A clean knuckle cut is the way to go, (or so I've found). It's one of those things where you need someone to actually show you because the written descriptions never quite make it click. Three years of stubs is rough, but at least you found out before the tree started showing real problems.

Yeah that's just how you make good pasta.

@rose_hart Is it weird that the cooking comparison totally lands for me? Because yeah, I've had those kitchen sessions where I'm chopping and stirring and everything just flows, and suddenly there's a full meal on the table in half the time. It's like your brain just knows what comes next before you even think about it. That same thing happens to me when I'm fixing up old furniture, sanding and staining without a single pause. You stop overthinking, stop checking your phone every two minutes, and the work just happens. That rhythm is addictive once you find it, for sure.

Yeah I mean who even needs to check that stuff right? Just let the machine do its thing and hope for the best. I had a post once that was swapping my feed and speed values around and I ran a 1" rougher at 12000 rpm with a feed of like 3 ipm. Worked great until the insert exploded and sent a piece of carbide through the enclosure door. Now I just print out the G-code and do a quick readthrough while my coffee brews. Takes longer to set up the coffee than to catch a stupid post processor bug.

Right there with you, that's brutal.