I’m confused. Just ran a 2D pocket job on 3/4" MDF with the G-code I just learned, and it ran fine for a test cut last week. Halfway through the endmill snapped clean off. Foreman just sighed and said I messed up work offsets, didn’t explain why. I checked the feed rate and spindle speed I wrote down, they matched the shop’s MDF guidelines. So could a tiny off work offset actually break a tool? How do I fix it without guessing next time?
Yeah a tiny work offset will snap tools every time. Let me break it down plain.
Say you set your Z work offset wrong by 0.015". Looks like nothing to the eye right? But MDF is dense, it has no give. Your 1/4" endmill was already cutting at the right depth, then all of a sudden it had to chew 0.015" more material than the G-code planned. The load spikes faster than you can blink and the tool snaps clean. No warning.
We didn’t guess offsets. Touch off Z with a piece of paper, slip it between tool and stock, if it drags you’re at zero, no guessing. After setting, jog the tool 0.1" above the stock then run a 0.05" deep test pass 1" away from your actual pocket to double check. Mark your offset number on the job sheet so you don’t mix it up next time.
No more “I think that’s right.” Measure it every time.