The second post shows the arceurotrade half belt drive conversion. It works ok, and was good up to 1/2in drills in aluminum in low gear, but the gears were pretty loud. Also, a nicer plate and a lower spindle sleeve are in the works. I intend to do something very similar to a coolant outlet like the one in the haas mills thread, but enclosed, so I dont have to worry about seals except at the fittings and base. I will run the coolant though both pieces, which helps cool the head and spindle bearings.
Also, after 2 years of machining, 24hrs a week, at 5000 - 6000 rpm, the spindle bearings are still silky smooth. Runout isnt great, but it never was. Around .0002 turned by hand, around .001 when wailing at 6000 rpm. |