Am wanting to try cutting some balsa parts for a model airplane I am building. They’re circles about 3" in diameter using 3/32" sheet. I tried cutting them out by hand but they don’t come out well (or round). I tried one of those circle cutting things with an X-acto blade but that didn’t work out to well either.
I have a few 1/16" bits I could use, just curious about cut depth and speeds so I don’t destroy some balsa.
Thanks
Stuart
@StuartG Laser may be your best bet. Lacking that, your 1/6" bit may do a good job. I did some veneer, but cheated and sandwiched it between two pieces of scrap. I don’t imagine that you want to be doing that on a regular basis. A drag knife may work, too. You could check that out with suppliers.
Well the laser would be desireable but it’s not in the cards yet. I’m not sure how many times I would do this with balsa. Sure the laser could be cool down the road though.
CrookedWoodTex, thanks for the link. Was some interesting reading.
I’m sure those 1/32" bits would snap if I looked at them wrong! I think I’ll try the 1/16" bits I have using 1/64"-1/32" passes. Maybe use 3 or 4 on the Makita router and 25ipm feed rate to start.
I’ll let you all know how it works out.
Stuart
@StuartG Please do, Stuart. Another idea may be to try a tapered ball nose. The ones that Sienci sells with a 1/8" shaft have a point of less than .02". With cutting through material as thin as yours, you may not even notice the taper in the cut. Just a thought.
