Quote Originally Posted by A_Camera View Post
If you go for water cooled you must also add the weight of the cooling water circulating in the system, so a 2.2kW water cooled motor + motor holder + cooling liquid is probably too much for you. Also, don't underestimate the weight of cables, especially if you are going to use good quality shielded cables.

In my opinion, you should go for a 1.5kW air cooled with at least ER16, unless you are absolutely sure ER11 is enough for you. Those motors are lighter, and noise wise you can't compare them with a Kress or your Makita router. These motors are quiet (sort of), even at 24k rpm. Anyway, while water cooled are surely more quiet, the cutting noise will take over and bring it to the same or similar level when used for real work.

If you want to listen to my motor you can do that in this video.



Note that in the video, the VFD fan noise is almost always louder, and also that I made a mistake, had the microphone gain too high during the recording. So in reality, the spindle (when cutting air) is surprisingly quiet, compared to many other machines, like an angle grinder or a Dremel, and definitely all the routers I have ever heard.

It is an air cooled, 65mm diameter with ER11, and the only thing I'd change if I had to start over is that I'd buy a motor with a square house and an ER16. I'd still use air cooled.
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 ?