I have been using a Hitachi 2hp router on my z. I cut a lot of aluminum. I have ruined several of them “usually bearings”. Should I give up on a router and go to spindle design? Please give suggestions.
Thanks Ed

Sounds to me you will need a lot of power.
A Colombo might be your ticket.

My dad recently upgraded from a 3 1/4 hp Porter Cable to an HSD spindle on his shopbot. The difference is night and day. Its a lot quieter and seems to have plenty of power. He only cuts wood, no aluminum but its definitely a step up. I would make sure to get one meant for fairly heavy cuts as the initial investment is $3-4k. You don't want to be replacing bearings in one of these, it will get pricey quick!

Matt

which were designed for intermittent use by hand. They tend to be quieter, more powerful, and longer-lasting. They are also usually based on 3-phase motors, which require Variable Frequency Drives to operate. You can get VFDs that run on single phase power, and they allow you to vary the speed of the motors by varying the frequency of the power they are fed. I've been really happy with Perske router-spindles, but Colombo is another well-respected brand. Either one will cost a lot more than a hand router, though - I could have purchased half a dozen for what it cost to buy the Perske and the Teco VFD that runs it.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

I have the hitachi router in my small machine and it works great there cutting wood. On my large router I used to have the 3.5 HP PC router and it is pathetically underpowered during low RPMs. To replace the PC router I just bought one of the cheap chinese spindles on ebay with a cheap VFD. $370(spindle) $250 (VFD) $50 for a pump, tubes and cables. I have yet to put it all together but from the money I have put into he project so far I don't think I can loose! You can have a real 3hp spindle setup for around $700! That is just 2 PC routers!

could you kindly point ME in the direction of some Columbus routers mountable to an XYZ gantry

thanks.