[Techbuilder]

Hi everyone

I was wondering if maybe someone can help me with a question I have

I am building a cnc mill and I am decieding which drilling tool I should use for
the cnc mill I am building.

I have a Dremel 300 and I was going to use that but I was thinking that it
would not be the best drilling tool for what I am going to be doing, which is metal working with aluminum 6061.

I was thinking of going with a rotozip instead

So should I go with the Rotozip or the Dremel

I am going to be working with aluminum of up to 1/2 an inch thick or even as high as 3/4.

So what would you guys go with?

Any answers would be greatly appreciated

[baseball43v3r]

neither will work well with aluminum, go with a heavier router.

[Techbuilder]

Which one would you recommend?

[irving2008]

Dremel simply doesnt have the grunt needed. the rotozip will work and has been used elsewhere. For example here in the UK the Bosch RZ3 is a 600W device (about 300W output) so has some grunt, but is limited to a 3.2mm collet so can only use small cutters. The bigger RZ5 can take 6.4mm (1/4"). Both have the difficulty of mounting as they don't have a nice shape but I believe they have a accessory collar.

At the end of the day the thickness of material being worked isnt directly relevant, its the depth of cut and the feed speeds relative to the rpm of the cutter and its torque. a 1/4" 2 flute cutter at 30ipm on a 0.02" DOC on aluminium needs about 150W of spindle power, far too high for a Dremel but the RZ5 will just about handle it OK. Obviously deep cuts in thick material needs several passes and accuracy is limited as the length of the cutter compared to its diameter allows a degree of flex.

I use a Dewalt 500W diegrinder (see pic) which handles 6mm shank cutters and will do ally quite well and has the advantage of a nice square shape above a standard 43mm mounting collar.

If you want to use a bigger cutter, up to 1/2", to get faster cuts or more accurate cuts at depth in thick material then you'll need lots of torque and 1200W input so a full-size router is the way to go.

[Techbuilder]

Thank you

That was very helpful

So a router like this would work but the only problem would be to mount it

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-690LR-Fixed-Horsepower-Router/dp/B00005QEVQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1222720245&sr=1-2"]Amazon.com: Porter-Cable 690LR 11 Amp 1-3/4 Fixed Base Horsepower Router: Home Improvement[/ame]


Also I called rotozip and they said the rotozip can cut up to 18 gauge aluminum or steel with there metal bit.

So should I get the rotozip or is it still not enough grunt to cut aluminum at a good speed

Dremel simply doesnt have the grunt needed. the rotozip will work and has been used elsewhere. For example here in the UK the Bosch RZ3 is a 600W device (about 300W output) so has some grunt, but is limited to a 3.2mm collet so can only use small cutters. The bigger RZ5 can take 6.4mm (1/4"). Both have the difficulty of mounting as they don't have a nice shape but I believe they have a accessory collar.

At the end of the day the thickness of material being worked isnt directly relevant, its the depth of cut and the feed speeds relative to the rpm of the cutter and its torque. a 1/4" 2 flute cutter at 30ipm on a 0.02" DOC on aluminium needs about 150W of spindle power, far too high for a Dremel but the RZ5 will just about handle it OK. Obviously deep cuts in thick material needs several passes and accuracy is limited as the length of the cutter compared to its diameter allows a degree of flex.

I use a Dewalt 500W diegrinder (see pic) which handles 6mm shank cutters and will do ally quite well and has the advantage of a nice square shape above a standard 43mm mounting collar.

If you want to use a bigger cutter, up to 1/2", to get faster cuts or more accurate cuts at depth in thick material then you'll need lots of torque and 1200W input so a full-size router is the way to go.

[irving2008]

Yes - 1 & 3/4hp = 1200W input, but as you say mounting is a problem, particularly that one as it has a fixed base. There are many on the market that allow the plunge mechanism to be removed revealing a standard 43mm collar mount. The best way is to go to a big DIY store and examine a few, or look at other examples people have used here. I cant advise you there as UK models are different to US ones and to be honest I've not looked much at routers as they were too bulky for my machine - that one for instance is 8lb (3.6kg) whereas the Dewalt spindle is only 3.5lb (1.7kg) - that makes a difference to the whole Y and Z axis sizing and capability - if you were designing around a Dremel your Y and Z axis may not be beefy enough.

[Techbuilder]

That is true although I can adapt for a rotozip but anymore then that will have to be a whole other design.

I will go to the tool shop and take a look at some routers
maybe I might find one square and skinny enough.

Although if worse case scenario comes
then I should go with the roto zip over the dremel

[Techbuilder]

What do you think about this one

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-PR20EVSK-Horsepower-Variable-Router/dp/B000ANQHTA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1222725581&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: Bosch PR20EVSK Colt Palm Grip 5.7 Amp 1 Horsepower Fixed Base Variable Speed Router with Edge Guide: Home Improvement[/ame]

[ger21]

Thank you

That was very helpful

So a router like this would work but the only problem would be to mount it

Amazon.com: Porter-Cable 690LR 11 Amp 1-3/4 Fixed Base Horsepower Router: Home Improvement

If you look at any of the machines here, you'll see that 95% of the homebuilt routers use that style of router. It's very easy to mount. The base slides off, exposing the 3.5" diameter round body, which is very easy to clamp in place.

[Techbuilder]

If you look at any of the machines here, you'll see that 95% of the homebuilt routers use that style of router. It's very easy to mount. The base slides off, exposing the 3.5" diameter round body, which is very easy to clamp in place.

My base is a 14"x18" so room is semi small
not to mention my stepper motor might have a problem moving that big boy

but the Bosh PR20
Seems like it might be a worthy candidate for the work I want to be doing
and it's not as bulky

[irving2008]

What do you think about this one

Amazon.com: Bosch PR20EVSK Colt Palm Grip 5.7 Amp 1 Horsepower Fixed Base Variable Speed Router with Edge Guide: Home Improvement

I'm pretty sure the Colt's been used before. It looks like it has a nice base with 4 mounting holes in it already... 700W input should do the job... my machines 18" x 18" with a 12" x 12" cutting area) so I had the same issue, hence the Dewalt as its only 70mm across.

The Bosch is available in the UK as the GFK600... here's a link to the user manual on screwfix.com (badly scanned) showing that there is a mounting collar under the base....

[Regnar]

Why not have the best of both worlds.

1/8th and 1/4 inch collets in a 1 hp router and should be easy to mount. Looks like you could remove the handle and use the mount screws there and where the bases attach to.

http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shops...n1_router.html