Hi, everyone. I am brand new to the CNC world and currently going through the tutorials and guides on this site. The goal is to customize watch dials. They blanks are .4mm * 29mm round brass disks. There will be some very small details. For this project none of the cuts will be going through, max depth would be .2mm. Does anyone have advice on what bits or bit set I should start out with? Looking for something cheap enough to make mistakes on without breaking the bank. I have a 3018 desktop CNC on the way. I will probably have to modify it to get down to those tolerances. Thanks, ED
Much appreciated! I was thinking of getting .1mm v bits from 10-30 degrees to see what works best. Have you done anything with fluted bits (sub .5mm)? Thanks again,
Fluted bits that size no I have not, smallest I use is 0.8mm down cut for 1/16" balsa. Having very good work surface flatness and careful z height setting are key for very small engraving such as this. Also hopefully your machine has no backlash! Cheers Gary
Backlash, vibration and equipment sensitivity are all questions soon the be answered. I assumed I would have to make some mods to the base unit, but at least now I can buy some v-bits.
If you can still return it (as its on its way - unopened usually an easier return that a few weeks later when its all assembled and then you find it to be troublesome) - a Minimill is a lot more solid for this sort of work: OpenBuilds MiniMill CNC Machine With tiny details, a rigid machine will go a long way
An OpenBuild machine would be ideal, but i couldn't spend that on a learning model. Would you suggest using the parts from the 3018 to convert it to a mini mill?
