Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am trying to cut some 8mm thick scrap laminate wood flooring. I’ve been burning up and breaking bits like crazy. I would like to know if my issue is the “wood” i’m using, the settings, or the bits. First off, I know I’m not using high quality bits. I’ve been using Rotozip all purpose 1/8" bit, Harbor Freight 1/8" bit, and a Harbor Freight 1/4" bit. So far the Rotozip has performed the best, but they barely last long enough to cut out a very small project. PLEASE help if you have any general ideas.
You can move faster, it will help, but no those bits are not suitable for this. Burning happens when you are spinning faster than you should be. Like starting a campfire with no matches.
I have some in the shop, or amazon and ebay are options as well as tooling (endmill) company’s.
I bought some various bits off of Amazon, and a router speed controller from the local Harbor Freight and I have initial success!! Better bits, faster travel speed, and slower RPMs. It would be nice if there was a page or table or something that shows only successes. Even if it was only for the bits you sell. Something with the basics, to give the beginners a good starting point.
Material cut, Bit - (Brand), Bit Size, Bit Type (maybe dimensions), # of flutes, router (brand/model), router speed,travel speed, depth of cut, z-speed, and any other pertinent parameters.
That’s hard to do because the speeds and feeds are dependent on the machine. Everybody’s build is slightly different which will effect how they cut. For now, stick with 1 or 2 flute upcut end mills. Actually unless you are cutting fiberglass or carbon fiber, those are the only end mills you’d ever need to use. Stay in the 15 to 20mm/s range for 1/8th inch end mills in wood. For the most part those speeds should be alright. You’ll need to test the depth of cut on some scraps to see how those speeds cut though. I’m bad about keeping logs of what settings work with what.
