Cutting paperstone

[andre]

I'm looking for recomendations on cutter and feed rates for cutting paper stone. Does anyone have experience cutting this stuff?
Would a single flute o spiral work the best?

[rick_woodward]

Well... I never heard of it.. An here i thought i was on top of materials that were out there. Got a link to their website and more info ? Is that the official name for it ? Sounds interestin.

[harryball]

It is basically countertop made from recycled paper and fibrous materials. http://www.paperstoneproducts.com/

Never seen it around here, I heard about it a while back but have never been able to find any.

Robert

[evan]

I've been cutting Richlite and PaperStone (similar products)for a couple of years. I've been using the Onsrud 60-253 (there is a down cut version as well) for a finished edge on Paperstone at 2 to 3ips, 12000rpm. PaperStone and Richlite are very hard and dense. I tend to cut them slowly. I've found Up or Down Spiral bits of solid carbide give the cleanest cuts. I've also used straight PDC bits because the material is so hard, but they don't leave as nice a finish. Hope this helps.

[Gary Campbell]

Andre... I have cut paperstone and will echo Evans feeds and speeds... my cutting has been with 3/8" spiral up, 2 ips, 12000 rpm with good results. I can also tell you that that bit will run 3/4" deep @ 12000 rpm into the material at 12 ips jog speed.
Gary

[evan]

Ouch! And I'll bet there was some deflection and a few choice words. By the way I've done worse.

[andre]

Thanks every one I think I got it.
I'm only cutting a sink hole and some notches, so I should be fine with a good spiral bit it sounds like.

[joe]

What's this material like in weight and thickness.

I'd love to get my hands on some but it doesn't seem to be available localy.

[evan]

Joe-
It's heavy and comes in 60" x 96", 120", or 144". PaperStone comes in 1/2" through 1-1/2"; Richlite comes in 1/4" through 1-1/2", of course they cut smaller for a hefty fee. I've found paperstone to be a little more consistent in thickness. And thickness do very between pressings (batches.)
Shipping is expensive (the weight). Both are impervious to water and almost all chemicals (think of the counter tops in Chem Labs), and will take about 250-300F (don't quote me) before burning. PaperStone is a "green" product and Richlite is not. I don't work for either of them. Just cut a lot of it.