Recommendation's

[mikenmel08]

I just got my 1 meter Shapeoko 2 up and running.....I have 1/4 and 1/8 collets....I plan on milling Wood, Plastic,Plexi,G10,Carbon and some light aluminum......Can you guys help me out with recommending different bits I would want to have on hand?

Thanks
Mike

[Gadgetman!]

For soft wood and plastic, get some Downcut type endmills.

1 and 2 flute are best at moving the chips out of the cut, but 3 and 4 flute makes a better finish.

V-bits are essential for some types of engraving.

Ball-head endmills are also good for contours and 'organic' shapes.

Smaller diameter endmills requires lower speeds, but can usually cut finer details and less obvious 'dogbones' in joints.
Larger endmills can be pushed to higher feed speeds, but can't do the same details, particularly inside corners.

1/8" 2 flute seems to be a reasonable size for general work, so get a bunch of those.
(Both normal 'upcut' and 'downcut' endmills)

Feel free to get them on 1/4" shanks, if you can find them. Thicker shank usually means stiffer tool and less wobble and runout.

Don't be tempted to get 1/8" endmills wth a cutting area more than 12mm(1/2") or so unless you really need them.
They need to be run at lower feedd speeds because of the long/weak shank.

For deep pockets and cuts, get 3/8" or larger.

Since you can use 1/4" shanks, I assume you're not using the wobblywonk default tool, so runout should be managable. That means you can go to even smaller (1mm or smaller) without too much trouble, which can be nice if you plan to do detailed inlay work or similar.

It's a really big advantage if the endmills are 'center cut'(doesn't apply to V-bits, of course) or they won't be able to mill straight down.

If you can find a large diameter endmill, maybe up to 1", that also helps for levelling the wasteboard by skimming off a fraction of a mm all over.

That's my take on it...
now lets wait for the eperts to chime in.

[mikenmel08]

That's an awesome beginning......Thank you...And I'm using the quiet cut spindle

[Brian Stone]

I'm also just starting out, but you may find, as I have, that a high quality 1/4" 2-flute square spiral center-cutting Carbide end mill will be your workhorse. Like this one: https://www.inventables.com/technologie ... l-upcut--3

Or, like this one. This is the one I use in my DNP-611:
http://www.amazon.com/Kodiak-Solid-Carb ... extra+long

Which brings up another bit of advice... You also need to consider the length of the bit depending upon your spindle. Some spindles, like the DNP-611, have a deep collet chamber that go further than the end of the collet, which allows you to use bits with longer shanks. This is why I can use a 4" long bit without any trouble. The advantage is that I can gain depth whenever I need to make deeper pockets by scooting the bit out, as long as I'm careful not to scoot it too far out so that the end of the bit ends up in the middle of the collet, which could wind up damaging the bit and the collet. Use a micrometer's depth gauge or a small drill bit and measure your the depth of the your spindle chamber, and also measure the length of your collet, so you know exactly how much room you have. Use those parameters to help you select the right bits for your machine and milling requirements.

Along with a couple of workhorse bits, you'll also want to buy some finishing and special-purpose bits. A corner-radius bit is a good choice for general-purpose finishing. V-bits and ball-nose bits for fine details and finishing. I've purchased 90 degree, 60 degree, and 30 degree V-bits, set of 4-flute ball-nose bits at 1/4", 1/8", and 1/16" for finishing, and I have a matching set of 2-flute 1/4", 1/8", and 1/16" flat end mills for roughing and general milling. All of them are solid carbide.

Like I said, I'm just starting out, but so far the flat end mills have been getting the most use, by a long shot, and it'll probably stay that way going forward. I plan to buy a lot of them.

[Caesar S]

It would be good to know the brand and model if you would

TIA, Caesar.

[CastIrony]

Does anyone know if a 6mm bit will typically fit in a 1/4" collet?

[mikenmel08]

It would be good to know the brand and model if you would

TIA, Caesar.

Brand and model? It's the quiet cut spindle from inventables if that's what you are referring to.....

[Caesar S]

LOL sorry I meant the bits when folks reply

[mikenmel08]

Ohhhhhh, Gotcha....

Thanks

[Gadgetman!]

Check out Drillman1 on eBay.
He sells the good stuff.

And no, you do NOT use a 6mm shank in a 1/4" collett.

Get a proper 6mm collett for the spindle to hold it instead.

The Quiet Cut accept all ER11 collets, and they're available in 1/8", 3/16", 1/4", and from 1mm to 7mm in .5mm increments.

BTW: In my first post I wrote 3/8" for deep pockets. I meant 3/16"