CNC on a budget spindle (PJ Spindle)

[edwardrford]

Wanted to start a thread on this spindle. I have one. The fixed bore variety (1/8" fixed bore).

I bought this spindle in August or September of last year for it's weight, noise (lack of), and aesthetics. So far my experiences have been mixed.

Here are a list of thoughts
- Quiet. (compared to standard dremel and especially compared to trim router!)
- Variable speed via pulley system. This is commonly referred to as the PJ 3 Speed spindle and as such has well... 3 speeds. You change the speeds the same way you would when using a drill press. There are pulleys on the top of hte motor shaft and the spindle shaft. By adjusting which pulleys have tension you increase/decrease the speed.
- small. This is a mixed bag. The main body is very slim, but the off loaded motor takes up a lot of horizontal space. With the Shapeoko, there is plenty of dead space to the left and right of the z-axis, so even though this spindle sticks out to the right (on my machine), we're not really loosing any travel distance.
- Small (continued): It's also 'small' in terms of distance from the z-axis plate to the center of the tip. As in, it doesn't stick out very far. That tidbit was made possible by the 3D printed mount I designed for it.

All in all I'm just so-so on the spindle. I don't think it's worth the extra money (at nearly $100) in terms of performance, but I do appreciate what it brings to the table. I'd be interested to hear what other PJ spindle users have to say.

-Edward

[Tom Smith]

Edward - quiet, for my particular location, sounds really good. My "workshop" is a small Ikea table in my apartment, and as such, I was seriously wondering how I was going to explain a router/dremel tool screaming away for extended periods of time

I appreciate how the trim router has a ton of power, but I can probably live with something less powerful but quieter. Therefore, a price premium that gets me closer to not being evicted for noise violations doesn't seem so bad.

However, if it is not sufficient to do the job, then it doesn't matter how quiet it is. So, would you be able to expand on your so-so evaluation with regards to the actual ability to cut stuff? It looks like most of the demo videos of your ShapeOko are using this spindle, so I am assuming it has received a lot of use

Thanks,

Tom

[edwardrford]

Use: Yes, I used the spindle from about October 2011 until around February 2012. From my experience it has 0 performance advantage over a standard generic dremel (like the red one or blue one shown in some of my videos). but it is quieter. However: It's not quiet enough that I would ever think about running it inside my house. I eventually switched back to my standard dremel because I didn't want people to think they needed a $100 spindle to be productive with the shapeoko. Plus, the PJ spindle bogged down on me a few times.

Noise: If it's just plugged in and running, it's quiet (way quieter than a dremel). But, once you start cutting any material there's a considerable amount of noise that's produced. So, If you're looking to run the machine inside your apartment, you'll probably have to figure out an enclosure of some sort to deaden the sound. Plus, it's wicked messy! One way to keep the mess at bay is a shopvac, but then you'll run into your noise issue again!

There has been some talk on another thread (or maybe the old google group?).... I'll try to dig it up.

-Edward

[Tom Smith]

Thanks, Edward. I might have to talk my way into renting a corner of someone's garage...

[Max Metz]

I think you might find the Proxxon Micromot tools are also much quieter than the Dremel, have less runout (are more precise), don't need the bushings changed due to wear, are designed to run continuously and are available in either AC or DC versions.

Someone else on the forum kindly guided me towards these Proxxon grinders, after looking into them and confirming their advantages it was hard not to be impressed - plus they are more common than many of the low cost dedicated cnc options, though significantly more expensive than a Dremel.

It seems the Dremel is quite accurately made until the final shaft/collet design and manufacture, a collet being much more accurate than a chuck, its this shaft/collet part of the Dremel that causes the 'wobble' in the cutting bit.

Its interesting that users are dividing into two distinct streams, small low powered precision users and higher power trim router (notably the dewalt trim router) users. Best regards.

[Enraged]

looking at those Proxxon tools, they aren't that expensive: http://www.proxxontools.com/store/pc/vi ... ategory=26

They also have a nice 20mm locating collar on them, so you could make a nice mount for them.

[Max Metz]

I should also have mentioned that the DC versions need a power supply as one is not included with the tool. I'll probably start out with a the included Dremel clone or my Dremel and once I get the gist of things, then buy a Proxxon.