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Unpopular opinion: Setting feed rates by feel beats the manual every time.
The book says one thing, but the machine sounds tell another. I just go with what works.
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the_wesley7mo ago
Yeah, the machine sounds tell you everything. Reminds me of this old lathe at my first shop. The manual said it could handle a certain feed, but if you pushed it even close, the drive belt would start singing this high pitched whine. You just learned to back off until it was a steady, low hum. The numbers on paper didn't matter, only what the machine was telling you it could take.
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hill.stella7mo ago
What about the smell when a cut is too heavy... @eva_adams68's spindle load meter reminds me of that sharp, hot smell.
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eva_adams687mo ago
Remember those spindle load meters on older CNCs? The book gave me perfect speeds and feeds for aluminum, but the second I started cutting, the needle would jump and the motor had this unhappy groan. I learned to watch that needle like a hawk and listen for the cut sound changing from a smooth zip to a high pitch whine. Backing off the feed just a tiny bit until everything settled down saved so many tools. The manual was a good starting guess, but the machine told me the real answer.
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