Spindle wear & tear

[Brady Watson]

David,
Make sure they hook you up with a new cooling fan. It should not be any more than $80...or you can certainly source one yourself. I'd check the cooling fan power supply as well to make sure it is 'runnin steady' while the fan is spinning.

Glad you got it sorted out!

-B

[knight_toolworks]

the fans are only about 18.00 if you just buy the fan and run the wires. the fan and the housing from shopbot is about 200.00 when I called. it took a bit to take it apart but you just have to solder two wires. though I can't find one for 18.00 right now here is one
http://cgi.ebay.com/Tubeaxial-8300-D...3286.m20.l1116

[smreish]

http://www.northsi.com

I wanted to chime in my 2 cents. I am a Mechmate owner and wanted to offer a little past experience with this exact issue.

A very good spindle repair shop is the above link. They service all sizes and brands you can think of....up to 100's of HP.
They also sell "as-is" and refurbished models at a very reduced cost.
I purchased about 1.5 years ago a refurb 2.2Kw Columbo for my Multicam for 800.00 - no core.

Just another very dependable source for repair here in the states.

Good luck

Sean

PS.
I purchased my most recent spindle from PDS and received excellent service and technician-on-the-phone help. I would happily use PDS again.

[beacon14]

I've been waiting to reply until I had a chance to hook the spindle back up. Finally did so today and hit the start button while holding my breath. I was surprised how much different it sounds - much louder and courser. I didn't need to cut anything so I didn't bother to warm it up, just turned it on for a minute at 9,000 RPM to check it out. I also noticed when I turned it off that it came to a stop within a few rotations, seems like it used to run for 20 or 30 seconds before coming to a stop.

Should I be concerned? Is it the new grease and shielded bearings? I don't remember it ever being that loud.

[tmerrill]

David,
I don't think you are going to like the answer. I can't think of any situation where an electric motor should sound worst and have that quick of a coast down following a competent overhaul.

Did they warranty their work? I would get in touch with them immediately, state you are totally unsatisfied with their work and ask them how they will resolve it. The longer you wait, the more it weakens your case.

Just my opinion.

Tim

[bleeth]

David: I truly hope you get a proper resolution to this as there is little doubt in my mind that the repair job was not up to par.
If not and you end up having to bite the bullet I would suggest going to a much stronger spindle for the amount of cutting you do. Also, if you haven't in the past, make sure you operate it with warm up and cool down cycles. It is worth it in the long run. Next time, don't take your Ford to the Chevy dealer for work!!
I don't really think the folks at PDS are bad, but rather didn't really know the HSD that well. It certainly seems they owe you a proper running equivalent spindle.
I was looking at their new Manual quick change spindle at the show and it looks like it could be a good choice for a strong spindle with easier bit change and depth registration.
I'm surprised that SB doesn't have a list, however short it may be, of qualified HSD repair facilities considering how many they sell.
Sorry I didn't see this thread before the show. I would have been glad to bird-dog some info for you.

[Brady Watson]

David,
Your spindle will sound louder than it was before, if the bearings were replaced with ceramics. The original bearings are steel and tend to run quieter.

The motor shaft should spin freely by hand, without any noticable drag. It should not take 30 seconds to wind down, unless you disconnect power to the VFD and it's internal capacitor allows it to continue rotating until it is completely de-energized.

I understand about being overly critical about the spindle. It should be fine. Every rebuild spindle I have heard, whether mine or otherwise, has been louder than it was when new. I have a new 5HP Colombo & my original rebuilt 5HP Colombo...the new one sounds like silk. The rebuilt one sounds a bit louder. Both function perfectly, give beautiful cutting results and run within thier normal temperature range.

You'll get accustomed to the new sound in no time...

-B

[beacon14]

Thanks for the feedback you guys. Got back too late to call them today, I will call in the morning and see what they have to say about it.

What do these numbers tell you about the bearings they list on the invoice:

Bearing 7007 TGP-4 ($350)
Bearing 6202 ZTHB Barden ($35)

[tmerrill]

This page will give you info on the second bearing listed:

http://www.gmnbt.com/spindlebearings...FQZfswodQinPAQ

The first bearing appears to be an SKF series, but if so I can't find specific info on their website. Will keep looking.

Tim

[beacon14]

Thanks again for all the insight. I spoke with Alan at PDS, he said he was not concerned about the noise as long as the spindle did not overheat. He assured me that the repair has a 6 month warranty and that they stand behind their work.

So I went ahead and cut 9 sheets of melamine yesterday, and, well, it cut just like it did before. Noise during cutting was about the same as before even though the spindle by itself is still louder. After cutting a sheet, the nose of the housing was quite warm, almost hot, but I could hold my fingers against it without major discomfort. So I guess I have to consider that the unit is back in service, and I will keep an eye and ear on it for anything unusual or premature wear.

As for warm-up and cool-down periods, I always warm up (2 minutes each at 9K, 11-12K, and 14K), but I don't bother to do a cool-down period since the fan runs continuously and the housing cools down quickly after use. The spindle will be off for anywhere from 4-10 minutes between sheets (occasionally longer, like during lunch) but usually runs a few minutes before cutting the next sheet while the drilling is being done.