So since, mid January, I have 1 Bosch Colt router that sounds like bearings are shot and probably brushes, too. I have a Dewalt that has either bad brushes or just went poof last night. 2 routers in less than 2 months. Gotta do something different. My machine is basically very similar to the Lead 1010 in terms of size and material. Lead screws, dual y axis motors, etc. What are thoughts on this VFD and spindle set: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09PDLXWKM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AUW5J12JUOL9Q&th=1 Thanks in advance, you guys are always so helpful! It makes a HUGE difference!!!!
I have no idea about the quality of that spindle but the size is perfect for these machines IMO. Are you getting many hours out of your routers or failing fast? Do you run at full speed all the time? Changing brushes is easy and cheap first step. Bearing replacement can be easy depending on the model. Gary
Well as far as hours go I really have no idea exactly but I've made about 9 carvings between the 2 routers and the carving gs are around the 10 to 12 hour mark in length. The Bosch colt is the pr20ev and the Dewalt is a dwp611. I would have figured I could get 400 to 500 hours put of brushes and a bit more out of bearings so a little surprised. Maybe I'm way off on my estimates. I'm hoping maybe a spindle will last more than a couple of months though due to being purpose built
I would advise checking on causes indeed, that is a bit fast. If the root cause is something like incorrect cutting recipes or incorrect endmills, excessively loose carriages hammering the bearings through chatter, etc then a spindle might not last long either. Brushes are a maintenance item (but also not that fast) bearings lasts years in both these.
Forgot to address the speed. Most of the carving is finish pass so running at about a 2 on the wheel. The roughing pass is only about 9 or 10 minutes on what I'm carving and I am running that at about 5 out of 6 but only for that pass
The carrage seems solid. I have the router mount attached to the c beam and the c beam attached to the v wheel plate. I can send pics in a couple of hours if that would help
Also I will say that on the upcut end mill on the roughing I do get s little chatter but it doesn't seem to cause any vibrations in the carrage. I am cutting red oak. Do I maybe need to slow my feed rate? I'm have to order the brushes and bearings as there isn't any stores locally that carry those items
Pics of the x axis joints. Really the only difference between my build and the lead 1010 that I can really see is I used c beam for the x axis supports rather than the 20x80 v rail. That allowed me to use the corner plates on top and 4 corner brackets down the side hoping for more strength, rigidity and easier to make sure it was completely squared up for accuracy. Hoping I had a good idea. Tried to overbuild that area all I could think of Video of any play. Looks like it's all coming from the v wheels. Wish I could afford a the more solid bearing slides.
Doesn't look too bad (might need a little wheel adjustment), but you be the judge while its cutting - if it sounds too bad, dial it back a bit. No need for different slides the majority of standard LEAD1010 users do not run into this issue, but we have seen machines where the wheels very loose and then you can pick up a lot of undampened vibrations. The C-Beam uprights is all good too. I'd say do the service (bearings/brushes) and before committing to a replacement, spend a little more time testing. When you have it apart, take some pictures of the brush and armature wear - it might offer some clues
Will do! I'm hoping that the local DeWalt service center in OKC has some replacement parts, or i'll have to order them and wait a week. Still eyeing the spindle as a huge upgrade, but I'll start with brushes and bearings and go from there. I haven't checked for play in the shaft on either router, so I'll check that as well to make sure. Again, you guys make this look so easy! Thank you for all your help!
Pics of brushes and stator. Not sure how much is left. I gotta go get a hook tool to pull the spring. Thought o had one but can't find it
Well, I suddenly remembered where I put my hook tools. I think I found my problem. This happened when I released the spring holding the brush in on one side. The other side was fine, but it looks like they are about 1/2 gone, so I'll be getting about 12 sets, one per month.
Guess I replied back to my own message instead of yours. Found the problem. Looks like the retainer for the copper braid going into the brush was missing. See the pics of what happened with I released the spring. Guess I'm fortunate it even worked at all!
Brushes fixed the problem! Thank you guys! Still going to proceed with the 1.5kw spindle, but at least now maybe I can make the purchase when I have some time to save up a little for it instead of making it an emergency purchase. As I understand it, the spindle won't bog down like the router does when the chip load is set correctly. I'll just have to make sure my chip loads are acceptable based on the bit I'm using. If this is incorrect, please correct me, but be gentle. Not having formal CNC training or machinist background is really killing me now! I was doing a good job faking it until it came down to the feeds and speeds! Thank you!!!!
With the router, if you keep the DOC at 1/2 the diameter of your endmill and cut at 2500mm/min (100 ipm) you will do just fine. Depending on the material, you can go faster. If I am doing 3D carves, I go much faster because I am only stepping over either 10% or 40% depending on if I am roughing or finishing. I do not worry about the manufacturer's chip load recommendations too much since they do not have hobby CNCs in mind. For router rpms, I go by sound. I start low at about 10,000 rpms and go up to about 16,000 to 18,000 depending on the type of wood. If it sounds like it is struggling, I up the rpms. I am on the same Makita router I started with in 2016.
Just curious, would a 10 lb 2.2kw be too heavy for my machine? I'm thinking of going with the 220v vfd instead of the 120v because I found a 220v 30 amp outlet in my garage. Right below the breaker panel. Not sure how I missed it for the 10 years I've lived here, but it's kind of in the corner out of the way. Either way, I'm pretty sure I'm going ahead with the 220v, but just down to a choice between a 65mm 1.5kw or an 80mm 2.2kw. The advanatage of the 2.2kw is I already have the 80mm mount that works with my Dewalt router.
**Warning: Opinion follows which is not based on personal experience ** Many people have used the 2.2Kw on Openbuilds machines. That being said, you will probably never be able to realize it's full potential on an extrusion based machine. With a single Cbeam on the X axis, I would be worried about deflection with that amount of weight. You will get a larger collet selection, but again, the machine itself probably will not do well if you are using really large endmills. If it were me choosing between those 2, I would stick with a 1.5 Kw Spindle which can also be found in 220v. I only use endmills up to 8mm and you can order 8mm ER11 collets. They are just more difficult to find.
that's the way i was originally leaning in terms of the size of spindle, but 120v vfds seem harder to find, so just wanted to check. i'll probably end up with the 220v anyway, just simply because i have the outlet available, although it is on the other side of the garage, so now the debate is whether to run the aviation cable 25 feet or the power. i'm leaning toward the aviation cable to keep the driver itself as far away from the machine as possible. thank you for the confirmation.
I’d like to know if you chose a vfd and if so which one. I use the dewalt 611, the first lasted about 300-350 hours. The second I ran between 6-8 hrs a day for about three months, it died this morning.
Sure its dead? Brushes (maintenance item) is usually the only thing that can go that quick on them - cheap to replace and back in action. I always keep a set or two on hand
It could be the brushes, definitely check that out. Still interested in spindle options. I’ve carved/cut a variety of materials and would like to get a another machine to cut acrylic, I need lower than 10k rpm as some of my pears have suggested.
