However, sometimes it’s nice to have the choice to do one type of milling over the other. Some projects are different and require a certain approach, so I would like to see this choice made available in Easel.

Insertnose radius chart

Our example has a G in this place. This indicates that the insert has a cylindrical hole and has a double-sided chipformer.

Hi. Easel is simply great. Easy, fast and extremely convenient, and it generates great expectations. Clearly it’s not a professional tool, yet it can generate excellent results. It’s a pity, though, that it selects in an apparently arbitrary way whether to cut conventional or climb cuts. Sometimes the same cut starts conventional then it reverts to climb at the end. As the conventional cut tends to deflect the bit towards the cut, and the climb one tends to deflect it away (as explained here: CNC Routing Basics: Toolpaths and Feeds 'n Speeds - Make:), the dimensions of objects cut with conventional or climb cuts are slightly different if the bit is not very rigid (like for example a 3 mm bit). Professional CAMs automatically compensate the toolpath to account for this and obtain always the same size. I would not expect easel to compensate automatically, but I found out that it is very easy to compensate manually just by specifying a tool size a little bigger than nominal size for conventional cuts and a little smaller for climb ones. So Easel will be tricked to keep the bit closer to the line if climbing, further away in conventional cuts. I was able to obtain cuts perfectly sized with this trick. The problem is: how do we know what type of cut will easel do next? Usually it is conventional for external cuts, climbing for internal ones, if I’m not mistaken. But sometimes things change. So, why not giving the user the ability to control the type of cut and also explain the problem of bit deflection (I found it out myself by trial, error, and internet navigation), so as to be able to obtain repeatable, very precise dimensions from this great tool? Thanks

Hey @JohnFraboni, on my case I was trying to cut a simple shape. Easel was generating a mix of climb/conventional cuts. I picked the shape, used the offsetter app, created a new shape and easel generated a single direction cut for it. Not the perfect solution but it may help in the meantime.

Really, Easel should always do conventional cuts. Climb cuts are almost always more aggressive and more demanding on the machine. The xCarve just isn’t rigid enough to do nice climb milling.

To help insert recognition, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) developed B212.4-2002 to allow machinists, purchasing departments, and tooling sellers to quickly and easily describe the shape, dimensions, and important parameters of turning inserts.

The success or failure of a turning job often depends on decisions made early in the process -- before the cutting even begins -- about a small piece of carbide, cermet, ceramic, or diamond.

Carbideinsert identificationchart PDF

A large nose radius can use higher feed rates, larger DOCs, and handle more radial pressure. A small nose radius takes only small cutting depths, has a weaker cutting edge, and can handle only a small amount of vibration. Our example insert has a radius of 2, meaning it has a nose radius of 1/32 in.

Insert measurements and tolerances can get tricky and change based on the insert's shape, so it’s a good idea to consult the literature that accompanies your tooling purchase to get this right.

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ISOinsertnomenclature pdf

Insert choice requires taking into consideration a whole host of variables, including an insert’s size, shape, and overall design features. In most cases, the tool is held in a fixed position in a tool body and the workpiece rotates in the lathe’s turning axis.

I completely agree. I’ve had a bunch of projects taking light passes with small bits that are always coming out great with nice clean cut edges until the machine decides to go in the other direction for the climb cuts. Then the cuts come out offset and fuzzy and end up requiring to be sanded way too much. Climb cuts and changing directions should just go away.

ISOturning insertnomenclature

The eighth, ninth, and 10th positions in ANSI’s guide are optional and represent the cutting edge condition (aka edge prep, such as sharp, rounded, or chamfered); cutting direction (left, right, or neutral); and information on the insert’s chipformer (FP -- finishing sharp, UN -- universal medium, and HP – high positive).

Triangle carbideInsertsizes

Some inserts, like round ones (R), have high edge strength, while some rhombic-shaped inserts (D and V) have a sharp point, which is good for finishing operations. Trigonal inserts (W) often are used for rough machining because of their larger point angle. Each has its place. The shape of the insert also determines how many separate edges can be indexed to as each wears out. The common insert shapes are:

I’ve been testing Easel for cutting Plastozote foam and Easel’s inability to specify the toolpath is a showstopper. Conventional cuts on external profiles are clean, but tear out on cutouts are a mess as Easel obliges a counter clockwise cut. I appreciate that timber is forgiving but I have to find other software for foam.

