Answer
Jul 14, 2026 - 05:52 AM
An upcut bit pulls chips up and out of the cut, giving a cleaner bottom edge but potentially causing splintering on the top surface. A downcut bit pushes chips downward, resulting in a cleaner top edge but may cause tear-out on the bottom. The choice depends on which surface you want to keep clean. In my shop on my CNC projects I start off with a down cut bit leaving a little at the bottom then switch to and up cut bit for the finish cut through.
