HSD 2.2 HP spindle lowest speed

[ssflyer]

Hi all,

Anyone know what the lowest usable speed you can run this at? Without overheating/bogging, etc?

Thanks,
Ron

[ironsides]

I drilled 240 25/64 dia holes thru 1.75 thick maple block @ 2000 rpm, with the 2.2 hp HSD spindle. No problems. I know it's not recommenended to drill with the HSD Spindle, but I use a slow feed rate.

George

[Gary Campbell]

Ron...
I agree with George on the slow speeds for drilling, with the added caveat that those slower speeds are below the torqye curve and the tool should be loaded lightly. Normal drilling, especially in wood, is a light load for a spindle.

I disagree that the HSD spindles are not reccommended for drilling. When a ShopBotter, I think it was Robert Ball, asked that exact question of the HSD reps at the IWF, they replied that they have many spindles mounted on mortisers and virtually all they do is plunge. NOrmal disclaimer: I did not get this info direct from ShopBot or HSD, so before you go off to do a 100,000 hole job, please do your own research.
Gary

[ghostcreek]

I have drilled lots of holes with my HSD 2.2hp spindle. 3500 rpm/1.0 inch/sec. Doing so for a year (hole drilling a small part of what our Bot does). No noticeable heat build-up or any other problems that I could determine.

[navigator7]

Just a question on this...
Isn't the type of drill important?
Perhaps a piloted drill?

[ssflyer]

Thanks for the responses! I appreciate the quick answers.

[beacon14]

I was there and I did hear it direct from a couple of HSD reps at the IWF that the HSD spindles are fine for drilling - they have no idea where we came up with the idea that spindles aren't "rated" for drilling.

I suspect it may have been the case with another brand and we assumed it applied to all spindles.

How low are you wanting to go and for what purpose?

[ironsides]

Now I don't feel so guilty when drilling.
Thanks for the added insight on the HSD capabilities.

Drill, Drill, drill baby!!

George

[englert]

A standard two-flute end mill should be good. Using a router bit has a lot of advantages over a dedicated bit that can only be used exclusively for drilling one size hole. It can interpolate (create a hole larger than it is) and route. Carbide router bits are used extensively for drilling in many types of materials with a HSD spindle. These spindles have proven to be highly reliable and have no ill effects from plunge cutting (drilling). Router bits also handle higher spindles speeds so then there's no need or concern about the spindles rpm's for peak torque.

Dennis

[navigator7]

@ Dennis,
I don't know if this is true with wood routers but in in aluminum and steel, some end mills are simply not designed for plunging.
I always selected end mills that could be plunged as I wasn't smart enough to predict the future.

So....lets's say you had a bunch of .25 holes?
Would plunging with and .25 end mill be a suitable solution?

or

Plunge with an under size end mill and routering to the .25 hole size?

[englert]

I could see that there would be an issue with metals. For metals, typically there would be a move that ramps in for a linear cut or you would circle interpolate (spiral) into a hole with a smaller bit for a drilling operation. Or they would have a drill bit and peck drill the hole. But a standard end mill works well in wood and has not harmed our 10 hp HSD spindles. We normally only peck drill on deep holes or dense materials including wood (example: maple). We're plunging anywhere from 200 to 400 ipm with a spindle speed of 18-24,000 rpm's. At those speeds it literally stabs the hole in, gives a nice clean cut and doesn't burn the hole or heat up the bit.

I'm not familiar with the 2.2 hp HSD spindle, but I wouldn't see why you couldn't just drill with the correct size end mill.

As you suggested, the alternatives would be to purchase and use a carbide router bit made for plunging or route the hole with an undersize end mill.

A plus with a standard end mill is that it can be used for other routing operations, so you don't need to manually make a tool change or have an additional dedicated tool position or need multiple heads. This gets even more complicated if you have multiple hole sizes, so a series of thoughtfully selected end mills will provide you with a wide range of hole sizes. Normally, four sizes (1/2", 3/8", 1/4", 5mm) of router bits will handle most cabinetmaker's needs.

With the exception of providing demonstrations of a drill bank that houses 9 drills, our demos of drilling shelf pin holes are all made with either a straight or slightly up spiral 5 mm end mill. For 1/4" holes and routing we're using a compression (up/down spiral). The lower section (up spiral) of the bit is approximately 1/4" in length. For a linear route, we plunge at least the 1/4" of the up spiral and then ramp in to final depth. The flutes of down spiral are cutting against the veneered or laminated surface and minimizes tear out. For plunging the up spiral helps evacuate the chip, which helps reduce heat and doesn't appear to have a tear out problem. That might depend upon the laminate's quality and condition of the bit.

So after this dissertation. It does work, but I guess I can conclude with, what are you comfortable with. Plunge bits are available. I don't know how they work with or even if they do work with standard or linear routing. Does the plunge geometry of the bit change the cut at the bottom? Does it apply more drag to the bit, etc? Personally, I wouldn't use a standard drill bit or brad point bit in a router spindle. That's probably just me. I think that other's may do that. I would use a drill in a head that's made for drilling. Dedicated drill heads for a single drill bit are probably reasonable in cost, if you have a lot of drilling. In the end, I think the router bit will be faster without detrimental effect on the router's spindle (bearings, etc.) and offer the flexibility of doing more than drilling a hole a specific size.


Dennis

[adrianm]

Interesting thread. I've been avoiding any sort of drilling or non-ramped plunging with my HSD as I'd read several threads on here when researching that said it would chip the ceramic bearings.

[ssflyer]

BTW, anyone have the torque curve for the 2.2 hp spindle? I can't seem to find it, even on the HSD site...

Ron

[Gary Campbell]

Ron...
Look in the documentation that came with the spindle.
Gary

[ssflyer]

Gary,

I did - no torque curve graph - same as the doc off of HSD site...