After 12 years, thinking of buying an HSD spindle, change my mind

[blackhawk]

Seriously, has anyone upgraded from a PC router to the 2.2HP HSD spindle and regretted it? I never see anyone post about regrets but it's hard to admit to it after spending that much money.

With my PC router, I typically run in the 2.5 to 2.8 ips range. With the HSD, how much faster can I increase my feed rate on a PRT Alpha?

Do you notice a definitive improvement in cut/edge quality?

I do see a lot of posts about how the HSD spindles are uneconomical to repair. What type of service life can I expect? I do run my machine for profit, but only as a side business. After 12 years, I'm getting ready to replace my PC router for the 2nd time. So, I'm averaging around 6 years per router with my moderate usage. Can I expect a single HSD spindle to last 12 years, if a PC router can survive 6 years?

[coryatjohn]

The pain and suffering to your ears make it worthwhile. Lower RPM torque makes it worthwhile.

[EricSchimel]

I run my machine commercially and I got 3 years to the day out of my two HSD 1073 MT spindles. They can be rebuilt but it costs as much as a new one. I upgraded to an ATC and I'll never go back to a single tool machine again.

If you're coming from a router a spindle is going to be a wonderful upgrade.

[bill.young]

I got two PRS Alphas with HSD 2.2 spindles in 2008 for a big cutting job. One of the spindles was replaced maybe 3 years ago, but the other one is still running fine after 13 years. I don't cut continuously but do cut a lot.

Your mileage may vary of course!

[dlcw]

I ran a 2.2hp spindle for almost 9 years. I was cutting at 6ips in 3/4" plywood in two passes with a 1/4" compression bit. The spindle is SOOOO much quieter. I ran a Shopbot buddy for about 3 months and the router was so painfully noisy. When I went to a PRSAlpha with spindle, I couldn't believe the cutting performance and no noise from the spindle.

Like Eric, I upgraded to an ATC with a 5hp spindle last year and the difference in power is incredible. Still just as quiet as the 2.2hp. I run commercially as well, cutting at least 700-800 sheets of plywood a year not to mention carving and cutting hardwoods. You will NOT regret upgrading to a spindle.

[phil_o]

I agree with all of the above. You can run it without ear protection most of the time.

Phil

[jerry_stanek]

I have had both never going back to a router.

[blackhawk]

Thanks for all the replies. Can anyone comment on improvements on cut/edge quality?

Don - Were you cutting at 6ips on a PRT Alpha?

[dlcw]

Thanks for all the replies. Can anyone comment on improvements on cut/edge quality?

Don - Were you cutting at 6ips on a PRT Alpha?

No. A 2009 PRSAlpha

[EricSchimel]

Don and Bill, glad to hear you had better luck with spindles.

Agree with what others are saying here too, spindles are great. Do it!

[curtiss]

So do I understand that the speed of all spindles are controlled by a computer interface

or do some have a simple speed setting switch on the spindle itself ?

The spindle and speed controller are sold together, or does one have to mix and match from a wide selection ?

list of common selections available ? thanks

[EricSchimel]

Some of the smaller shopbots (Desktops) have a speed control knob on them. The larger machines like the Buddy and the PRS have the option of either using a knob, keypad on the front, or for a few extra bucks you can get a dongle that will control the speed automatically through the SB interface.

I like the speed control personally. Not only does it start/stop the spindle but it allows you to store all of your speeds in whatever CAM software you're using.

If you're seriously considering a spindle (And you should!) I'd call ShopBot and ask them what the upgrade options are. They sell them as kits that you can self install. They'll come with the wiring, programming instructions, and whatever mount hardware you need.

[dlcw]

From Aspire or VCarve, you can control the spindle speed. When creating toolpaths, you specify the RPM's and the correct code is created to set the spindle speed. I use Aspire and the speed control setting to run 3D carving files all the time. For example, when V carving soft woods, I run at a high RPM (18K) and slow feed rate. This gives me a very clean cut. When cutting softwood with a compression or down spiral bit, I run about 14K RPM at 6IPS. When cutting hardwood, I run the spindle at 13K RPM with a feed rate of around 4IPS. Yes, a thousand RPM can make a big difference.

With the ATC option, you can set things up to not have to manually change bits, and Aspire and VCarve will work just fine with this setup. I think the dongle Eric is referring to is the hardware needed with ShopBot Link for use with eCabinets for cutting cabinet parts. I use this setup for all my cabinet jobs. For example when punching shelf pin holes, I spin the spindle at 6400RPM using a boring bit. When cutting dados and mortises, I use a 1/4" down cut spiral at 13K RPM feed 6IPS. But when cutting Appleply (US Equivalent to baltic birch) I increase my RPM's to 14K and decrease my feed to 4IPS. This is because Appleply is MUCH more dense then regular plywood. You'll learn about feeds and speeds for your machine thru trial and terror. I used to use 3/8" compression bits for cutting parts out of plywood. But now use a 1/4" compression bit. I just had to figure out what the ideal feeds and speeds were. All the above I did prior to getting the ATC but I just had to manually change bits instead of having the ATC change bits for me. Other then internal bit changing code, the code to do the cutting is the same whether manual bit change or automatic bit change. I have an older machine so don't go by my numbers. They are what work for my machine (after a lot of experimenting and broken bits). You'll need to figure out what works for your machine.