So I was trying to drill a hole and used a 6mm drill bit. The hole was then 7.5mm, which I thought was strange, but maybe it was a long bit and spinning too fast. So through searching the calibration forums I checked the runout on the spindle with a dial indicator, and it (it being where the threads are, and again on the shaft of a 6mm endmill) varies by 0.2mm. The collet is from the elaire website, so that combined with the matching runout on the spindle threads, seems to be the spindle.
Does this make sense? I.e., are these numbers seen sometimes, or within normal range, or is there something I may be missing?
The drill was the first indication. The measurements I did were on the 6mm end mill, not drill. How do you inspect the collet and clean the router? I also measured on the outside of the router without the collet and it also has same runout. Besides that the spindle seems to work, is it possible it is off axis from the router but still runs?
Visual inspection of the collet should suffice. I usually clean the housing and collets and if need be endmill shafts with a cotton swab and a lint-free cloth.
Unfortunately, the trim router manufacturing specifications seems to allow for more runout than is desireable. The most expedient thing seems to be to purchase several, test them all for runout, then return all but the best unit.
Is the makita better than the dewalt? The shapeoko is for the University and with the restrictions around purchasing, multiple buys to find the best one is not possible. I am wondering if there is a different spindle that would be more straightforward. I saw some more high powered ones on the forum but seem to require additional equipment to run as well.
If you bought the DeWalt along with a machine from us at Carbide 3D (or from one of our resellers with one of our machines), let us know at support@carbide3d.com and we’ll work this out.