Question one, use your geometry snaps to pick mid point, end, arc center etc. Question two: I usually create a solid for my stock and manipulate my vise to meet my stock and parallels. I have my vise so that the moveable jaw and it’s components are on one level and the rest of the vise on another. This makes moving the moveable jaw easy to fit the stock. Once completed I move all the vice geometry to one level. Question three: I would just delete the bounding box and create a new one if I needed to as it only takes a couple of clicks. Keeping your geometry on separate levels and labeled is the key. Another pro tip is to use colours to make it easier to select certain geometry when needed. Also use the quick masks as well as they as really useful. If you need help just post a valid Mastercam file and you will get many people trying to help you. This forum is excellent for getting help.

Tom, Looking at the Spindle Torque Chart > 2,500 RPM's is the Shift Point between low/high gear. In Low Gear, your best range is 500-1500 RPM's for torque. @ 400 RPM, you've got about 225 ft/lbs of torque. @ 1,000 RPM, you've got about 120 ft/lbs. @ 2,000 RPM, we are down to about 48 ft/lbs, and at 2,350 the torque is down to maybe 35 ft/lbs. In FSWizard, I entered the data, with Chip Thinning enabled, but HSM disabled, and got the following: 1,216 RPM (=238 SFM) 54.9 IPM (=0.009 IPT) I'd definitely recommend running the spindle in Low Gear, and below 1,500 RPM, for best torque. You could probably run 1,500 RPM @ 70-80 IPM, with great success. If possible; use a larger rounding radius in the Dynamic path.

Tom, My figures for my old machines (which were budget Chevalier #40 10k spindle belt drive...) :- 12mm 5 flute (16mm "hammered" the part where the 12mm was softer and quieter and a whole lot better tool life) Garr V5 gave best tool life for me with what i tried (being a pikey i never was too spendy on expensive cutters though ) 304 (very similar to 316) Short and stubby sidelock gave better tool life over a Schunk Hydraulic and a Showa Micron chuck Coolant running at 10% also made a very noticeable difference (over 5%). DOC 150% Toolpath Rad 3mm 10% stepover (1.2mm) S2555 F1500 (this gave a great tool life which is what I was after as we ran unmanned). I wouldn't up the RPM that much - that is what killed the tools in 304. The feed can go up (a little), depending on rigidity of part/setup. 303 which is a totally different beast, we'd be running all day on very similar parts at S5000 F3000 and same 10% stepover and with 3x the tool life....

As if I didn't know how much stock to leave on whatever. TOTALLY useless message.