Climb Cut vs conventional

[Don Baer]

What say ye
From what I have read climb cut leaves a smoother finish but also is harder on the tooling and if there is any backlash it tends to suck the material into the cutter so what is the opinion of the collective.

 

[larry merlau]

there are times when it works well don, but not always going the right direction is the safest.. but ends is where climb cutting saves the day or reversed grain areas

 

[Don Baer]

let me add that I am asking from a cnc stand point. the one I am using defaults to climb cut but when I have done routing in the past I typically stayed away from it.

 

[Jim DeLaney]

I'd guess that, since the workpiece is firmly held in place, the strain from climb-cutting would primarily be backlash/pressure put on the cutter and the servos - and maybe the supporting gantries as well. From a handheld perspective, climb-cutting backlash can be pretty violent under some circumstances.

 

[Ryan Mooney]

No CNC experience, but handheld I'll often to a regular offset a wee bit then climb cut to do the finish cut. Especially useful in difficult wood. Seems like this would be pretty easy to code in on a CNC?

 

[Darren Wright]

If I recall from my machining classes, climb cuts were done for the finishing passes to leave a smoother and more accurate finish.

 

[Toni Ciuraneta]

I have no CNC experience, but if we think that the CNC head is not other thing than a router that moves, I would also suggest what Carol told me once, it is better make light passes as there are sometimes that you have no other choice that go against the grain, specially when you reach corners, although so obvious many times we forget the obvious things, at least I do.

 

[Leo Voisine]

On CNC machines I always use CLIMB cut. Even in the industry I used CLIMB as well as did all the other programmers and machinists.
Occasionally there is reason for Conventional, but I seldom do it.

On conventional machines like Bridgeport, horizontal millers and such --- CONVENTIONAL - always.

Handheld router - NEVER - CLIMB cut.

 

[Don Baer]

Thanks Leo.

 

[Charles Lent]

I only climb cut for the last finishing pass, removing very little material. It serves to clean up rough cuts and works well, but it's dangerous to use a climb cut to remove any significant amount of material.

Charley

 

[Jay Caughron]

Im with Leo I always climb cut on the CNC (when I had one)