-
Bits
I don’t know what bits to buy. Which ones do I need to get started?
You can do 95% of all CNC projects with just three bits: a ¼” downcut, a 60° V-bit, and a ¾” bowl & tray bit. After that, the next best upgrades are a 30° V-bit, a surfacing bit, and a ⅛” downcut for fine detail.I’m not sure if my bit is dull. How can I tell?
If your cuts look fuzzy, the wood burns, or the machine sounds like it’s working too hard, the bit is probably dull. A sharp bit slices clean. A dull one tears fibers or leaves scorch marks. One quick way to check is the fingernail test: gently drag the edge of the bit across your fingernail. If it doesn’t catch or feels smooth, it’s likely too dull to use.I need help adding new bits to my tool library.
To add a new bit, you’ll need to enter the tool diameter, type, and recommended cut settings into your software. That info usually comes from the bit manufacturer’s website. Some brands even offer downloadable tool libraries for Vectric or Carbide Create. If not, you’ll just enter the numbers manually, it only takes a minute.I don’t know how to change a bit or install one properly.
Changing a bit is simple: loosen the collet, swap the bit, tighten it, and re-zero your Z axis. Just make sure your machine is turned off while you’re handling the collet. I show you exactly how to do it in the course, so you’ll be confident doing it on your own.How do I know what feeds and speeds to use for my bits?
Don’t stress, wood is very forgiving. You don’t need perfect numbers to get a great result. The goal is to get close enough within a safe range. The easiest way to tell if your settings are in the right ballpark? Look at what’s coming off the bit. You want to see small chips, not fine dust. If you’re making dust, your bit is spinning too fast or moving too slow, which can cause burning or dull your bit faster. If you’re making chips, you’re on the right track. Start with the recommended settings I give you in the course, watch the cut, and adjust if needed, it doesn’t have to be complicated.
-
27 Replies
-
I am making desk cell phone holders and want to vee carve initials, names, logos, etc the back of them. So, when the phone is not in place you would see the carving. My problem is that I am not able to get the carvings very deep. I am using 3/4” stock and even set the max depth to 0.7 and ended up about 1/8” deep. When I carved your Welcome Home sign, it worked well. The Z axis was set correctly as were the X and Y. Any thoughts? I am using Create Pro 3d and a DIY CNC machine.
-
With V-carving, the depth isn’t controlled by the “max depth” the same way a pocket or profile toolpath is. The depth is actually controlled by the width of your vectors and the angle of your V-bit. If the letters or design aren’t wide enough, the bit physically can’t go any deeper, even if you set the max depth to 0.7″.
That’s why you’re seeing about 1/8″ deep. The geometry of the design is limiting it.
A few things to check:
First, confirm your Z-zero is set to the top of the material. In our projects (like the Welcome sign), we always zero to the top of the material before running the V-carve toolpath . If Z-zero were off, you’d usually see inconsistent carving depth, but since your Welcome Home sign worked well, your zeroing is likely fine.
Second, look at the font or logo thickness. Thicker, bolder fonts will carve deeper because the V-bit has room to drop lower. Thin script fonts will always be shallow.
Third, what degree V-bit are you using? A 60° bit will cut deeper than a 90° bit for the same width. A 30° bit will actually cut shallower unless the design is very wide. Bit angle makes a big difference.
-
It says upcut bit on lesson 2. When you go to the link it is a down cut bit. Which bit do i need up cut out down cut. Thank you
-
For Lesson 2 (the Bit Organizer project), you do need a 1/8″ upcut bit for the small detail pocketing toolpaths. The 1/4″ downcut handles the larger pockets and profile cuts, but the 1/8″ upcut is what gives you those clean, tighter detail cuts.
-
I tried cutting out 2 different states but the cutter did not cut all the way through the stock. The stock measured 0.77 inches, and on the set up I put the stock thickness as 0.78. However, when the machine was finished there was approx 0.24 inches of stock thickness remaining to be cut in order to fully cut out the piece. Any idea on what I did wrong and how to fix it?
Thank you
Jim
-
Hey James,
Based on what you described, this isn’t a material thickness issue, it’s almost always a Z-zero or cut depth issue.
