Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 26

Thread: Could Anyone Please Recommend a Starter Bit Set for a Shapeoko 4?

  1. #1

    Could Anyone Please Recommend a Starter Bit Set for a Shapeoko 4?

    Hi, All. I just found out that my wife is going out of town for a few days to visit family. This will allow me to focus on finishing the set-up of my brand-new Shapeoko 4.

    I was going to buy the starter bit set from Shapeoko, but that will come too slow for the weekend.

    Could someone possibly recommend a starter bit set to me for that machine -- with the direct link would be great -- that would be on Amazon. I'm a Prime member and could have that here in two days. That will allow me do final set-up and possibly some test cuts while the cat's away.

    Thanks Very Much, in Advance,
    sm

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Millstone, NJ
    Posts
    1,573
    What are you planning on using it for?

    A couple i would start with are 1/4 &1/8 down cut bits, 1/4 and 1/8 compression bits, bowl bit, v-bit, and a surfacing bit.

    That will get you going. down cuts cut into the wood and protect from chipout on the top surface, Compression is good if you are going through.

    If you plan on 3d you will need ball end bits.

    Amana and whiteside make some premium bits but they may not be necessary when first starting.

    All that said I still dont have the frame I need to start assembling my onefinity

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by George Yetka View Post
    What are you planning on using it for?

    A couple i would start with are 1/4 &1/8 down cut bits, 1/4 and 1/8 compression bits, bowl bit, v-bit, and a surfacing bit.

    That will get you going. down cuts cut into the wood and protect from chipout on the top surface, Compression is good if you are going through.

    If you plan on 3d you will need ball end bits.

    Amana and whiteside make some premium bits but they may not be necessary when first starting.

    All that said I still dont have the frame I need to start assembling my onefinity
    George, thanks for your response. I will be cutting NO wood. My business is involved strictly with high-end plastics -- DuPont Vespel, PEEK, Ultem, etc. These plastics machine very similarly to Acrylic and Acetal machine as well as metals, so I'm seeking either plastics-specific cutting nbits and/or metal-cutting bits.

    Thanks Very Much,
    sm
    Last edited by Scott Memmer; 11-10-2021 at 5:24 PM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,811
    What type of machine is that? I assume it has a motor.
    Bill D

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    What type of machine is that? I assume it has a motor.
    Bill D
    Bill, thanks. Yes, it comes outfitted with a motor and is good to go once assembled.

    https://shop.carbide3d.com/collectio...33051555921981

    Last edited by Scott Memmer; 11-10-2021 at 9:59 PM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,811
    I would buy solid carbide spiral endmills designed for plastic or Aluminum. Cheaper then wood ones as a general rule. What kind of accuracy do you need? I would consider resharps and set the offsets for each bit.
    Bill D

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    I would buy solid carbide spiral endmills designed for plastic or Aluminum. Cheaper then wood ones as a general rule. What kind of accuracy do you need? I would consider resharps and set the offsets for each bit.
    Bill D
    Bill, thanks. On the accuracy thing: I've never done CNC before, so this is yet to be done. But nothing like Mil Spec. I'm guessing somewhere around .020", if that seems reasonable.

    Thanks Again, Bill.

    Scott

  8. #8
    Hi Scott, congratulations.

    I'm not sure if your aware, but there is also a CNC board on this forum that has lots of good CNC info: https://sawmillcreek.org/forumdispla...8-CNC-Machines

    I've been researching CNC machines and I found it helpful.

    Derek

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by derek labian View Post
    Hi Scott, congratulations.

    I'm not sure if your aware, but there is also a CNC board on this forum that has lots of good CNC info: https://sawmillcreek.org/forumdispla...8-CNC-Machines

    I've been researching CNC machines and I found it helpful.

    Derek
    Derek, thanks for the reminder. I'll post over there as well.

    sm

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Peoria, IL
    Posts
    4,412
    I use Onsrud O flute, single flute for acrylic. Speed and feed will be your adjustments after using the right bit. With a little adjustment, you'll hear when you get it right. Get it wrong and you get some impressive buggers hanging on the top of the bit!

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,638
    Tooling for plastics, composis and soft, non-ferrous metals have different optimization than for cutting wood. The "sets" that many folks start their CNC journey out with are generally focused on wood cutting. Tooling for what you want to cut is often single, O-Flute spiral. While I've gravitated to buying "value priced tooling" for wood cutting in many respects, Amana is what I use for plastics and aluminum. Speeds and feeds are also critical and different than for cutting wood. If you're using a router motor, that will be slightly more difficult than with a spindle for these materials because you have less flexibility for RPM. You'll need to adjust your horizontal movement speeds and depth of cut to get a good chip load. That all said, plastics and composite mill really nicely with a CNC machine. You'll enjoy it. You'll also make a nice mess. Plastic debris sticks to EVERYTHING!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    Tooling for plastics, composis and soft, non-ferrous metals have different optimization than for cutting wood. The "sets" that many folks start their CNC journey out with are generally focused on wood cutting. Tooling for what you want to cut is often single, O-Flute spiral. While I've gravitated to buying "value priced tooling" for wood cutting in many respects, Amana is what I use for plastics and aluminum. Speeds and feeds are also critical and different than for cutting wood. If you're using a router motor, that will be slightly more difficult than with a spindle for these materials because you have less flexibility for RPM. You'll need to adjust your horizontal movement speeds and depth of cut to get a good chip load. That all said, plastics and composite mill really nicely with a CNC machine. You'll enjoy it. You'll also make a nice mess. Plastic debris sticks to EVERYTHING!
    Jim, thanks so much. It's starting to make sense, little by little.

    If you have a moment, would you mind posting a few direct links to the kind of bits you're talking about. This is all French to me, and I want to make sure I dial it in. I'm hoping to have the machine up and running as soon as Sunday, so I'll be doing some test cuts in the next week or too, I hope., figfuring

    I bought the bit set off Amazon last night, figuring it's cheap enough even if I bought the wrong thing.

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    Last edited by Scott Memmer; 11-11-2021 at 2:30 PM.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,638
    Here's an example of an O Flute tool designed for plastics from Amana:

    https://www.toolstoday.com/v-13759-51411-k.html

    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Cambridge Vermont
    Posts
    2,271
    If you live near NY city Tools today has very fast shipping, much more reliable than Amazon. What are you planning on doing with your cnc? Maybe I missed it but are you planning on working with wood to start out with? Those bits you ordered are 1/8" shank so they are going to be very small which will mean easy to break. Make sure you have an 1/8" collet for your router. I would go to a mfg's site like Amana and find a bit of similar size and see what they recommend for feed speeds.

    One of the first things you need to learn is how fast the cnc should move depending on the size of the bits. Too fast or too deep and you'll break the bit. Too slow and you'll overheat the bit burning the wood and dulling the bit. For learning I would try to find someone with a Shapeoko (or maybe on their site they have test files) that can give you a copy of the g-code needed to make something simple. Hopefully if you can find something it will tell you the bit size and the feed speeds.

    Assuming you are going to work with wood I like the 1/4" end mill bits. They are pretty stout and can take some punishment. I would also get a 60 degree V bit. With the V bit you can make a couple V carve signs (great project for someone new). They are also pretty strong.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,638
    Alex, his primary is plastics. Hence, the O-Flute recommendation, etc.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •