Feeds and speeds is a little bit of a science, but very important to properly machining stock and also not damaging the machine. Here are some reference points to get get you started
Feeds and speeds spreadsheet
https://www.nyccnc.com/speeds-feeds-excel-worksheet/
General Rules of thumb
The following is a general starting point for regular endmills. These starting values do not apply for fly cutters, shear hogs, drill bits, taps and other special endmills
Start conservative and work you way up.
| Material | IPT | Minimum IPT | Starting Depth of Cut (DOC) | Starting Width of Cut (WOC) Called Optimal load in Fusion 360 Adaptive | RPM | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | .001 | .0005 | 100% of the with of endmill. For example 1/4 endmill = .25 DOC | 20% of tool width. For example 1/4 endmill = .05 WOC | Faster | ||||
| Steel | .001 | .0005 | 100% of the with of endmill. For example 1/4 endmill = .25 DOC | 20% of tool width. For example 1/4 endmill = .05 WOC | Slower |
Too shallow of cut is actually bad for tools. You want to make chips and not rub the tool.
Too fast or too much material will cause chatter producing a poor surface finish and damage. If the tool is chattering to the machine shaking stop immediately.
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