Thor, or should that be Zeus?

[Chaz]

Yes Know about the accuracy of The DWH Epoxy but still think will cause trouble and then if you talking Chinese type spindles like 2.2kw how would you clamp it or stop it from sliding etc. Would need plates making or some form of fixture.?

Think I'd be going with more conventional Cartridge spindle into sleeve set in concrete. This will give more options for replacement etc. ie 40 taper
Also why not BT30 for 12K can get them with bearings rated at those speeds and plenty of holders that are balanced for higher speeds.

The idea is that it gets attached to a plate which screws in from the bottom.

At the moment the only reason I have not gone for a BT30 setup is cost mostly. There are numerous on the market but what is the cost to entry - £1K upwards by the time you add the BT30, Drawbar? What about motors? Do you mount from the top and do a direct drive or some form of belt setup?

EDIT, I may do the cheaper route first. I Can always make another 'outer' Z part and swap it out later.

[JAZZCNC]

At the moment the only reason I have not gone for a BT30 setup is cost mostly. There are numerous on the market but what is the cost to entry - £1K upwards by the time you add the BT30, Drawbar? What about motors? Do you mount from the top and do a direct drive or some form of belt setup?

EDIT, I may do the cheaper route first. I Can always make another 'outer' Z part and swap it out later.

Never been able to understand this kind of approach if honest because it ends up costing more than twice the amount and wastes lots of time.
If going to all this trouble surely it's worth paying the extra and doing it correctly first time even if it delays the build for while.?

[Chaz]

Never been able to understand this kind of approach if honest because it ends up costing more than twice the amount and wastes lots of time.
If going to all this trouble surely it's worth paying the extra and doing it correctly first time even if it delays the build for while.?

Perhaps. Something to consider.

[Boyan Silyavski]

Problem as Dean noted, is that once you have all setup and running, the upgrade happens almost Never, as you will move on to other projects

[Chaz]

Problem as Dean noted, is that once you have all setup and running, the upgrade happens almost Never, as you will move on to other projects

Agreed. Im trying to balance spending money / finding a new role and a bunch of other things at the moment.

Any suggestions on sourcing BT30 spindle / motors setups? Ive heard that the POSA BT30 from the far east is one of the better ones. http://www.posa-spindle.com/en/product-53-30

I also have the option on the Skyfire setup although there is a lot of bad press about them missing shipment dates and going off grid once you pay.

Any other suggestions? Anything locally that is worth a look. Ideally Id want at least 12K RPM if possible.

[Boyan Silyavski]

If i were you, i would evaluate what exactly i will be doing, as first jobs and jobs that i make money from. Then decide what spindle to put there, according to the jobs i will be doing.


If you are going to do engraving, aluminum and so on, then 24krpm will definitely be much better. Especially if you are going to use bits 6mm or smaller than that. Thats why i opted for 3kw spindle on my machine and i am very happy. But if you are going to do mild steel mainly, then you need the BT30 or other.

All in one is not a very good option. In fact your machine best will be fit with 3kw 24k RPM and BT30 or similar., both at the same time. I know, $$$, other wise i would have fitted High speed tool change spindle BT30 on mine.

Follow the $$ priorities and you will not do wrong / the making $$, not spending $$ /

[Chaz]

If i were you, i would evaluate what exactly i will be doing, as first jobs and jobs that i make money from. Then decide what spindle to put there, according to the jobs i will be doing.


If you are going to do engraving, aluminum and so on, then 24krpm will definitely be much better. Especially if you are going to use bits 6mm or smaller than that. Thats why i opted for 3kw spindle on my machine and i am very happy. But if you are going to do mild steel mainly, then you need the BT30 or other.

All in one is not a very good option. In fact your machine best will be fit with 3kw 24k RPM and BT30 or similar., both at the same time. I know, $$$, other wise i would have fitted High speed tool change spindle BT30 on mine.

Follow the $$ priorities and you will not do wrong / the making $$, not spending $$ /

In this, I was not specifically referring to making money from the machine to be it's purpose, was referring to my own day job but agreed, I need to decide what the machine will be used for.

So are you saying doing both may be a good option or not? Sorry, not sure if the 'not' in your sentence is correct or not.

Ideally it would be good to have something versatile. If I can engineer a solution when you can almost do a 'multi head' setup. Heck, even look at some form of grinding attachment, potentially with a very high geared 2nd Z setup that can hang off the side or front of this Z Axis.

[Boyan Silyavski]

In my opinion both will be best. Then you dont need the spindle to be 3kw. It could be smaller. And cheaper. As the 3kw is almost 500 euros with the inverter.

[JAZZCNC]

Having machine built to this level of strength then fitting router spindle restricted to small tool sizes is little like using sledge hammer to crack nut don't you think.?

Don't stray from the path Chaz.? . . . .If want router/Engraver then build router/Engraver.! . . . If want machine to Hog out aluminium/steel with meaning full DOC and tool sizes like what you intended with this build then you need spindle with some muscle.! . . . . Never the twian shall meet and if they do they never get along very well IME.!

For me machine built to this level of strength requires minimum of BT30 and proper motor with plenty of torque/speed.! . . Down side is Not cheap but that's the nature of the game. If want to play like the Big boys do and with big boys toys get the cheque book out.! . . . . Any other way is false economy and will always be lacking.!

[Boyan Silyavski]

Mchine build like this requires 15kw Spindle, toolchanger and so on.