1/4" 2-Flute Up Cut Spiral (Spektra)

ID: U04

Type: End Mill

The coated upcut. Same Spektra nACo coating as D02 on the same job U01 does bare: general cutting in solid wood. Amana grinds this one as a spiral plunge for hardwood specifically, so it’s the first reach when a long hardwood run would dull U01.

Specifications

Property Value
Cutting diameter 0.250”
Shank diameter 0.250”
Flutes 2
Cutting length 1.000”
Overall length 2.500”
Geometry Up cut spiral, plunge ground
Corner radius None — square end
Material Solid carbide
Coating Spektra nACo nanocomposite

Feeds & Speeds

For the X-Carve Pro and its 1.5 kW spindle. These match the presets stored on this tool in the Fusion hub library — same numbers as U01, since the geometry class is identical.

Material RPM Feed Chipload Plunge Stepdown
Hard maple / oak 14,000 220 ipm 0.0079” 60 ipm 0.250”
Soft maple / walnut / cherry 14,000 240 ipm 0.0086” 60 ipm 0.250”
Plywood 16,000 280 ipm 0.0088” 70 ipm 0.250”
MDF / laminate 16,000 300 ipm 0.0094” 70 ipm 0.375”
Softwood / pine 16,000 300 ipm 0.0094” 70 ipm 0.375”
Acrylic / HDPE 12,000 200 ipm 0.0083” 40 ipm 0.125”

Notes

Still an upcut. The coating changes tool life, not physics: it lifts fibres at the top face like any upcut, so show faces on veneered sheet still belong to D01 or D02.

Plunge-ground, so straight plunges are fine — that’s the “spiral plunge” in Amana’s name, and the plunge feeds above lean on it. Ramping is still gentler when the toolpath allows.

1” of flute covers 3/4” through-cuts with spoilboard offset to spare, so U01’s extra quarter inch only matters past inch-thick stock.

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