And now for something completely different!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yln_I...eature=related

Thats one brave or stupid person..how many times do yo think they ran the code before siting on the seat? still beats the hell out of Alton towers eh.....

Interesting point about the die grinder, will free spin up to 24000 rpm, and will take all the loads. I did see one with an extended section, which might get around one of your points.
Noisy and fixed speed tho so might not be good for all uses.

Note that I'm not looking to make one, I posted to lure Ross out with his spindle design progress. . . .
Mission accomplished....................................:w histling: