[Clockwork]

I just began to fool around with engraving artwork in the form of relief carving on wood. Using two software packages - Bobart and BMP2CNC. Both do a good job at rendering an image into usable G-Code.

I'm wondering if there is a trick to eliminating the tell-tale tool tracks that identify them as machine made.

Using a 1/16" ball-end bit with a .02" stepover.

I found that adding a little texture to my drawings with Adobe does a good job of masking the lines. However - I really don't want texture on all of my finished pieces.

A little sanding works but starts to remove details.

Thanks in advance

[ImanCarrot]

An end mill (flat) might work better (two flute), your ball end will always leave tooling tracks since the part that's cutting deepest it the apex of the ball.

I get the same on aluminium but I find an end mill does the job for engraving with a finish pass using a 50% overlap and a minimal depth cut gives an excellent finish.

I've also used bead blasting (takes about 60 seconds for a three inch dia piece) and that gives a nice satiny (sp?) finish and gets rid of the tool traces. My bead blaster uses water though, I'd immagine on wood you'd not want to use water. You can get bead blasting kits dead cheap- all you need is a compressed air line, or one of them portable compressor thingies- looks like a two foot sphere with an electric motor underneath(again dead cheap).

[Clockwork]

Thanks!

I have compressed air. Harbor Freight has a cheap blaster that shoots just about anything for 30 bucks.

I did some sandblasting on wood a long time ago. Wood doesn't have a uniform density and it tends to erode the pulp between the grain at a faster rate. It's worth a try but I will need to be careful.

[ImanCarrot]

Just thinking out loud here but you know them kits that you get for Jewling or Engine Turning? it's basicaly a stiff wire brush that rotates and grinds pretty patterns on to metal.

Could you swap the ball mill for one of these brushes (without abrasive) on the last pass? that'd smooth the finish nicely. I beleive you can get them on E-Bay for a few quid.

Didn't think about the bead blaster being non uniform on wood- obvious now that you mention it