how fast to cut Renboard?

[outcaststudios]

hi,
newb questions:

what is an appropriate cutting speed for a hard renboard?

also what is a reasonable plunge rate?

i am attempting to cut a piece of renboard at 1 inch thickness,mounted to a sacrificial layer ,or raft,that is 1/4 thick of mdf,mounted with double sided tape, pieces boundary is approx 48 square.im worried about removing the piece from the raft after cutting. it will be failry fragile when done cutting so maybe i should use spray mount? any suggestions on a better hold down strategy? also speeds... thanks!

[scottp55]

VERY scientific terminology;
Looks like they're cooking right along:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScvR2TCY094
Better your shop than mine:)
Wait for someone with personal experience.
scott

[outcaststudios]

wow looks fast. i bet its not too bad on the tools either!

[chiloquinruss]

The way I use two sided tape is a method I learned from the scroll saw crowd. Put down a layer of masking tape on your sacrificial mdf, put down your two sided tape. put more masking tape on the underside of your cut piece. Apply the piece to the two sided tape, cut the piece. When done the cleanup is very fast as you are just peeling off masking tape. BEFORE you cut a good piece try it on scrap and see if you like it. Also the masking tape I use is the same tape the vinyl sign guys use, available in large widths (I use 15 inch mostly). Have fun. Russ

[outcaststudios]

that's a great idea,i'm all over it.

[joe]

Gregor,

Renboard is a brand name for HDU. It comes in several densities. The cutting speed is dependent of the density. No sense in asking without better information. Why not use common HDU which is readily available. Chuck up a bit and do a test or two. That way you have first hand information. I know it's much easier to post a question than to do the work of testing, but if you really want to learn you gotta do the work.

Joe
www.normansignco.com

[outcaststudios]

joe,
i was aware that renboard is a trade name for poly board,not sure why you are pointing that out? i wasnt asking about the material. i also think it is better to ask questions before i potentially ruin a bit or a piece of material that is $400.00 dollars a sheet. i think it's a sign of intelligence to ask as many questions as possible not a sign of laziness as your errant post suggests...

[Kyle Stapleton]

If it is like sign foam 18lbs it cuts very easy, the only thing you need to slow down for is the fine detail so you do not snap it off.
We cut full depth on all of our bits if they are long enough for pockets up to .75" at about 4-5 ips for .25" bits up to .5" bits. about 12000 rpms. For .125" bits we go .5" deep at 16000 rpms.

Would have chimed in sooner but did not know what Renboard was.

[outcaststudios]

kyle,
super helpful! my material will be here tomorrow i will post results thanks!
-gregor

[joe]

Gregor,

Were you really expecting to get a suggested Feed & Speed without us knowing the density of the material? I'll give you credit for not knowing since you're new to the forum. The reason I posted information about the manufacturer has to do with this is a material which isn't standard. Most posts on HDU are about Sign Foam, Duna, and Precision Board.

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

[outcaststudios]

joe,

in my post above i specified 'hard' renboard. there are three main densities of renboard and the the 'hard' category is what i was asking about. if you had done the 'hard work' of reading my entire post you would see that i provided the exact material i was cutting, and therefore found it totally reasonable to expect to get a reply that gave me some idea of what other people had encountered when cutting 'hard' renboard. i suspect that had you been more familiar with the material you would be more able to answer. so at that point you probably should not have answered since you werent offering anything else useful to this thread about feed and speed rates when cutting polyurethane board of the hard density. instead you anecdotally offered me unsolicited advice about my work ethic which i can assure you is overdeveloped. the feed rate that kyle pointed out is pretty spot on for what i am doing. let me know if i can answer any questions you may have about renboard and its applications, i will let you know what the results we have in machining it are next week when we run the models i have lined up.

-gregor

[joe]

Ok,

Please, someone tell us the density of Hard Renboard. I'm guessing it's around 40lb. Gregory is correct in that I have no experience with this material. If anyone else does please give this fellow some help

To be a little more informative on the process, the travel speed is partially dependent on the bit size combined with the limits of detail. for example a 1/8" bit used for detail will travel slower than 1/4" bit for background clearance. You need to post the intended project for all us to see.

We'll all be looking forward to seeing your project.

Joe