Smallest bit

[Sanghera]

Hi,
I was just wondering what the smallest bit cnc routers can use to rout something .1"deep in wood? I saw a wooden sign and the detail was amazing. The corners all looked very sharp, I don't think it was done with a V bit. I am thinking of an endmill. The letters were all pocketed and just with so much detail and squareness. What size of bit is required to do this or has this been done some other method?
Thanks.

[widgitmaster]

MSC Direct sells a .005" dia x .150" LOC solid carbide single end mill!

Is that small enough!

[paulC]

Search for spiral upcut router bits.
They look like end mills but you can plunge them.
They give an excellent finish.
Paul

[Sanghera]

.005" ! Would that bit break easily. can it cut aluminum and steel? What is its made use? What kind of feedrate would you be looking at in hard wood or soft wood?
Thanks.

[wizard]

The smallest end mill that I've seen personally was something like 3 tenths of a millimeter in diameter and made of diamond. Besides the expense of buying such a cutter you would need a spindle that operated at 110,000 RPM and of course the support equipent for that. Likely you would not want such tooling to ever get near wood.

Now back to your engraving you may be correct in that somthing other than a V- bit was used. If you know who made the engraving it would be helpfull to ask him how it was done. Even here a highspeed spindle would be required and it must be of low run out design.

Then agian it could have been done on a laser based machine with no spindle at all. A laser would potentially give you very straight sides and a lot of detail. If the laser is matched well to the medium it is engraving the cuts can be very clean with little signs of burning.

Thanks
Dave