Sure hope I can get some good advice on choice of spindle for my home assembled CNC router.
It's time to think about the Z axis and choose a method to drive the end mills.
My machine will be mostly used to make model helicopter sideframes. Protoypes will be out of 2mm plywood (I was getting pretty good with transfer punches and my scroll saw, but I now need greater accuracy to finish off the various designs). Final frames will be made out of 1.6mm fibreglass and aluminium sheet. There will also be some brackets out of 6mm aluminium plate and perhaps an exhaust gasket made out of 2mm stainless steel.
I have been thinking about a 0.75kW 24,000rpm VFD spindle like this:
High Speed Spindles, Motors & Inverters - Arc Euro Trade
But have a Sherline ER16 10,000rpm spindle:
spindles
With the Sherline spindle, I'd use a T5 belt and pulley drive arrangement with a 240V AC motor out of a 2kW electric blower with its crude variable speed controller. The gear reduction would need to be 1.5:1 since the AC motor could do around 15,000rpm.
The VFD spindle is a nice solution, but not sure how capable it would be at slower speeds assuming my duty with aluminium and stainless steel would require it.
The Sherline option would be heavy and limited to 10,000rpm but may be the better choice.
I'd like some good advice on which way to go.
Thanks.