3D Wood Good / Bad

[tri4sale]

I've only played with 3D carvings in HDU and PVC, but was going to pick up some wood to practice with.

From your experience, what have you found to be good wood for 3D carving and what is bad wood for 3D carving?

[bleeth]

Best woods are tight grain hardwoods like maple, cherry, walnut etc.
Soft woods such as pine, fir have splitting issues in fine detail areas.
Poplar works but isn't exactly pretty.
The real "fun" is the finish sanding.

[steve_g]

Tight dense woods like pear, Osage orange and mesquite carve beautifully… with experience you can get good results with softwoods like western red cedar… with cedar I use a wood hardener after the rough cut.

Wood to avoid… Oak just doesn’t keep fine details.

Large layups must be dry all the way through! Hot router air blowing on deep cuts will dry and shrink the wood causing movement during the cut!

I’ve almost never been able to charge my full rate when doing 3D work… usually they land up as gifts!

SG

[jerry_stanek]

I use a lot of white oak

[srwtlc]

Bad...butternut, very bad!

http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=30629&stc=1

Red alder is as well, but does look good when done. While it generally takes longer to run your finish pass across the grain, you'll spend less time in clean up. Again, it takes longer, but 8% step over also leaves less clean up time.

[steve_g]

Add to the list wood to avoid… Cottonwood.
As per the Purdue Dept. of Agriculture…

“The wood is rated at or near the bottom of the list
in regard to planning, shaping, turning, and boring.
The wood tends to fuzz.”

My experience exactly!
SG

[Keith Larrett]

Add to the list wood to avoid… Cottonwood.
As per the Purdue Dept. of Agriculture…

“The wood is rated at or near the bottom of the list
in regard to planning, shaping, turning, and boring.
The wood tends to fuzz.”

My experience exactly!
SG

Agreed. I've turned some bowls from cotton wood. Very difficult to get a clean cut.

[scottp55]

Probably Cherry or Black Walnut will give best results for your first cuts as far as availability and to make you want to do more:)
Both woods like a finish toolpath against the grain for almost no fuzzie/sanding cuts(just a good stiff tooth/shoe brushing).
Play with even lower stepovers maybe, as spending time on machine, can save hours sanding.
All pics were low stepover and no sanding.
Play with it and have fun:)
scott

[Jerry Carney]

Nice work, all have good clean look. I use linseed oil and tung oil a lot. Jerry

[scottp55]

Thanks Jerry....Earthpaint polymerized Linseed mixed 80/20 with beeswax usually(24 hour between coats, and doesn't gel...not in 2 yrs anyways).
Playing with a different mix now(pine rosin/linseed/citrus) that seems to penetrate and really make grain pop...jury is still out, only 3 months so far.

BAD....Ash for fine details, Lacewood for fuzzies.
Denser, closer pored the wood, the better so far.
LOVE Bloodwood, Bubinga...looking forward to trying Red Gum,Tas Blackwood a Desktopper from Oz brought me last summer.
Claro Walnut cutting one of Michael M's models now...new bit, but hope it comes out as well as this Mount Desert Island one.
scott

[Jerry Carney]

Do you think your pine/rosin mix would work on curly maple? Where do you get pine rosin?

[scottp55]

Claro Walnut with Michael Mezalick's Celtic Dragon cut BEAUTIFUL:)
Didn't even brush it, just a blast of 90 psi.
LIKING Claro for 3D!
scott

[scottp55]

Yep! :)
https://www.earthpaint.net/pine-rosin-wood-finish.html
Expensive, so playing with Linseed/thinner ratio.
100% didn't give me enough open time to wet sand, and a little too glossy/plasticky for me.
Moose blank was sanded to 600G, and then a single full strength coat.
3D cut was sanded and then 3D/Linseed/thinner 25/50/25%
scott

[srwtlc]

Nice stuff Scott! Was that dragon with that v-bit you like to use? Gotta get one of those sometime to try out on my little machine.

[scottp55]

Nah...It was an actual TBN that Randall brought up on the Vectric Forum;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/R0-25-0-5-0-75-1-0mm-with-1-8-shank-Solid-Carbide-Tapered-Ball-Nose-end-mills-/252760178784?hash=item3ad9ae4060:g:eoYAAOSwEzxYXyJ e

I was VERY leery because of past experience with Chinese bits, but couldn't pass up a .25mm Radius tip...which is almost the same as my Onsrud 30engraving with .01" flat.
I could finally get the detail, AND 2Flutes:)
Only putzed with it before...and for key fob stuff my 30degree with a .005"flat is still better, but as soon as I hit a 2X3" model....I couldn't see any difference running the two preview toolpaths on both bits(cut time was half with the 2F TBN) :)
I bought another set of the 4 radiuses, and a 3" .25"shank version I haven't tried yet.
This was only cut at 1.5, 1.5, 16K with no roughing path, but I think 2,2,17K is next.
I'm liking these bits, and did do a simple test with the 1mm Radius one to semi dial it in with excellent results also.
Slightly larger Dragon in Bubinga on Tuesday for a gift.

I cut against the grain,and it was it's first real test, The model was .26" deep, so I MN'd up .2" and ran a few lines, MN'd down .1" ran a few lines, and then MN'd down to original Z-Zero and cut away. So many fine details I went with 3% stepover this time because of the coils and scale in model...4-6% test in tiny dish shape tomorrow for checking cut quality and faster feeds.

THANKS:)
scott

[cowboy1296]

My favorite is black walnut but do about half of my carvings in cherry. Although i do no recommend it, i think that you could put cooking oil on black walnut and it would look good. The clock was made from scrap. You can tell that i watched too much science fiction as a child with my monstor size mountain lion.http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=30649&stc=1http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=30650&stc=1

[ken_rychlik]

Try Beech. Very nice machining, tight grain, minimal warping.

