ROUTER MOTOR QUESTION

[netsol]

if it is completelly dead, probably a bad winding in the motor
that's where you really need a rebuilder

i wish we still had someone to do this kind of stuff

 

[letterworks]

More than the HP or the money, the spindle (and cheap chinese spindles are included) will be SO MUCH QUIETER!
Like barely hear it when not cutting quieter. It's harder to install compared to a new router. You need an inverter (and ideally 220v power), a new mounting plate, and need to run the wires but you gain quiet and completely variable speeds.

RATTMMOTOR CNC 2.2KW Air Cooled Spindle, is one I have used, and the square type they sell as well. Other than they often don't have a ground wire hooked up, they are OK.
Then figure out the mounting (Sabre looks OK for this), and visit CNCZONE for setting up the VFD and you'll be good to go.

But, you can also use something like a superPID (google it, if it's still made) to vary the single speed router if you want.

 

[netsol]

i looked on a couple of the CNC sites, i was just curious
it turns out the 3 hp is the anemic, underpowered spindle head
according to someone on the site, they have a 7 hp spindle and they want $8750 a replacement for it, which makes sense, it is the functional part of what was an $85,000 CNC back when there was very little competition

 

[rossmosh]

Wait What?
Please let us know where you can get a real 3hp spindle for the same money.
I mean a real one with support not some bs alibaba crap.
Don't forget to add the time cost of the retrofit.

Also adding horsepower does not really accomplish much.
Horse power only lets you chew a very little more and go a tad faster.
Number of passes and feed speeds are what they are
They are based on what the machine and bit can handle.

What is a "real" 3HP spindle? What kind of support do you get from PC? Every wood router you buy will be made in China with a worthless warranty and mediocre parts. The Chinese 3HP spindles are in-line quality and support wise as any off the shelf wood router. Most that own them would probably argue they are better.

As for your claims about horse power not mattering and only going a little faster with a little more depth; all I can say is that's not been my experience. If that were the case, I'm pretty sure that companies would happily use lower HP spindles to save money. There's a reason why serious machines have very high HP spindles. That power is simply useful when making cuts.

 

[letterworks]

The issue with horsepower on the spindle and the overall speed is that some of these old routers didn't go that fast particularly if they used stepper motors which loose position if they are pushed. Particularly if you add too large of a spindle and it's weight, not to mention that too much weight might be more than the frame is designed for.

For my use, plastics, and most sign work I have ever done, a smaller spindle will work pretty good. 3.8kw (5hp) is better than 2.2kw (3hp) but I don't really see the benefit from 3.8kw to 9kw or whatever I have now, other than it's what must work for cabinet shops and that's good from a economies of scale perspective. I'm sure there is a 0.1% of my work that benefits, but that might be it.