor is the detail of the pattern. I will try a test next week and post the results. With the Rock and this bit, it should be a good test because the if there is any degradation in carve quality, it would be a result of the software.

[dbfletcher]

Wasn't there a post a few weeks ago that said the coating does help the bit last longer... but it also makes the bit "feel" like a slightly worn bit. My understanding was the coating made the useful life longer, but it wont cut as clean/sharp as a brand new uncoated bit.

Doug Fletcher

[Frederick_P]

Doug,
That isn't my experience. If you saw the carvings on the purple heart (will post later) you would see absolutely super crisp edges and ultra smooth curves and flat areas. The bit feels to me to be as sharp as the uncoated version, but the bottom line is the quality of the carve. If you haven't tried these bits, I would certainly recommend them.

[dbfletcher]

I did find the post I was refering to..

http://soigeneris.com/glossary.aspx

Isn't that Jeff's site??

Doug Fletcher

[Frederick_P]

Doug,
interesting info. I guess it depends a lot on the material and intricacy of the pattern, but to be honest, I can't see how the carve would be improved by a "sharper" bit. I would like to hear from others to see what their experience has been.

[Termite]

I bought some grape vine patterns from Vector Art 3D. The patterns are fairly detailed with leaves and stems and so sanding them without destroying the detail is problematic. I have an abrasive brush for the Dremel that seems to work OK but so far I have only had to use it on the oak. The purple heart comes out as smooth as a baby's bum and the detail is fantastic. This is why it is one of my favorite woods. The material is so dense that it carves like plastic and the color is very rich. But I am worried that I would not get this result is I used the BEST setting. I have been lokking for some sanding mops for my drill press but I can't find an outlet or a Canadian distributer that sells them.

I will post some photos as soon as the doors are assembled.

Sanding mops for drill presses can be obtained from www.stockroomsupply.com.

[Frederick_P]

Dude, thanks!!! Exactly what I have been looking for!

[Steven Alford]

Doug,
interesting info. I guess it depends a lot on the material and intricacy of the pattern, but to be honest, I can't see how the carve would be improved by a "sharper" bit. I would like to hear from others to see what their experience has been.


I am on my second PreciseBit and to tell the truth, I am not impressed. They advertise (and told me in person) that they would last 2 to three times longer than the OEM bit by LHR. My first one only lasted about 55 hours. The original one (OEM) that cam with the CW lasted 50 hours. I don't consider an extra 5 hours to be worth the difference. I was carving optimal in Red Oak. Even at twoce the life expectancy, I should have gotten at least 100 hours.

From the first carve to the last carve there are fuzzies (at least in oak). The shafts are too short for my liking.

At this point, I would rather try one of Ron's bits to see if there is any difference with them.

[dbfletcher]

Steven,

just for my clarification. I think in another one of your posts, you stated you can tell when a bit starts to wear because you start getting a 'curl' on the leading edge of the material instead of the bit cutting it off cleanly.

is the what most people use as a reference? Is there a more concrete way of determining a bits wear?

Doug Fletcher

[Dan-Woodman]

I use the old bit on fingernail routine,if the cutting edge of the bit bites into your fingernail,it sharp. The tip or towards the bottom of the bit will get dull first.
later Daniel