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Figured out roughing vs finishing toolpaths after 3 years of doing it wrong

Used to run everything at the same speed and feed for every pass. Finally tried a proper roughing strategy with a 1/2 inch carbide end mill taking 0.100 depth at 180 IPM. Finishing pass with the same tool at 0.010 depth bumped surface finish way up. Anybody else take way too long to learn basic toolpath separation?
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3 Comments
wade780
wade7801mo ago
Right?? It's wild how the simplest things take forever to click. I figure most people hit that wall with something, whether it's machining or just realizing you don't have to stir the pasta while it cooks. Once you see the payoff from doing it smarter instead of faster it sticks with you though.
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riley_coleman
It's funny how that same lesson shows up everywhere once you start looking for it, even in stuff like fixing a leaky faucet.
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marywells
marywells29d ago
Not sure I totally agree with you there @wade780. In my experience, the payoff from doing it smarter doesn't always stick because it depends on what you're working on. I've got a friend who's a machinist and he swears by taking his time with setup, but he also says sometimes you just gotta push through a job fast and deal with the mistakes later. It's like cooking that pasta - maybe you don't stir it, but if you're making something that's prone to sticking, a quick stir can save you a burned pot. Different strokes for different folks.
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