Proper height of the VFD spindle

CNC Machines Shapeoko Pro
1

Started building the Pro XXL today. Instead of the router, i jumped right to ordering the VFD spindle. Winston says to install it about the same distance down as the router you removed. I have a fresh install and no router to test.

Can someone tell me how far from the bottom of the holder to the bottom of the fat diameter of their VFD is?

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2

I set it so the shortest endmill I have barely touches the wasteboard when in the collet.

6 Likes
3

Its probably not any one fixed place. If you are doing thinner stuff with higher cutting forces (such as aluminium) then reducing stickout and raising stock off the bed could give a stiffer setup. If you have thick stock and need long reach to get down to the spoilboard with a short cutter then you may want it lower.

4

your picture looks reasonable to how I’ve used things
basic considerations

  1. down enough so that your shorter endmills still can get to the bottom
  2. but not so low that the max clearance in the Z direction is impacted (at the highest Z the collet ideally is above the Y beam)
  3. you want to have space for the dust collector (sweepy) to go onto the spindle comfortably (your picture is ok there but barely so)… if nothing else test-fit the sweepy now to make sure the whole top half of the sweepy holder is on the “fat” part of the spnidle
    and really as a last thing; if you clamp at the extreme side the center of gravity for the spindle is far away from the clamp forming a longer lever… should be ok but obviously it’s theoretically more stable if the center is closer to the clamp
5

Thank you, i really wasn’t placing it yet. Just in stalked it so i can setup the drag chains.

Great ideas here. Wife is making go out today but when i get back I’ll be finishing the setup and will check out all these.

6

I’ve been having this same question about the router. I bought the machine (Pro XXL with C3D router) used and the previous owner set it up for me. The router was all the way down into the mount.

While tramming I wondered if that lip around the base was possibly not 100% square with the spindle so I raised it slightly. But, does it really matter?

Is there a general rule of thumb to keep it as low as possible until you need the extra height or something? Is it better to have it more centered?

7

Like most things in life, it’s a trade-off:

  • higher reduces lever effects, but complicates using shorter endmills/cutting deeper
  • lower increases lever effects, but makes using shorter endmills easier
2 Likes
8

Ok, so no firm guidance, adjust as jobs require but it would require re-tramming on adjustment.

9

Re-tramming shouldn’t be needed for just moving the spindle up and down, only if you loosen the four bolts holding the whole mount to the Z-axis.

3 Likes
10

Ah yes. I forgot about the screws on the front. Thanks. That’s what I get for sending messages without thinking things through sufficiently.

11

The firm guidance is:

load the shortest endmill which you wish to use and adjust the vertical placement so that you can cut as deeply as you wish to

1 Like
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