Removing From Bed
Once all of our operations are complete, we'll need to carefully remove the part from the spoilboard. If we put too many pieces of nitto tape, it'll be difficult to remove. If you find it difficult to remove, you can squirt a small amount of alcohol on the bed to soften the adhesive. Not sure if this will warp the wood, so use it with a grain of salt. Either way, I use a putty knife/spatula to get underneath the part and slowly pry it off from the bed. You need to be careful not to break the part when trying to remove it from the bed. It would be a shame if we spent hours milling a part only to break it in a second.
Post Processing
Our parts will most likely be a little rough around the edges. We didn't make any finishing operations, so we'll have to manually clean up those edges. There's ways to do this via CAM operations, but I haven't learned how to do that yet. I'm fine with sanding the parts. I used 320 grit sand paper to clean up those edges. It's easy to get them nice and smooth. A filing tool can help get in between the nooks and crannies. Once they're nice and smooth, you have the option of applying surface finishes like wood stain, wax or lacquer. I played a little with wood staining but I personally didn't like it. I like the natural color of the wood. Walnut is probably my favorite!
So crispy, so clean
Parts can look pretty beautiful with enough sanding and care. I didn't apply any solutions to the parts, just sanded them and used a "tack cloth" to wipe them down – This helps remove any fine particles and brings back the color of the wood.
Page last edited April 25, 2017
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