I’ve honed my method for cutting veneer on the CNC, now using a home built vacuum table out of MDF, instead of using spray glue. It’s 300mm square with lots of 3mm holes every 5mm in the top. I use a Rigid 14 gallon shop vacuum which can pull 165 CFM. I cut the female part from the base material using a pocket 6mm deep. I cut the veneer .7mm deep along the outside shape edge with a 1mm end mill, running 50% speed The suction holds the veneer nicely during the cut
I’ve honed my method for cutting veneer on the CNC, now using a home built vacuum table out of MDF, instead of using spray glue. It’s 300mm square with lots of 3mm holes every 5mm in the top. View attachment 55974 I use a Rigid 14 gallon shop vacuum which can pull 165 CFM. I cut the female part from the base material using a pocket 6mm deep. I cut the veneer .7mm deep along the outside shape edge with a 1mm end mill, running 50% speed The suction holds the veneer nicely during the cut Here’s a an example. Fisk’s 1944 Mississippi River meandering map in wood:
note that if you cut about 1/4 of the way through an MDF sheet the resulting surface is like a sponge and will not need holes to transmit vacuum. for thinner sheets like 1/8", some brands are just porous by default and can be sucked through without modification.
