3D CNC Wood Carving With Small Cutters

[Bob La Londe]

This is going to sound silly, but what cutters or coating is going to have the best life. I mostly work with aluminum and flood coolant which gives me quite long cutter life, but I am working on a wood project and I am seeing results which look like the cutter is getting dull about mid project.

(1/16 ball end cutter, and I need to finish with a 1/32 cutter)

[Artemus]

It may be getting coated/clogged with resin from the wood. A soak in Simple Green and then a toothbrushing could solve the problem. Art

[Artemus]

Hit send too soon. Another possibility is that you are machining a high silica content wood. If so, the SiO2 dulls steel edges rapidly. Can you use carbide bit(s)? Art

[Bob La Londe]

I am already using a high quality micro grain carbide cutter. This job is in red oak which is fairly hard as woods go. I was wondering if a diamond coated or zirn coated carbide cutter might last longer.

[Martin Eastburn]

You don't say what kind of wood - many have a lot of silica in the wood. Carbide is the best. Don't use C2 wood working carbide - go steel working tools - C5 or higher.

Wood is bad on cutters.

I used to cut fiberglass with a 10 mil cutter and that was great carbide.

Mart> This is going to sound silly, but what cutters or coating is going to

[Bob La Londe]

Thanks. I am using the same cutters I normally use on aluminum. They are definitely not lasting as long on wood as they do on aluminum. This project is oak. Looks like red oak.