Dovetail toolpath settings I always ignored actually matter...

For two years I ran my dovetails using default feeds and speeds, never tweaking the stepover because I figured it was fine... then I finally tried a 0.020" stepover on a hard maple piece last month and the finish was like glass. Made me wonder how many other default settings I've been sleeping on... anyone else find a simple parameter change that fixed a nagging issue?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimreed1mo ago

The "finish was like glass" part is what got me. 0.020" stepover sounds real nice but you might be missing something. That tiny stepover means way more passes and way more time. On a big set of tails that could take forever. I bet your router bit was screaming too. Hard maple burns easy with that much rubbing. You should check your chipload next time. If your feed rate is too slow for that stepover you're just burning the wood not cutting it. The glass finish might actually be burnished wood which seals up terrible for glue.

torres.sage1mo ago

@kimreed I get your point but disagree that a glass finish means burnished wood.

paulschmidt1mo ago

Actually the burnishing thing is a fair point but I think it gets overblown a bit. A 0.020 stepover on a normal dovetail bit with a sharp cutter isn't going to generate enough heat to burnish anything if your feed rate is reasonable. Hard maple can burn if you creep along at 10 IPM with a 3/8 bit, but bump your feed up to 60-80 IPM and you're cutting clean chips with way less friction. The real issue most guys have is they keep the same feed rate from a wider stepover and then wonder why the tool starts screaming. You gotta match your feed to your chipload when you drop the stepover down, simple as that. Did you adjust your feed rate when you made that change or just leave it stock?

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