He's added a fourth axis

[routercnc]

Hi George,

I think that without meaning to you are upsetting alot of people on this forum :exclaim:

You certainly are looking at alot of new things - making a cnc machine, learning how to cast ali at home, making a 4th axis, learning how to weld. If it was me I'd tackle these skills one at a time, and take some of the advice offered along the way on this forum, but I think that you are one of those people who only learns when he has tried it out with his own hands. I hope it all turns out how you want it to.

I think you can put some axial load on a deep groove bearing, and using a ramp cut rather than plunge when milling/routing where possible should help a bit, so for Ross's application it's worth a look. If you've found a source which says no axial load I'd be interested in a link.

Another factor with bearing quality is inclusions (impurities) in the race way. Less inclusions should give a longer life. Got this info at a Timken presentation, so bit of a sales pitch but sounds plausible.

With regards to your machine, can I ask what it is that you intend to make on this new cnc machine with the 4th axis? That might generate some helpful comments.


Ross,
When you've got some more info it would make a good post to see your spindle design (post#20). I cheated and bought ready made, but would be interested to see where you're at. To make it accurate, well balanced, smooth, quiet, durable, and run at very high speed has it's challenges!