End mills / Router bits / Collets

Have no idea what to get? that's ok! Especially for beginners this can be daunting so here is a rough guide.

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• Softwood / Hardwood / MDF - A 2F straight cut endmill is more than fine to use and are the more economical option. They leave a decent top and bottom finish also. A compression (up/down cut) bit is a great alternative when you are cutting all the way through and leave an excellent top and bottom finish. Use a down cut when you want a crisp top finish at the expense of a rough bottom finish if the bottom finish does not matter.

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• Plywood - The go to for these materials are a compression or down cut bit. A compression bit cuts up through the material for the first 4mm and the rest is a down cut. A down cut does an equally great job by pushing the layers down rather than ripping up. Another great go to for plywood is a straight cut. These do not pull up or down and leave a great finish.

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• Cast Acrylic - A 1 flute UP-CUT bit ejects the chips well and minimizes any chip welding and are the best cutter possible.

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• Aluminium / Aluminium Composite - A single flute, uncoated UP-CUT bit is recommended

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• HDPE/ 2 ply colour ABS - For best results a straight flute is recommended for 2 ply plastics like Traffolyte. For HDPE you can also use a 2F straight cut as well as an up cut. The Up cut will produce the best results and minimize any chip welding. Just make sure your material is well secured when using an up cut bit! 

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• 3D profiling - you have a choice of ball nose cutters with a long cutting length or tapered end mills

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** Please be aware that the 8mm variants of our endmills will not fit in an ER11 collet such as those that are standard with a CNC3D SharpCNC,  QueenBee or QB2 machine. The maximum size cutting bit that will fit in your ER11 collet is 7mm**

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