Easel Pro users who opt-in to the feature can select tapered ballnose bits for the finishing pass in 3D workpieces.
Tapered ballnose bits allow you to do your 3D finishing passes at a much faster speed (feed rate) for the same diameter of ball, at the cost of some potential loss of precision depending on the geometry of the design. Specifically, steep edges are limited to the taper angle. If your design has deep vertical details those will show the most difference between a tapered and a straight shank ballnose bit.
For most bas relief-style carves with relatively shallow details tapered bits will give similar detail at much faster speeds, since the thicker shank keeps the bit from deflecting (or even breaking in the case of very small bits).
Note: This is still an early access feature under development. We don't suggest that you try it with expensive material since there may still be bugs.
To try this feature:
- Click "Enable Feature" here.
- Load a project with a 3D workpiece. If you don't already have one you can generate one using Easel Generate in 3D mode or import a file from another source.
- Add a tapered ballnose bit to your toolbox. You can find one in the catalog or create a custom bit (see below).
- Select your tapered ballnose as the bit for the finishing pass (it will default to a straight shank ballnose).
A good starting place is that you can run a tapered bit at 1.5 - 2 times the feedrate you would use for a straight bit. So if you would normally run your finishing pass at 60 inches per minute, you can run the tapered bit at 90-120 for the same ball diameter.
In the Toolbox
Easel's catalog supports some popular brands of tapered ballnose bits. You can filter both your own toolbox and the manufacturer to show only the tapered ballnose bits. You can also search by the part number.
If you want to add a custom bit that is not in the catalog, you will need to get the following from the manufacturer:
- The tip angle
- The ball diameter: Use caution here, some manufacturers use the ball radius instead of the diameter. For example if you have an 1/16 in radius bit (sometimes denoted R1/16), you will need to enter 1/8 in to get the expected toolpaths in Easel.
- The cutting length: Avoid design and bit combinations that cut deeper than the cutting length of the bit. This can have unexpected effects.
