Thanks Eddy and uncle Jazz. I really like the system you built into the base of your machine Eddy - thanks for sharing it. The idea I had for rotating the spindle is as uncle Jazz describes. I'll put together a drawing and post it on a new thread where hopefully some members will throw some mud at it. I was thinking of using strong and accurate bearings in a housing like the fixed end of a ball screw. Thanks again for your inspiration and showing what you've done. I'll have a look at Eddy's build log.