Shop Cheatsheet · v1

CNC feeds & speeds

Material × bit lookup. Lean on the low end of Carbide 3D's router RPM ranges with proportionally higher feeds — the VFD has more torque at 12–16k than the stock trim router.

Shapeoko Pro XXL · Carbide 3D 65 mm air-cooled VFD spindle · 8,000–24,000 RPM

Material
Pick a material above to see the recommended bit and full table.

Drag engraving bits spindle off · M5

Carbide 3D MC Etcher · spring-loaded diamond tip · drags, does not rotate.
Carbide 3D MC Etcher (90 deg / 120 deg)no #
ContourTexture
Either
Feed
60 IPM
Plunge
30 IPM
Plunge depth
0.015"
Stepover
0.012"
Best forPermanent engraving on metal/anodized aluminum/painted parts — no chips, no dustDetail●●●●ultra-fine
Spindle: OFF (M5)
Z-zero: Lower until tip just touches — DO NOT use Z-probe. Then zero Z.
  • Diamond tip drags — does not rotate. Spindle must be M5 / 0 RPM.
  • Material doesn't shift much: same numbers run on anodized aluminum, brass, stainless, glass.
  • For glass / hard materials, halve feed and tighten stepover.
  • Line width approx 0.005 in. Tighter stepover = solid-fill engraving.

Workflow presets

Multi-step bit progressions for specific jobs. Each preset is a tested recipe — surface, rough, finish — with the depths and finishing notes that usually take a few rounds to dial in.
Hot foil stamp die
CNC a brass die for use in a hot foil stamping press (Kwikprint Model 55 or similar). Type-high block, mirror-finish face, deep engraving to reduce foil spread on soft substrates.
Stock: 1/4" (6.35 mm) C360 brass plate, oversized ~10 mm each side for clamping. Final block must hit 0.918" type-high — measure your T-slot fixturing and shim.
Fixturing: Low-profile cam clamps (Mitee-Bite Talons or Carbide 3D's brass cam set) holding the 10 mm overhang on each side, kept clear of every toolpath. Corner-square fence at front-left for a repeatable origin across re-installs. Sacrificial spoilboard underneath protects the wasteboard. Confirm clamp height stays below 0.001" above stock — the face cut crosses the entire top, and a clamp 0.001" proud will get hit. Do not use double-sided tape: the rough pass's lateral load will shift the blank.
Origin
Top-Center (centers the engraved design on the brass blank)
Coordinates
G54 (default)
Probing
BitSetter on every tool change. BitZero corner once at start.
Run order
1·Surface → tool change → 2·Rough → tool change → 3·Finish (V-carve)
Toolpath group
All three operations in one Toolpaths group; Motion runs in sequence with prompts.
1 · Face the top
1" surfacing bitno #
Pocket (full-bed)Conventional
RPM
14,000 RPM
Feed
70 IPM
Plunge
20 IPM
DOC
0.005"
Stepover
50% of dia
Cutter offset
n/a (Pocket)
Retract height
0.20" — clears clamps
Ramp angle
5°
Die seats flush in the press T-block. Even 0.001" of cup means uneven foil pressure — half the impression goes weak.
2 · Rough the engraving
✓1/16" 2-flute carbide#112
PocketClimb
RPM
17,000 RPM
Feed
18 IPM
Plunge
3 IPM
DOC
0.010"
Stepover
40% of dia
Cutter offset
Inside (engraves a recessed pocket, not a profile)
Retract height
0.15" default
Ramp angle
3°
Validated row from prior foil-die testing on this machine. Run DRY — no coolant, no mist. Brass curls beautifully when chipload is right.
3 · Finish text & serifs
60° V-bit#302
V-carve AdvancedConventional
RPM
14,000 RPM
Feed
25 IPM
Plunge
8 IPM
DOC
0.005"
Stepover
30% of dia
Cutter offset
n/a (V-carve)
Retract height
0.15" default
Flat depth
Match rough depth so serif tips and pocket floor align
Crisp serifs and inside corners that the 1/16" can't reach. One full-depth pass at the spec engraving depth.
Engraving depth (total)
1/16"–1/8" (0.062–0.125")
This is total depth (toolpath setting), not per-pass DOC — the rough + finish passes above will step down to reach it. Floor 1/16" gives clean foil release on most substrates; 1/8" prevents foil spread on soft/compressible ones and gives deeper artistic relief.
By substrate
Cardstock / paper / hardwood
1/32"–1/16" (0.031–0.062")
Leather / cork
1/16"–5/64" (0.062–0.080")
✓Polymer chips / soft composite
1/16"–5/64" (0.062–0.080")
Deeper polymer / heavy-relief
5/64"–1/8" (0.080–0.125")
Deep-relief / artistic
1/8"+ (0.125"+)
Smallest detail you can hold
Line width
0.005"
Limit of a sharp 60° V-bit tip on smooth substrates (coated paper, polymer). Below this lines bridge or fail to transfer foil cleanly.
Inside corner
1/32" (0.031")
Set by the 1/16" cleanup endmill's tool radius. The V-bit finish pass can sharpen to a true point at the tip — if your design relies on sharp inside corners, plan a V-only pocketed area.
Smallest legible text
Coated paper / polymer chips
6 pt
Leather / matte cardstock
8 pt
Hardwood / cork
10 pt
Aspect ratio:Keep feature width-to-depth ratio at ≥1:5. Tall narrow walls (e.g. a 0.005" line at 0.080" depth = 1:16) bend under stamping pressure and round over after a few impressions — design heavier hairlines than you'd draw for printing.
Visual reference
Rendered in real millimetres. Hold a ruler to your screen — the 10 mm scale bar should measure 10 mm. Anything proportional from there is true-size.
Line widths · actual size
10 mm0.02" / 0.508 mm · Comfortable0.015" / 0.381 mm · Easy0.01" / 0.254 mm · OK0.008" / 0.203 mm · Tight0.005" / 0.127 mm · MIN · V-bit tip0.003" / 0.076 mm · Fails on most substrates0.001" / 0.025 mm · Won't transfer foil
Text samples · approximate at 100% screen scale
The quick brown fox jumps
12 ptPlenty of room
The quick brown fox jumps
10 ptHardwood / cork minimum
The quick brown fox jumps
8 ptLeather / matte cardstock min
The quick brown fox jumps
6 ptCoated paper / polymer min
The quick brown fox jumps
4 ptFoil bridges, illegible
Aspect ratio · relief wall cross-section (magnified 12×)
1:5
0.50 mm wide
Holds shape across many stamps
1:10
0.25 mm wide
Bends after a few impressions
1:20
0.13 mm wide
Rounds over fast — useless after run-in
↓ shows stamping pressure. The 1:10 wall flexes after a few impressions; the 1:20 wall mushrooms and rounds over. All walls 2.5 mm tall.
Finishing: Deburr the engraving cavity FIRST — burrs in a 1/16" pocket catch and tear foil. A small brass-bristle brush or a fine needle file along the rim of every cut edge takes 30 seconds. THEN polish the die face with progressive wet/dry sandpaper (400 → 800 → 1500) to a mirror finish. Any tool marks transfer straight to the foil. Wipe with denatured alcohol to remove polishing residue.
Not for:Magnesium (swarf fire risk on a hobby CNC, no flood coolant). Copper (gums, work-hardens). Aluminum (wears under impact + heat).
Personal hot-foil-stamping research, 2026-04-23. C360 brass · 1/16" carbide row validated on this machine.

