End Mills. This is a confusing topic for beginners, so I’m going to try to clear it up. There are different kinds of end mills but the most important factors are flute count and up vs down cut.
An up cut bit is going to pull the chips out of the waste board, causing them to fly out of the cut, while trying to pull the material up and off the waste board. Think of it like pulling a drill bit out of wood.
A down cut bit is going to push the chips down, both into the waste board and causing tension to push the material into the waste board. (In my opinion, it also makes a smoother final cut)
Compression bits are the best of both worlds. They’re both up and down cut.. initially starting out with the up cut and transitioning into the down cut. This allows for easier starting cuts, but a smoother finish. These bits are usually more expensive. I recommend for beginners to get a 2 flute up cut. Carbide 3D recommends this on their site.
To get started you're going to want to get a nice variety of bits to play around with so you can figure out what works best for you. The first set I bought was this one for 58$. Its reasonably priced and gives you a ton of different bits with different profiles. They also are carbide tipped, which is preferred over steel.
Freud 91-100 13-Piece Super Router Bit Set
I used the 35 degree v carve end mill to do the carving pictured below. I used a piece of scrap 2x4 and carved off the round part leaving a flat surface. I found my text and image in google images. I just found an image with clean black and white lines, they are the easiest for Carbide Create to auto trace. I flattened the wood with a .250 downcut endmill, then vcarved the lettering and the Black Panther image. I then applied some walnut daneish oil into the carving of the black panther and finished it with briwax. It took about 30 mins to complete. It was my first time using a vcarve, and i think it came out pretty good! I used double sided tape to secure the 2x4 to the wasteboard.
Once you've got some experiementing done, i recommend buying the following mill bits. One of the best makers of bits is YEARS
Amana
#46225 0.25" Compression Bit
#46054 Engraving Bit
#45983 6.2 Deg Tapered Bit
#46477 0.25" Down Cut
#45700 90 deg V Groove
#45525 0.5" Flattening Bit
#46180 0.25 Ball Nose
#45387 0.25" Core Box
#45705 0.5" 90 Deg V Groove
#45760 1.5" 90 Deg V Groove
#46172 0.125 Tapered Ball Nose
#46200 0.125 Ball Nose
Freud
1/4-Inch Diameter Up Spiral Bit
I’ll add some more bits as i come across ones i like.
Keep Making! :)
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