Onefinity Apprentice Series

About the Machine

The Onefinity Apprentice Series is Onefinity's entry-level CNC, with a 16 1/2in x 16 1/2in x 5 1/4in working area (423 x 423 x 114mm). It drives X and Y on a 1610 ball screw (10mm per revolution) and Z on a 1004 ball screw (4mm per revolution), with NEMA 23 stepper motors (1.2 Nm) on every axis riding 30mm hardened-steel linear shafts. No router or spindle ships with the machine: Onefinity designed it for a Makita RT0701C trim router or an optional 65mm Redline spindle.

Cut Settings on this Machine

Every cut starts with one formula: Feed Rate = Spindle Speed (RPM) x Chip Load x Number of Cutting Edges (flutes). Chip load is the thickness of material each cutting edge removes in one revolution of the bit. This number comes from the manufacturer of the bit, which publishes a chip-load chart for each bit diameter and material. Look up your exact bit and material, start from the middle of the published range, and you have the third number in the formula. The chart below shows the recommended spindle speed for each material and bit type.

The Apprentice doesn't ship with a spindle: it's designed around a Makita RT0701C trim router or an optional 65mm Redline spindle, so check whichever unit you use for its actual RPM range before you dial in a cut. The machine itself is Onefinity's lightest, entry-level frame: NEMA 23 steppers on 1610/1004 ball screws and 30mm linear shafts, built to be rigid for its price point but still a step below the closed-loop Elite Series. A truly rigid machine with a powerful spindle can cut as deep as the bit is wide in a single pass, but that takes real spindle torque, a drive train and clamps that hold firm, a gantry that will not flex, and enough mass to soak up vibration. The Apprentice's lighter build means shallower passes are the safer default: push too deep for the bit and spindle you have and it will deflect and chatter, leaving scalloped edges, or rub instead of cutting and burn the material. The fastest way to dial in a cut is to see what has already worked for other people.

Worked example for feed rate: 1/8in (3.175mm) two-flute solid carbide end mill in hard wood. The chart says 16,000 RPM; since the Apprentice doesn't include a spindle, check your own router or spindle's plate for its actual maximum and cap the RPM there if it's lower. With the bit maker's 0.025mm per tooth (0.0010 in): 16,000 x 0.025 x 2 = 800 mm/min (31 in/min) feed. For depth per pass, start shallow and check Community Cut Settings in Easel for what works on this machine. If the cut sounds strained, reduce the depth, not the feed. Slowing the feed below the chip load makes the bit rub instead of cut.

Community Cut Settings shows the spindle speed, feed rate, and depth per pass other makers actually run for your machine, material, and bit.