Looking for a good type of Wood mill with

[MIKE POPMA]

I recently I got mastercam art and have started making art models in aluminum. I would like to start doing some models out of wood and was hoping for some suggestions on a good type of wood ? I've tried oak and some other type, but I get poor stringy finishes and my edges always chip . I'd like to achieve a fine detail to my work and nice crisp edges.

Thanks.

[Mike Gates from Barefoot CNC]

Mdf may be a decent alternative to get started if your just testing art and finish. Pecan is a dense would that carves to nice detail. Hard maple isn't bad. There is also several South Americam species that lend themselves to carving Jadaba is very dense but carves beautiflly. Needs good carbide tools tho, no highspeed steel, will dull too quickly. There are also several high density foams that work well for this type of application.

[Todd Tracey from Fastech]

I did a lot of stuff in Cherry that worked well

[Craig Madsen from CM3D]

Walnut works pretty well, Maple too. Carbide tools are pretty much required.

 

IF you are using these on a mill that you use to make parts using coolant the make SURE you VACUUM all the dust and chips off the machine. Otherwise, you will cycle the woodchips and dust into the coolant, where is may swell up and restrict flow where it wedges in check valves, etc. (I used to be a machine service engineer in a former life and ran into this on a regular basis).

[Müřlıń®]

Walnut works pretty well, Maple too. Carbide tools are pretty much required.

 

IF you are using these on a mill that you use to make parts using coolant the make SURE you VACUUM all the dust and chips off the machine. Otherwise, you will cycle the woodchips and dust into the coolant, where is may swell up and restrict flow where it wedges in check valves, etc. (I used to be a machine service engineer in a former life and ran into this on a regular basis).

 

+1

 

leaving little piles of wood dust/chips can draw in considerable moisture and rust everything.

 

Get all the wood off the machine when finished.

[Trevor Bailey]

a few more for you:

 

• bubinga - very hard, great grain
• koa
• jarrah - beautiful rich, grain.

here is a link to a site i use. you can get clearance packages with different samples of woods to test cut with.

 

http://www.cookwoods.com/

[JOHNOLY99]

I run a CNC router and lathe in our stairparts shop. We do about 20 diff. species a week, but some of the best for my "play" things is soft maple. It has little to no "wood grain", machines easier than hard maple, and stains MUCH easier. Also, Jatoba, or brazillian cherry as it's also known, is another really good carving wood. If you want, i could send you some diff. types to play around with. email me @ johnoly99@gmail_____._____com