I am wondering which heart I should give this little beast. I have been looking at the Dewalt 611, 618 and Makita RT0701C as well as This 1.5kw spindle. I DO plan on being able to cut aluminum so I want to build ahead so when the time comes, I am already setup for the job. The only thing I am worried about for the spindle is if it will be too heavy or will not fit on the Z axis for the C-Beam Mill. Any and all ino/input would be appreciated. TIA!
I like my Makita. I like that it goes down to 10,000 rpms. I like that it is quiet. A spindle is probably better, but I do tot run my CNC for long periods of time. I think of something I need, I draw it up, generate g-code, clamp down the aluminum or wood work piece, and cut it out. Sometimes it sits for months without doing anything but acting as a "perfect height" workbench I build other things on. It truly is the perfect height for soldering and doing other things. So, My decision for the Makita was based on the low RPMs, the $99 price tag, and If I ever need a trim router, I now have one. I just could not justify the spindle price, and i was concerned about quality since the brands were unknown to me. I am not telling you one way or the other which to get, just why I chose mine. Dewalt is also a great brand, and easier to find a mount for it and similar in price to the Makita. The one drawback to my Makita is that I had to order a 65 mm mount from China. The one I got is great, but I have had a hard time figuring out the best way to mount the vacuum hose. I am on my third version. That being said, there is now more options from China for the mounting of 65mm spindles. Some are curiously similar to the Openbuilds/Shapeoko mounts.
I have heard MANY people complain about the Makita failing quickly compared to others. I like that option for the reduced noise compared to the DWP611 (I have had 611 in the past). I did not want to go with a cheap spindle as they are usually not powerful enough till you get 1.5-2kw in order to cut metal. I also have 3D printers so fabricating a temporary spacer to use with the openbuilds clamp will not be an issue till one is cut from delrin. I am also going to be using my Super-PID along side my Panucatt Gradus board for the controls so I need to make sure the motor is going to work with that setup..
I have not heard about Makita's failing. What causes them to fail? The nice thing about Makita for me is that there is a parts and repair shop that will completely rebuild any Makita tool for $35. At least they did a couple years ago.
Parts are easy to get for both the Makita and the Dewalt.. cutting noise (and dust collection) is louder than both routers especially when cutting metal, and I have cut aluminum with both. There is no lack of power to turn an 1/8" bit. These hobby grade router machines are not ridged enough to plow through metal so the spindle is not the limiting factor. If you plan on doing serious production then a spindle makes for a good investment. But i can get the brushes for a $90 Makita for $8 and they will last more than a year at my workload. my 2 cents
Another vote for Makita here. One note: it is not grounded, so you'll want to add a ground (I also use the Gradus). I don't know if your SuperPid will take care of that or not. I've toyed with the idea of adding speed control, but I have found it easy to just make little marks on the dial where I do most of my cutting successfully. I've been cutting 1/8" aluminum with no problems. You'll probably want to get a 1/8" collet for it (not a reducer).
