My first (and only) 1/32" carve SUCCESS… and broken bit

Projects
1

They said they were fragile. They are. I snapped it right before by second carve in 3 layer HDPE. It was my first carve with the bit. Dang. I thought I’d move it on my own, with the z kinda set and… tink*!

I’ll order many more tomorrow, and hopefully never make the same mistake again.

Here it is:

IMG_2254.JPG2448×3264 2.17 MB
IMG_2255.JPG2448×3264 2.72 MB
FullSizeRender 2.jpg3264×2448 1.43 MB
FullSizeRender.jpg3264×2448 1.9 MB
IMG_2266.JPG2448×3264 2.13 MB

I couldn’t figure out how to clean up the furry black layer with this shallow carve, but I finally did with a wire brush, paper towels, iso, and a clean flame.

Next time will be faster. It may be a keychain… a promo. Dunno.

Thanks for taking a look!

4 Likes
2

Nice work.
With each broken bit or discarded failure, we’ve learned a little bit more…

3

I had a similar experience with my 1/32" bit, attempted a jog of the gantry and tried to go through a clamp WAY too fast and with the spindle shut off. Didn’t work too well

.

4

Holy cow are these bit fragile. I’ve gone through 4 of them so far, even when carving at slower than the recommended feed rate. Wonder what I’m doing wrong. 28 ipm, .03" depth per pass, Red oak, total depth of .06"

5

Take a look at tapered bits, They still have the fine point but the increasing thickness makes them much more durable.

1 Like
6

Try a 1mm bit. A little bit stronger, with more options.

7

I just started using a v bit for detail after for 4 or 5 of these bits. Works great for words as well.

8

Hi there. I use 1/32" bits all the time. .03 doc is too much. You need to go half the diameter of the bit or less.

For wood and plastic, I use .012-.015 doc and 30ipm.

9

For tiny bits and carving I use tapered ball nose bits, they are much stringer then straight endmills. I use a 0.25mm radius tipped bit with no issues.