[scottp55]

Scott,
Been playing a bit more with with those Tiny Tapered Ball Noses, and I liked them and started another thread on Vectric Forum;
http://forum.vectric.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=28146

This wood is supposed to be Bubinga, but I'm betting it will sink in water after I finish it...so NOT Bubinga.
The denser wood showed even more detail, with a better finish than the Claro Walnut...All I did was brush it off with a stiff brush, and it almost ready to go:)

Hoping you're not minding Daniel:(
scott

[srwtlc]

Nice! I think I might order some to give a try as well. Not sure, but it looks like it could be cocobolo. Dense, hard, and oily.

[scottp55]

I think you'll like them Scott.
Oh...99% sure you're right about it being Cocobolo...it sinks in water,paper towel swipe with solvent shows the oil is identical to the other 2 known Cocobolo's I have, and finally found my 10X loupe...and 10X end grain pics in Wood Database match all three pieces as far as pore size/distribution right down to the mineral deposits, and rays match picture.
99% Cocobolo carves like a dream!! :)
scott

[Designer]

Scott,

I know this was a while back, but I just found it searching on "Good Wood". Were you using a 1/16 tapered ball nose with a 5% to 10% step over? I don't get as good a finish as you are and am trying to figure out why. I use a 1/16 tapered ball nose, 16,000 RPM, 10% step over, and I think 100 feed rate. Any suggestions?

[scottp55]

Phil,
What wood are you carving?
I rarely do anything big enough that a 1/16" TBN gives me all the detail available in the model.
Half that stuff above was done using an Onsrud 30 degree Engraving bit(in database AS an engraving bit) with either a .005-.01" flat, and a 10% stepover, cutting against the grain. Depending on the size of the model and the wood, running between 1,1,18K to 1.5,1.5,18K and full depth usually if model was less than .45" deep(bits CEL is .5").
Only using a TBN since I got those little TBN's with .25-1MM Radius so I could finally get the same detail, and very happy with results so far.
Still playing with those TINY TBN's, but got up to 1.5,1.5,16K at 6% stepover in dense woods running just the finish toolpath, and cheating the Z down using MN as noted above....be Careful, and check the preview to make SURE the bit doesn't jump around the model, and is only cutting the stepover!

Perhaps try 6%, and a trial of with/against the grain with your wood?
Speed sounds about right, but listen to the cut and watch the chips, and X,Y,Z Move speeds should be very close to the same.
I'm NOT production anymore, and most of my stuff has really fine Tiny detail that any sanding removes. Also LAZY and would rather the machine work than me:)
Feel free to e-mail me if you want, and I'll take my Onsrud 1/16 TBN out of it's sabbatical and try the same wood as you.

Others probably have some better tips for you, depending on the size model you're working with the 1/16"th.
Sorry not more help,
scott

[scottp55]

DARN!!! TRAPPED POST!!!
Nice long one too Phil:(
Basically try testing 6% with and Against the grain....speeds about right if X,Y,Z Move Speeds very close to the same.

Others WILL have better advice, as I rarely use my 1/16" TBN, as I love detail and my stuff is usually Tiny.

I mentioned trapped posts to Frank when I got VCP9....BUT nothing seems to have been done:(
Royal PITA having posts disappear into limbo!
Feel free to e-mail me.
Let's see if this posts.
scott

[scottp55]

Aaaah:) UNTRAPPED within 5 minutes of a phone call:)
Thank you Richard!!!
scott

[Xray]

Best woods are tight grain hardwoods like maple, cherry, walnut etc.
Soft woods such as pine, fir have splitting issues in fine detail areas.
Poplar works but isn't exactly pretty.
The real "fun" is the finish sanding.

I'd differ on the poplar, get a nice piece it can be stunning, almost marble like ,,, But getting a nice slab can take some doing.

Cherry and maple to me are boring for 3D, but yes they do cut nice.
My top 5 are probably purpleheart, poplar, padauk [the P's have it !] walnut and yellowheart.

One below is poplar in a walnut blank.

[Designer]

I have been trying a few different things. Some carving and some more like signs.At this time most end up as the top of a box or the face of a clock or shelf.
30898
30899
30897

[scottp55]

That stuff looks Great Phil!
Is it the amount of finishing time after it comes off the machine you're having the problem with?
For kicks and giggles, try a small test with a lower stepover and against the grain like I do?
scott

[Designer]

Yes, it is the sanding after if comes out of the machine. I need to buy stock in Dremel tools LOL.
I usually go at a 45 degree angle to the grain. I will try the smaller step over of 5% and cross grain instead. I also set plunge rate = feed rate.Thanks for the advise.
I have some V-Carving of letters that I am planning in the near future on a concept for a new product for Christmas and occasional gifts. I know its a little late for Christmas, so thankfully this is not how I make a living.
I may not do any 3D carving for a while. When I do I'll post a picture and let you know how it went.

Thanks again

[scottp55]

Phil,
Several times I've run circular models with an offset finishing toolpath....and the worst of the finish was always at 45 degrees to the grain...so maybe that was part of the problem?
Maybe try 2 small samples...one with, and one against the grain...and leave unfinished in shop as a reminder:)
Happy Holidays!
scott

[Designer]

Sounds like a great idea. I will run a few small sample carvings of a butterfly on the same piece of maple or cherry to keep the variables to a minimum. I'll do one with the grain, one at 45 degrees and one across the grain. I will use a speed of 17,000 rpm, a plunge and feed rate of 60 and a 5% step over rate on each. This should be interesting.

Thanks again