Simple question on those cheap belt drive BT40 spindles

Hello,
On those cheap belt drive BT40 spindles. If I do NOT want auto tool change (pneumatic drawbar). How do I hold the tool holder in place? Is there a manual drawbar? Is it as simple as a piece of threaded rod with a nut and washer that screws into the tool holder?

Attachment 480032

I have this CNC wire saw that I built for cutting stone. I can mount a core drill to it for cutting holes to pass the wire through. Last year I decided to try to use the drill as a milling spindle to mill a flat circle in the stone I was working on. I manually fed the "Z axis". It worked well enough. The problem is the drill turns too slow for most tooling, so I'm looking at adding a proper spindle and a proper Z axis. But I don't want to go full on with an expensive spindle as I'm worried things might not work out. These seem cheap enough I can risk destroying it.

https://youtu.be/-zW5ylFKUjc

Thanks

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Greg9504

Hello,
On those cheap belt drive BT40 spindles. If I do NOT want auto tool change (pneumatic drawbar). How do I hold the tool holder in place? Is there a manual drawbar? Is it as simple as a piece of threaded rod with a nut and washer that screws into the tool holder?

Attachment 480032

I have this CNC wire saw that I built for cutting stone. I can mount a core drill to it for cutting holes to pass the wire through. Last year I decided to try to use the drill as a milling spindle to mill a flat circle in the stone I was working on. I manually fed the "Z axis". It worked well enough. The problem is the drill turns too slow for most tooling, so I'm looking at adding a proper spindle and a proper Z axis. But I don't want to go full on with an expensive spindle as I'm worried things might not work out. These seem cheap enough I can risk destroying it.

https://youtu.be/-zW5ylFKUjc

Thanks

---

Yes, you would use a manual draw bar, make sure, if you get one of these spindles, that it has the Angular Contact Bearings at the front of the spindle some just have a regular deep grove Ball Bearing

Hi, thanks!. Yes the ones I've been looking at seem to come in several price ranges, the higher the price the better the bearings (according to the seller).