I’ve tried to search for a solution but have come up empty. Anytime I do a 3D project I get tool marks that are difficult if not impossible to sand down properly. I have utilized a 40% step over in order to try to minimize the marks with little success. I have seen some projects that look almost smooth without sanding and when I do a regular pocket carve, it is 95% smooth.
To recap, I have a 40% step over while utilizing a 1/8 in round nose bit.
Any suggestions on how to minimize these ridges?
Have you tried going with a smaller step over? Have any pictures of the result with the 40% step?
40 is way too much. 40% is good for a roughing pass to hog out material fast.
For no-sanding finish I usually go 5% Up until 10% would be good finish without too much manual cleanup.
Obviously better finish means much longer cutting time… Going from 40 to 5% will be 8x cutting time. It’s a tradeoff you need to decide on.
The smaller step, you could increase your feed to compensate for some of the added time.
Look up “ball end mill scallop” for some good explanations. Here’s a no frills calculator:
I was having the same problem on the project below. 40% was too big I switched it to 5% and a 1/4” ball endmill. You might also try a 1/4” ball end mill.
@Zach_Kaplan, is that Corian? Do you do anything with the milled surface to “finish” it?
Yes that was Corian.
I did one where I sanded it and one where I didn’t. They also make some solvent for Corian that congeals the surface a bit. It’s an industrial chemical so I didn’t try it.
