Cutting through 2" wood w/X-Carve

X-Carve
1

Assembled my X-Carve yesterday, few small goofs here and there but most were my fault. So far so good, thanks to all who participate here and of course, the Inventable Folks.

Here’s my problem - I need the ability to cut through 2" thick Wood. When I was researching the X-Carve, I noticed it had a Z limit of over 2.5", so I figured ok, I’m golden. Well, not so much after more research.

I have the 24v Spindle w/ 1/8" shank. So are there any end mill / ‘bits’ that will allow me to carve that deep? I was planning on eventually upgrading to a better Spindle eventually, is that going to be the key?

I’m really trying to avoid flipping a piece and cutting an outline twice. I know that would work, but it seems fraught with pitfalls and could be an easy way to ruin a nice block o’ wood.

Advice? Thanks again!

2

A bit like this should be able to cut through 2 inch wood. The problem is that with that much length sticking out of the collet you really need to be sure all the components of the X-Carve are solid (no flex or twisting). You would almost certainly need to upgrade the spindle. The bearings on the 24v unit are not designed to handle that much lateral force.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-4-Carbide-End-Mill-4-flutes-EXTRA-LONG-length-square-end-TIALN-COAT-/171832453264?hash=item2802032890

3

I have something like that (3" cut length)
I tried it out just to see and was NOT comfortable with the amount of flex there was in the bit when milling MDF at high speed. I opted to go with a shorter bit rather than to slow down my cut rate.

In the mean time VCarve has a interesting tutorial on doing 2 sided cuts that is worth checking out.

4

Also, instead of simply profiling around your piece, you might try to cut a pocket around your piece. So the pocket is 1.5 x the diameter of the bit. This gives the bit a little wiggle room which you will definitely need with that stock spindle. It is going to chatter like crazy. I don’t think it will be pleasant. Do you have a Dremel? It should fit in the stock spindle holder and will likely give you better results if you square it up well. That way you might not have to upgrade right away (I am 100% sure you eventually will).

5

Thanks for the info. I’m probably just going to upgrade the spindle after I get a little more accustomed to working with what I have here. Baby steps and all that. :slight_smile: I’m enjoying the learning curve.