Carbide Create + Motion · setup & field reference

Translation layer between this cheatsheet and the dialogs Carbide Create asks you to fill out. Every cheatsheet column maps to a CC field — this is which one.
Carbide Create + Motion · setup & field reference
When CC pops a Toolpath dialog, every field maps to a column on this cheatsheet — or to one of the small set of defaults below.
A · Toolpath dialog field map
CC field → cheatsheet column
Tool
Pick by tool number from cheatsheet (the #-chip next to the bit name).
Cut Depth (total)
YOU set per project — depends on stock thickness & design depth. Cheatsheet shows per-pass DOC, not total.
Max Depth Per Pass
DOC column.
Stepover
Stepover column. CC accepts inches or % of bit diameter — match what cheatsheet shows.
Feed Rate
Feed column.
Plunge Rate
Plunge column.
RPM
RPM column. Your VFD reads this from the g-code automatically — no manual dial.
Retract Height
0.15" default; raise to 0.20–0.30" for tall stock or low-profile clamps.
Cut Direction
Cut Direction column.
Cutter Offset (Profile)
Inside / Outside / On the line — designer's choice. Inside = boss/standoff stays put. Outside = hole/window. On the line = no offset (uncommon).
Ramping
5° default ramp angle. Reduces straight-plunge stress, especially in metal. Lower (2–3°) for brittle bits.
B · Setup workflow
Open Carbide Create → run on the Shapeoko
  1. 1Open Carbide Create, set stock dimensions, set origin (default: front-left top of stock; center for symmetric designs).
  2. 2Design vectors or import SVG.
  3. 3Add toolpath(s) — select tool by number from library, set CC fields per cheatsheet.
  4. 4Save Toolpaths group, click Send to Carbide Motion.
  5. 5In Motion: home machine, install first tool, BitSetter auto-probes length.
  6. 6BitZero probes XYZ origin (corner mode = front-left of stock; center mode = top-center).
  7. 7Run job; Motion prompts for tool change at each tool boundary.
  8. 8At tool change: install next bit, BitSetter re-probes length, BitZero is NOT re-probed (Z is auto-corrected from BitSetter).
  9. 9After last op: retract, return to home, power off spindle via the Motion UI before opening the enclosure.
C · Quick-reference notes
Things that bite if you forget them
  • Default post-processor (GRBL) is correct for Shapeoko Pro — don't swap.
  • BitSetter is mandatory once you have it; don't bypass — the whole tool-change flow depends on it.
  • BitZero corner mode = front-left; center mode = top-center of stock. Pick during the Job Setup screen in Motion.
  • VFD spindle: Carbide Motion sends M3 Sxxxxx commands; manual override is via the Motion UI, not a physical dial.
  • Feed rate override knob in Motion = ±10% real-time adjustment without re-running the job — handy when you hear chatter.
Sources:Shapeoko Enthusiasts CNC A–Z (chipload tables, V-bit, surfacing) · Carbide 3D Carbide Create #201 presets · Carbide 3D community VFD threads · Carbide 3D MC Etcher · validated brass row from personal foil-die testing.

Convention: ★ = recommended default for that material. ✓ = empirically validated on this machine. All other rows are reasonable starting points — sneak up on the numbers and tune by chip color/sound. Plunge for metals = 10–30% of feed; wood = 30–40%; plastic = 40–50%.