I ordered my SO3 XXL with the DeWalt router from Carbide. I also ordered a SuperPID which is currently wending its way from Australia. But I have never been a big fan of Dewalt, and have my (possibly unfounded) doubts that the 611 is going to be super accurate. I’ve been reading the “Spindle Earthing” thread and that inspired me to go shopping for spindle alternatives.
Any thoughts or comments on this choice? I noticed on the other thread it appeared the spindle was water cooled - would I be making a mistake to go with an air cooled unit? I hoped to avoid the extra complications of maintaing a water cooled setup.
Incidentally, for you VFD spindle guys, I have the manual for this unit if you want a copy, just let me know.
Thanks, glad to hear your 611 is accurate. I already have a precision collet waiting for it. However, I have hopes of doing some pretty demanding stuff, accuracy wise (fine pitch PCB work), so I’m a little obsessed about ways to tune things. In any case, I have a 611 coming with the XXL, so I’ll probably give it a shot.
I believe the Z axis uses helper springs? Perhaps I could beef them up? Of course, I could still be creating other issues with the extra weight. No value in an accurate spindle if I screw up the carriage travel. Still, I’m tempted to order this spindle/vfd and try to make a go of it. Hopefully I’ll learn what weight spindles others have had success with.
The Shapeoko XL just arrived at my doorstep and the spindle is shipping and slated to arrive tomorrow. I figure this will be my first adventure to see what’s possible or not with this machine =)
Thanks to all for the great responses. I’m still mulling over whether to go ahead and order the spindle/VFD now, or wait until I have my XXL up and running. Prudence says wait, build fever says order. We’ll see. I am pretty sure I will go with this combo sooner rather than later, however. Thanks again for the great input.
As Tim stated, the 611 is indeed plenty accurate. I’m all for upgrading when and where possible, however, I think you would be better served assembling with the 611, get the unit tuned in, and machine some stuff to get a feel for what it and your CNC can handle. There is plenty of time to upgrade once you’ve got the CNC running and better understand its capabilities! That’s my $0.02…