Wood working on a Taig mill

[themedulla]

Hi guys,

I have been considering doing some wood work on my Taig cnc mill. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience doing this?

I have heard that the cellulose from wood can be bad for the mill - any opinions on this?

Thanks,
Matt

[awerby]

It works okay, although it's not really what the mill was designed for. The main problem is the wood dust, which gets in all the slides and screws and mingles with the lubricating oil, creating a dough-like substance if you let it build up. But if you keep cleaning it out, use oil instead of grease, and protect your motors (especially if they have encoders on them) with taped-on plastic bags, it should be fine. Use the higher speeds for the spindle, feed relatively fast to avoid burning, and use sharp tooling that hasn't been used for metal. Some woods work better than others, so experiment before committing to a big supply of any one type. Also some woods make toxic dust, so be aware of the hazards before you drive yourself out of your workspace.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com