Router - Pros and Cons

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Lameiii
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Router - Pros and Cons

Post by Lameiii »

I posted this on the Romaxx forum and posting it here as I know a lot of Romaxx users follow this forum.

I have been running my WD1 for a year or so with a Bosch Colt router at about 16,000 rpm. It has finally died and I'm wondering if there would be any advantage to switching to a Porter Cable model 6902 which I have on hand. The Porter Cable has a fixed speed of 23,000 rpm and I'm wondering how the increased speed will affect my carving. Any comments at all will be greatly appreciated.

Jim

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dealguy11
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Re: Router - Pros and Cons

Post by dealguy11 »

If you have the option, I would find a router with variable speed control. 23k RPM is pretty high and will burn some woods and wear out your router bits faster...if the wood is burning, you're also affecting the temper of the steel in your bits. If you look at a good chip load calculator or table, you'll probably find you should be running feed rates of >300 IPM if you're running the router that high, which your machine may or not be able to do. I generally keep my router/spindle speed to around 12000 - 18000 RPM, lower for some large bits.
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ailmik
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Re: Router - Pros and Cons

Post by ailmik »

You have the Porter Cable on hand why not couple it wit a SuperPID ? http://www.vhipe.com/product-private/SuperPID.htm

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rscrawford
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Re: Router - Pros and Cons

Post by rscrawford »

Just for comparison, I run most of my bits around 12000-14000rpm at feeds of 200-600ipm. At 23000 rpm you might need feed speeds over 1000ipm for proper load, or your bits will wear out quickly. The bigger chips you make, the longer your bits will last!
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Jamesdee1046
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Re: Router - Pros and Cons

Post by Jamesdee1046 »

Take a look at a "Kress FME 800". I went through two Porter Cable routers and gave up. Kress is well built and has a ton of power/torque to make deep cuts.

Jim
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dadiy
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Re: Router - Pros and Cons

Post by dadiy »

Have you considered a water cooled spindle. I switched to one after destroying 2 routers. The noise benefit is extreme. Now the noise comes from the cut more than the spindle and in light cutting you can happily hear the radio in the shop.

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dhellew2
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Re: Router - Pros and Cons

Post by dhellew2 »

In any brand the model makes a difference. You want the heavy duty model. I have a Porter Cable (model 7518) that is still running after 8-years of heavy duty and long hours of CNC use, and I have a spare under the machine, still in the original box, purchased not knowing how long the thing would last.

I considered a spindle, but I can buy 10-routers for the price of one spindle.

As for the noise, either way you need ear protection during cutting; which is most of the running time.

In the end, it is a personal and financial choice.

Dale
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Re: Router - Pros and Cons

Post by Edmeaux »

I went into the router vs spindle thing thinking I could buy 8 routers for the cost of a spindle, but now after burning up 3 routers in less than a year. I just ordered a 1.5Kw water cooled spindle. The spindle, VFD, mounting bracket, and water pump set me back about $750. I went with a guy out of Pennsylvania (www.ugracnc.com) as opposed to China. I'm sure the spindle comes from China, but at lease there is someone who speaks some English if I have a problem. You can get the setup out of China for about $500 or so depending on shipping charges. And you've got a very complex situation for returns/warranty/support.

I think the noise factor will be nice, but less vibration means more precision in the tip of the bit for small carving/engraving is what I'm after. The water cooling should help longevity. I put a laser pointer thermometer on my routers and they were all running 135 deg F on very light duty work and more like 140+ on deeper cuttings. Thats external temps too. The bearing had to be much worse. Hence the failures.

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Re: Router - Pros and Cons

Post by martin54 »

You will notice a huge difference with noise levels as for the water cooling is the pump included in the price or do you need to sort that side yourself, mine runs from a cheap pond pump. Got a 25 ltr barrel that the pump sits in, pump head is about 1220mm (4') which is more than enough for my system. Bit of anti freeze in the water to act as a rust inhibitor & it works great.

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Re: Router - Pros and Cons

Post by Edmeaux »

martin54 wrote:You will notice a huge difference with noise levels as for the water cooling is the pump included in the price or do you need to sort that side yourself, mine runs from a cheap pond pump. Got a 25 ltr barrel that the pump sits in, pump head is about 1220mm (4') which is more than enough for my system. Bit of anti freeze in the water to act as a rust inhibitor & it works great.
Yes, pump was included in my original figure. Please don't share that with my wife... Pump accounts for about $25 of the cost. Good call on the antifreeze.

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