milling dieset for bowl. Are 0-45-90 Degrees based on Z axis

[netventures]

Hello,

Newbie questions; Are the 0-45-90 Degree settings based on Z axis no matter what direction you mill a curve? Does Climbing up change to climbing down? Are There negative degrees for setting a cutting path or always positive? Please see attached image

Also, I have a deep bowl to do a finishing pass on. I would like to use a 1/4" Ball Nose but I can't find a bit long enough with a 1/4" diameter. I am having to use a 3/4" ball nose with a 4" length. The reason i would like to keep the small diameter is because i am doing a finishing pass and smaller the bit the smoother the cut. Are there other ways to make a smoother cut besides having a smaller diameter bit? Is it a terrible idea to secure the bit farther down by 1/2" so that it grips less but makes the bit longer? Are smaller diameter Bit Holders sometimes an option when doing a finishing cut close to an edge? Are there any tips or tricks when milling something deep where the bit holder collides?

Thank you for any suggestions.

[a.laasW8M6T · Accepted solution]

If you hover over areas of the dialog in fusion normally a tool tip will pop up

You can see here the tool tip for slope shows that 0° is the horizontal plane.

For pass direction, then x axis is the 0 reference.

The 3d contour toolpath can climb mill, but the morphed spiral etc can be set to go one way or the other, you have to determine whether that is climb or not. the up/down milling wont really apply to your part as you are going around it not up and down the surfaces.

Your assertion that a smaller cutter give a finer(smoother finish) is incorrect, for a given feed per tooth and stepover a larger cutter will give a better finish, generally the limitation on cutter size is what features you can get into(minimum radius) and rigidity of the machine and setup