Here’s the key thing:
Even though you set your material thickness to 0.78″, your machine doesn’t actually “know” where the bottom is. It only knows where Z-zero is and how deep the toolpath tells it to go.If you ended up with ~0.24″ left, that tells me your cutter only went down about 0.53″ total, which means one of these likely happened:
• Your profile cut depth wasn’t set to cut all the way through
• Your Z-zero was set too high (bit wasn’t truly touching the material when zeroed)
• Or you didn’t include an extra cut depth (offset) past the bottomHow to fix it (this will solve it moving forward):
1. Double-check your Z-zero
Make sure when you zero Z, the bit is just barely touching the top surface, no gap.2. Set your cut depth deeper than your material
If your material is 0.77″, set your cut depth to something like:- 0.80″–0.82″
That extra depth ensures you fully cut through, even if your spoilboard isn’t perfectly flat.
3. Run a quick test cut
Before running a full job, do a small profile cut on scrap to confirm it cuts through clean.Good luck,
Miranda
-
Hey Thomas,
Here are the biggest things I’d check:
- Make sure you’re buying the exact collet for your router model, Bosch has several palm routers that look almost identical but use different collets.
- Avoid cheap aftermarket collets when possible. Bosch collets usually hold much better and have tighter tolerances.
- Double-check the bit shank size. A 1/4″ bit in a metric collet (or vice versa) will never clamp correctly.
- Inspect the collet for dust, resin, or tiny cracks. Even a little packed sawdust can keep it from tightening properly.
- Don’t bottom the bit out fully before tightening. Insert the bit, then pull it back out about 1/8″ before tightening the collet. That helps the collet clamp evenly.
Hope that helps,
Miranda
-
on the welcome sign is there a flat depth for the 30 and 60 vcarve thanks
-
Hey Dan,
On the Welcome Home sign, the playbook doesn’t list a specific flat depth value for either the 30° or 60° V-carve toolpaths because the project uses Carbide Create’s V-carve toolpaths, where the depth is typically driven by the design geometry rather than a manually entered flat depth value.
If you’re opening the provided project file, I recommend leaving the V-carve settings as they are in the file and simply confirming your material thickness is correct before calculating toolpaths.
Hope that answers your question,
Miranda
-
what is a good brand and source for cnc bits?
-
Hey Thomas,
You can find the bits Andy uses here: https://www.andybirdbuilds.com/tools-i-use
andybirdbuilds.com
Tools I Use | Enhance Your CNC Skills Today — Andy Bird Builds
Explore tools, software, and machines for CNC projects, plus educational courses to elevate your woodworking and CNC skills.
-
In the video Andy said you can find bits 10 for $20??? Looking at Amazon the cheapest bits I see are $15 for one bit. Your link and the link in the training bring us to the IDC CNC router bit for $40. I personally follow IDC Woodcraft and would like to support them, but I was looking for either the cheap bits, Andy Bird’s or Whiteside to go along with the video course. PS. I am in the Fun Money Course
-
The price of everything has gone up but here is the cheapest 1/4″ bits I’ve found. https://amzn.to/4ezaSS4. There are some really cheap 1/8″ bits though here https://amzn.to/44CG1Ov
amzn.to
9PCS Carbide CNC Router Bits Set 1/4 Inch Shank, Multiple Uses Nano Coating Spiral Router Bit for Woodworking Detail Carving Trimming V Groove Engraving - Amazon.com
-
I’m new to VCarve and I’m new to the Kickstart. I’ve been using my Yora Home Silverback 6060 for some time prior to joining your team. I noticed in the Tool Caddy, the speeds and feeds were a little too aggressive as my max speed on my router is only 10,000 rpm. I am trying to set everything up for the flag tray, but I am having a very difficult time changing the speeds and feeds based on a 10,000 max rpm. Some change and some won’t! Getting very agitated! I even try changing the tool call out and VCarve is not responding properly. Any idea what I am doing wrong?
I have been using Easel for a couple of years but have purchased the full VCarve desktop software.
Log in to reply.