I recently came across 2 used 12 HP perske spindle routers for a good price. They weigh just under 200 pounds each. I would like to make a shaper table for my woodworking, a very powerful shaper! I would use a VFD for a phase convertor and speed control. I know this isn't really a CNC project but it does involve using linear motion to raise and lower a spindle which you guess have some experience with so was hoping you might have some advice. Here is what I'm going for
And here is a picture of the spindle
I need to make a carraige of sorts to to mount the spindle to that I can raise and lower. I'm thinking about using a screw to raise and lower everything but not sure about how to keep everything lined up and rigid. Right now I'm thinking about mounting the spindle to some linear bearings that will ride up and down on shafts. Not sure if this will be sturdy enough or not, maybe use 2 shafts and 4 bearings(2 on each shaft) to give it some more stability? I'm just worried about the mounts being on the top and the heavy motor being on the bottom that the weight might "pull" on the spindle and then it would want to lean and not be perfectly straight. Hopefully I explained my worries so you understand them and maybe someone has some advice on how I can securely mount the heavy spindle and it still be able to raise and lower it.
Thanks for your help and any advice will be greatly appreciated. I figured I would start with this project since it only has one axis to deal with and then look into a CNC router table for the other spindle I picked up.