CNC Bits Guide: Feeds and Speeds for Your First Cut
Your machine is on the bench and the box holds ten bits, but which one goes in the collet is not obvious. This CNC bits guide covers the three shapes that do most beginner work and the feeds and speeds a 300 W spindle can hold. By the end you will know what to load, how fast to run it, and how to set zero for a first sign you can cut in an afternoon.
The CNC Bits Guide: Three Shapes, Three Jobs
A ten-piece set looks alike at a glance, but three shapes do most of the work.
‑ Flat end mills sit square on the bottom. Pockets, slots and outlines come off them quickly, and cutting a sign free from a board is their job.
‑ Ball end mills end in a rounded tip. Relief carving, dished surfaces and rounded grooves come out smoother with one of these.
‑ Tapered bits and V-bits end in a point. Lettering, fine lines, chamfers and sharp inside corners need them. They also break sooner than the other two.
| Bit type | What it does best | Your first project use | The beginner mistake |
| Flat end mill | Pockets, slots, cut-outs, flattening | Cutting the sign blank free | Pushing depth too hard on the first pass |
| Ball end mill | 3D relief, curved grooves, rounded edges | Softening a carved edge | Expecting straight walls from a rounded tip |
| Tapered / V-bit | Text, fine lines, chamfers, sharp corners | Engraving the lettering | Setting Z zero by eye |
The ARTISAN 01 ships with a 10-piece engraving tool set, a Z tool setter, four hold-down plates with wing nuts, and Candle on a USB stick. That covers text, outlines and light relief on a first sign.
Before ordering more bits, look at the collet. It is stamped with a size, and bit shanks have to match it. A set of 1/8-inch (3.175 mm) bits only helps if your collet takes that shank.
The manual gives the order: collet into nut, bit into collet, then the assembly onto the spindle, snug with the supplied wrench. Over-tightening shortens collet life and makes the next removal harder.
CNC Feeds and Speeds: Three Numbers and One Formula
Feeds and speeds look mysterious until you know which numbers the machine controls. There are three, and each one has a ceiling on this machine.
‑ Spindle speed is how fast the bit spins. The controller adjusts it from 30% to 100% of a 12,000 rpm spindle, so roughly 3,600 to 12,000 rpm.
‑ Feed rate is how fast the bit travels through the material, in mm/min. The X and Y axes cap at 2,000 mm/min.
‑ Depth of cut is how deep each pass goes. The Z axis caps at 600 mm/min, so a deep single pass stalls.
Chip load links those three. It is the thickness of material one cutting edge removes per revolution.
Feed rate = rpm × number of flutes × chip load
One example: a two-flute 1/8-inch flat bit in softwood, with 0.05–0.10 mm of chip per tooth. At 12,000 rpm the formula gives 1,200–2,400 mm/min. This machine stops at 2,000 mm/min, so you cut the number down to fit. Charts written for a 2 kW router assume a motor that holds its speed under load, which a 300 W spindle will not do at those numbers.
| Material | Bit to start with | Spindle | Feed (mm/min) | Depth per pass |
| Pine / softwood | 1/8 in flat, 2-flute | 100% | 1,200–1,800 | 1.5–2.5 mm |
| Oak, maple, hardwoods | 1/8 in flat, 2-flute | 100% | 900–1,400 | 0.8–1.5 mm |
| Plywood / MDF | 1/8 in flat, 2-flute | 100% | 1,000–1,600 | 1–2 mm |
| Acrylic | 1/8 in flat, single flute if you have one | 80–100% | 700–1,200 | 0.5–1.5 mm |
| Aluminum (light cuts) | 1/8 in flat, 2-flute | 60–100% | 400–800 | 0.2–0.5 mm |
| Lettering in wood | Tapered / V-bit | 100% | 900–1,300 | 1–1.5 mm |
Start from the table, then adjust on scrap. Fine chips come off when the settings are close. Brown edges on the wood point to a bit dwelling in the cut. A high-pitched squeal comes from a pass that is too deep.
For scorching, raise the feed or lower the rpm. For chatter, take a shallower pass before slowing the feed.
Five Minutes to Zero
Each of these steps can ruin the blank if you skip it, and a wrong zero is the usual culprit. The sequence below comes from WizMaker's operation guide, and it is worth running in this order every time.
1. Clamp the stock. Set the blank on the bed and lock it with the four hold-down plates and wing nuts. Press down on each corner. If it rocks, that corner will lift mid-cut.
