how best to chamfer an edge

[bLouChip]

After a year of plasma cutting with SC, I've recently begun wood routing with it, since most of my CNC routing is contours, pockets, and v-carves. A recent project involved cutting several small odd shaped pockets in a piece of red oak. In order to chamfer the top of the pocket edge, I drew an outside offset of 1mm around all my pocket shapes, then I used a vcarve operation with a 90deg v bit at a dept of 1.5mm (my v bit has a 1mm flat tip). Question- is this the best method to make chamfer cuts ?

If it is, for perhaps a simpler method, consider a future new feature of "Create chamfer" on pocket and contour operations much like the companion "Create pocket" feature is on the v-carve operation. This "Create chamfer" check box would need a companion input field to specify the offset from the shape which is the chamfer top edge.

[Les Newell]

Make sure your tool is defined as a V cutter. Now set up an inside offset operation with whatever cut depth suits your V cutter. With no finish allowance the edge of the cutter will just touch the cut profile so a negative finish allowance will cut into the work, leaving a chamfer. For instance if you want a 1mm chamfer use a finish allowance of -1.

For best results make sure any inside corners in your drawing are rounded with a radius at least equal to the radius of the cutter you use to cut the pocket. Alternatively you can set the cut depth of your chamfer cutter so it's effective radius at the top surface of the work is equal to the radius of the cutter you used to cut the pocket. This is more difficult to get right, which is why I recommend doing it in the drawing.

[bLouChip]

good idea. thank you.