Oh Well- Another "Learning Day"

[scottp55]

Wood is .62" thick Butternut. Trying for a scrollsaw look with a 1/2" piece on bottom to be glued in a pocket of a black wood(C-90 Torrefied ash) for business cards. The intact one was cut in a pocket toolpath with a whiteside 1/4" shank 1/8" downspiral with no clearance tool(50 minutes). lesson 1: PREVIEW it pocketed the interiors of the letters LAST.
So next one pocketed letter interiors separate toolpath first, then cleared with the 1F .25 upspiral that came with the Desktop starter set(still trying to find something it's good at). TEAROUT bad. I left a .01 pocket allowance which the same whiteside ALMOST cleaned up. Tried to change pocket allowance to a negative and vectors in preview went NUTS. So tried a second pass hoping no bit deflection(climb cut)would clean it up and it looks like the bit grabbed it on the first pass and chewed it loose.
QUESTION: The board took on a slight bow so the center of the board cut clean and towards the edge had a very thin skin---should I have left a skin on, on purpose, and sanded it off afterwards?
First attempt at this style, but I like it. Should not have used that upspiral though, downspiral next time.
Comments very welcome on anything I did wrong.

[Burkhardt]

How big is that thing and how was it held in place? Any support for the protruding characters at all? With these slim, tall pieces I would use the smallest possible bit and be very conservative with the feed rate.

I did not understand your process anyway. If you are trying an inlay why cut the letters free?

[scottp55]

Not an inlay G. ---About 10X2X .62"--- Was very cautious on first and it came out great. Just trying to get faster than 50 minutes and used too aggressive a bit(I think). No support on ends as people didn't like the "framed?" preview as much. It would look like this old preview , but inserted into a pocket vs. dado. Just trying the style out and butternut for the first time.

[scottp55]

4 screws on end of 18" blank, sorry.

[Burkhardt]

I get it...

If you make the letters really thin and fragile you may try double sided tape for additional support or maybe even "glue" the blank with hot paraffine to the carrier/waste board (if you can deal with the wax impregnation).

[scottp55]

Thanks G. , Wax, no go-oil finish. Probably try less aggressive bit (downspiral or straight) and go 1/2 diameter for passes. May also go a different species. May leave .005 skin. Might just surface wood to .5" thick and cut 20% time there. Thanks