Turning on a lathe is an operation in which a stationary single-point cutting tool meets a rotating workpiece to produce axially symmetrical shapes. Sounds pretty easy, right? Well, it typically is, if the correct cutting parameters and inserts are chosen for the job.

The DOC should not exceed 66 per cent of the cutting edge's length for insert shapes S and C, 50 per cent of the cutting edge's length for insert shapes T and D, 25 per cent of the cutting edge's length for insert shapes W and V, and 40 per cent of the insert's diameter for shape R.

Inserttypes

Whether the application calls for rough turning, medium turning, or finish turning, the decision on what technology to use should come well before the material is loaded onto the machine or into the bar feeder.

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The fifth position in ANSI’s designation is either a one-digit or a two-digit number that shows the I.C. size (in eighths of an inch) for round, square, triangle, trigonal, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, and rhombic inserts. If it’s a one-digit number, the eighths of an inch make a whole number.

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Other than shape, an insert’s size is one of the variables that is easily noticed. In our example, the 4 indicates that the insert’s size is 1/2 in.

For turning inserts, it comes in the form of a 10-place string of numbers and letters, (the first seven are required and the last three are optional), with each describing a portion of the tool.

The space provided by this clearance keeps the insert from rubbing against the part. If the insert does have a 0-degree clearance angle (N), chances are it is being used in a roughing operation. The different clearances are:

Insert thickness is measured from the bottom of the insert to the top of the cutting edge. It also is shown as a one- or two-digit number (indicating the number sixteenths of an inch). Much like the size designation, it is a one-digit number when it describes a whole number. In our example, the insert’s thickness, 3, means that it is 3/16 in. thick.

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You’re right. Nevertheless, the first time you bite into the material for a cut, the bit is engaged on both sides, therefore it performs a conventional cut on its left, and a climb cut on its right side, at the same time. Also in this case, the force of the bit digging into the material on the right side (the climb side) tends to deflect the bit away from this side and into the conventional one. At the end, with thin bits, it is like having a tool with two different diameters, larger on the conventional side and smaller on the carve one. You can easily correct this by specifying a larger or smaller diameter than the actual one of the bit, but you must be sure on the direction in which the entire cut will take place, otherwise the dimensional error will be even larger.

Millinginsertspecification

The fourth place in an insert’s designation is another capital letter. This one helps describe more of the insert’s design features, such as its fixing holes, countersinks, and any chipformer features. There are 14 standard types (A, B, C, D, G, J, M, N, Q, R, T, U, W, X).

Machininginsertnomenclature

There are 14 tolerance classes, the third place, that show how each insert indexes. Each class is denoted by a capital letter. Letters for tolerances are A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, U, and N, which describe the size of the cornerpoint, thickness, and the inscribed circle (I.C.) of the insert. An I.C. is the largest circle that can be drawn inside the given shape.

These measurements and tolerances can get tricky and change based on the insert's shape, so it’s a good idea to consult the literature that accompanies your tooling purchase to get this right.

For parallelogram- and rectangular-shaped inserts, width and length dimensions are used instead of the I.C. In these cases, a two-digit number designates the insert’s size. The first digit is how wide the insert is (in eighths of an inch) and the second digit is how long the insert is (in quarters of an inch).

The first place shows the shape of the insert. There are 17 standard indexable insert shapes, and each is given a capital letter. In our example, C indicates that the insert is a rhombic-shaped insert of 80 degrees.

Also known as the clearance, the second place shows the angle between the flank and top surface of the insert. Each relief angle is denoted by a capital letter. In our example, the insert has a 0-degree relief angle.

To do this it’s important to have at least some understanding of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) turning insert designations. ANSI developed this system of numbers and letters (B212.4-2002) to allow machinists, purchasing departments, and tooling sellers to quickly and easily describe the shape, dimensions, and important parameters of turning inserts. It essentially gets everyone on the same page.

Single-point cutting tools remove workpiece material by using one of the insert’s cutting edges. But how do you differentiate one insert from another? It starts by understanding their designation.

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Inserts can be designed with or without holes; have cylindrical, single-countersink, or double-countersink holes; and come with multiple chipformer styles. If the insert has a designation of X in this location, it has a special design.