Quote Originally Posted by Dave33 View Post
I was just about to order some aluminium and a set of linear rails to beef up my axis to take a beast of a 5kg water spindle, but I must admit your setup looks beautiful.

Just one question does the output of cooling air from the bottom of the spindle blow chips around the workshop or do you have an extraction system that can keep up with the draft ?
Beefing up is always good. The more rigidity the better. But of course, it means more mass to move around...

I guess your intended 2.2kW spindle will be more like: 5kg spindle + 1.5 kg motor holder + about 1 kg water + cabling... with an air cooled 1.5kW you should save about 3 kg (less weight for the motor and no water).

Regarding the much discussed dust, I don't think it's an issue at all, but yes, I have a vacuum cleaner attachment so when I feel I need dust extraction (like PCB milling) or want to keep everything neat then I use it. I have my CNC in an ordinary room with parquet floor and which serves me as a hobby room / home office / electronic development centre, not in a workshop but dust is not a problem. I'd worry more about leakage than the dust. I mostly mill aluminium, plastics and PCB, never really any wood, but even if you mill wood, it is not the actual fan blowing which might cause dust, but the cutter spinning at high speed. Never the less, dust shoe is a must according to me, regardless if you use air or water cooled spindle. Milling makes a lot of mess, and even if I used mine in a proper workshop I'd prefer using a dust shoe and the sides covered. Anyway, I have been using this spindle for over five years and I can not see that there would be any advantage in using water cooled spindle so, I will definitely never buy one. Installing a water cooling system is also more complicated than leaving it out, and I am not keen in leading water through the same cable chain I am leading live electrical wires through. Electricity and water don't mix well... but I know many people will claim that if you know what you do then there are no risks.

...that said, I think you should carefully consider the choice you are making. My solution and needs may not fit your requirements. If you plan running the spindle H24/7 then water cooled should be the best. Also, not all motors are the same, and maybe the inverter plays a role also when it comes to how hot the motor gets or how efficient it runs. Of course, what you mill and how fast you spin the spindle also counts. The longest I run mine was about 3 hours non-stop, and the slowest I think was 4500 rpm for drilling in aluminium.