Maslow CNC (Original Kit)

About the Machine

Maslow no longer sells this model, but it remains fully supported in Easel. The original Maslow CNC was a 4' x 8' work space kit, sized by the length of two #25 roller chains so it could be enlarged or shrunk by adding or removing links. A chain-and-sprocket triangulation sled pulled the tool around the sheet instead of a rigid gantry, and the kit shipped without a router: Maslow recommended a Ridgid R2200 (or an AEG MF 1400 KE in the EU), with cutting depth limited by that router's own plunge travel of about 1.5in.

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 original Maslow does not use a rigid X/Y gantry: two roller chains pull a sled around the workpiece, and cut depth depends on whatever router you supply rather than a spindle spec of its own, so check your router's own RPM plate before you start. That sled geometry flexes more than a fixed gantry, so depth per pass matters even more here. A truly rigid, powerful setup 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 frame that will not flex, and enough mass to soak up vibration. The Maslow's chain-sled design falls well short of that bar, so take shallow passes, and expect to make several passes through anything thicker than 3/4in plywood, which Maslow itself called the routine cut for the recommended router. Push too deep and the bit deflects and chatters, leaving scalloped edges, or it rubs instead of cutting and burns 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. Maslow does not state a spindle RPM for the original kit since you supply your own router, so check the plate on yours and use its actual top speed in place of 16,000 if it is 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, though Maslow itself states a maximum feed rate of 40 in/min (roughly 1,000 mm/min (39 in/min)) for the machine, so treat that as a hard ceiling regardless of what the formula returns. 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.