2. Connect. Open Candle from the USB stick, pick the correct COM port, and set the baud rate to 115200. If no port appears, install the CH340 driver from the same stick.
3. Home the axes. Homing runs each axis to its mechanical stop and gives the machine its own coordinates. The handheld controller asks for it on power-up.
4. Load the bit and set Z zero with the tool setter. The machine touches off on the setter and records the surface. When the cycle ends the tip sits about 25 mm above the blank. Then set XY zero on the corner or the centre of your design.
5. Start at 30% spindle speed. Bring the spindle up on the first pass, keep the E-stop within reach, and wear eye protection. Do not leave the machine running unattended.
The handheld controller also carries a four-point centre-finding routine. Touch two points on each pair of parallel edges and it calculates the middle.
First Project: a Carved Sign Blank
Use a piece you can hold in one hand. A 300 × 150 × 18 mm pine blank is cheap, forgiving, and leaves room on the bed.
1. Run a sample file first. The USB stick carries two pre-made projects that open with one click in Candle. Run one on scrap to confirm the axes move where you expect.
2. Design the lettering. Keep the text 60–120 mm wide on a first attempt. Give each letter a stroke of at least 1 mm so a tapered bit can reach into it.
3. Engrave the text. Load the V-bit or tapered bit, set Z zero on the blank, and cut 1–1.5 mm deep in a single pass at 900–1,300 mm/min.
4. Cut the outline. Swap to the flat end mill, reset Z zero on the new bit, and clear the outline in two passes of 1.5–2 mm.
5. Check the walls. A clean wall with light tool marks is normal. Fuzz along the grain means a dull bit. Blackened edges point to a feed that ran slow for the rpm.
Measure the engraved depth against the Z zero you set. A 1 mm cut reads 1 mm on calipers; a shallow result means the zero sat above the surface.
When It Goes Wrong
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to change |
| Brown scorch marks | Feed too slow, bit rubbing | Raise feed 20–30% or lower rpm |
| Bit snaps in the first minute | Too deep a pass, or the bit isn't seated | Halve the depth, reseat the collet |
| Fuzzy, torn edges | Dull bit or wrong direction of cut | New bit, and check climb vs conventional |
| Cut doesn't reach the set depth | Z zero set above the surface | Re-zero with the tool setter |
| Machine grinds and stops | Feed beyond what the axis can hold | Stay under 2,000 mm/min X/Y, 600 mm/min Z |
A 300 W spindle on an aluminum frame covers wood, MDF, acrylic and light aluminum. Deep aluminum pockets and all-day production need a bigger machine. If aluminum is the main interest, read what a $599 CNC actually cuts in aluminum first.
FAQ
Q: Do I need to buy bits before my first project?
A: No. The 10-piece engraving tool set in the box covers text, outlines and light relief. Add bits later, when a project calls for a size or shape you don't have.
Q: What's the difference between feed rate and spindle speed?
A: Spindle speed is how fast the bit spins, set as a percentage of 12,000 rpm. Feed rate is how fast it travels through the material, capped at 2,000 mm/min on X and Y. Burning usually comes from too slow a feed. A squeal usually comes from too deep a pass.
Q: Can I use LightBurn or UGS instead of Candle?
A: Yes. The ARTISAN 01 runs open GRBL firmware and works with Candle, UGS, ioSender and LightBurn on Windows, Mac and Linux. Candle ships on the USB stick, so it is the fastest route to a first cut.
Q: How accurate is the machine, really?
A: WizMaker rates positioning accuracy at ±0.1 mm, finer than most hand-cut joinery needs. Clamping and Z zero change the result more than the specification does.
Q: Is this the right machine if I've never used a CNC?
A: Yes. The box holds a base assembly and an X-axis assembly, plus the spindle, the tool setter and the hold-down hardware. The manual's installation section covers fitting the spindle holder, the cable chain and the motor wiring. If you are still comparing, this spec comparison against the FoxAlien Masuter Pro covers where the money goes.
Bits, feeds and zeroing cover what a first sign needs. Pick the bit by shape, keep feed and depth inside the machine's limits, and set Z with the tool setter. Then cut scrap until the chips and the sound tell you the settings are right. Everything in this CNC bits guide runs on a 420 × 420 mm bed and a 300 W spindle.
The ARTISAN 01 manual, the operation guide and the parameter files are free to download before you own the machine. They live on the WizMaker Download Center. The ARTISAN 01 with its 300 W spindle, 420 × 420 mm working area and 90 mm Z travel starts at $599.
