Thanks much! Hmm, I am running generally at 17K rpm (dial 3) on wood, sometimes higher for V-groove work. Don’t think 12k rpm would work for me.
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Welcome to the club Lol NOT making fun of your misfortune but I am making fun of mine! The routers can be hit and miss I keep an extda one under my table. I had a love hate relationship with my Onefinity till I fixed an alignment issue i was having and then it was off to the races. One thing ive noticed about this forum you will get answers from people here all mean well! But some of these guys are way to smart for their own good and it is ofen the most simple answer that gets the job done. That and i have a tendency to dumb it way down.
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If you pay for their warranty you can walk in and get a replacement
Do not tell them you were using it on a CNC as that voids the warranty and they’ll smile and say “sorry”.
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Are you talking about for the Harbor Freight router? That’s good to know, as I have considered getting another one just to have on hand as a spare if my current spindle fails me. I have been watching to see if I might be able to snag one when they go on sale.
Hi Bill,
I would very much like to do what you did (replace the Makita router on my X-50 Woodworker with the RATTMMOTOR brushless router), but making spacer rings for it concerns me. Might I ask how you made those rings? (If you made them with a 3D printer, might I persuade you to make a set and sell it to me?)
Any help or thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you
David
Hey David,
Happy New Year, and I would be more than happy to help you with this.
The spacer rings are really a piece of cake, and I’ve updated the design to be much more simplistic IF made from Polycarbonate material (or other non-brittle material). The reason for the old version was to maximize flexability, as the 55mm spindle motor is not a ‘slip-thru’ type of spindle, meaning that the spacers need to be stretched a couple mm over the larger diameter caps at the bottom & top of the spindle. However, this is totally unnecessary, as the polycarbonate is plenty flexible for this application. The original design was far more complex than necessary.
So no, they were not 3D printed. I gave up on 3D printing sometime last year. I made mine out of 1/2" pc, leaving a ‘lip’ of .090". I would have removed one to get a better pic of it, but I machined them ‘too close’ to actual size, which made it very difficult to assemble. The ‘new version’ has been adjusted so that this should not be an issue (DXF file attached).
SPINDLE ADAPTER 55-65.dxf (23.2 KB)
This is a screenshot of the actual DXF file attached above.
I will say that I really love this spindle for my work, which is mostly plastics/composites/aluminum with small cutters. I did have a stalling issue with it for awhile after I moved it from my old CNC to the Onefinity. However, I believe this was an EFI issue, as the motor wires were crossing the coiled Z axis cable. Once this was dealt with, it has not stalled since. Plus, as I outlined above, I added a safety feature that will trigger a ‘cutter check’ command to my controller if the motor does stall.
Bracket that maintains separation from the Z axis cable.
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Bill,
Happy New Year to you as well, and thank you for both your fast and incredibly detailed response, and your Spindle Adapter DXF file! I opened the file in Fusion 360 and it looks great! I haven’t used my X-50 to cut anything but wood so far, so this should be a great learning experience.
I’ll post about my experience once I successfully (hopefully!) update to the new router.
Again, thank you Bill!
David
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@Samjemb You bet David, glad to help!
You will find that polycarbonate cuts fairly easily, although sometimes it is prone to sticking to the cutter. I used a 1/8" end mill. I usually stick this down to my wasteboard with carpet tape. On something like this where there is a relatively small surface area to hold the finished part, you might be well advised to utilize holding tabs when cutting, so the workpiece remains fully secured. Lest you tempt the limits of adhesion. 
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Hey Bill,
I just finished cutting out the spindle adaptors (based upon your DXF file.) I am quite excited by how easily (and how well) polycarbonate cuts. Thank you for inspiring me to branch out from cutting just wood!
I hate to be a nuisance, but before I order the new spindle, I was hoping I could ask you for a bit more detail about how you added the “cutter check” command to your controller (in the event the spindle stalls.) I spent many years as a hands on electronics technician before I became an electrical engineer, so I am very comfortable with electronic DIY projects.
Again, thank you so much for your help and generosity.
David
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@Samjemb Hey, excellent David! Sorry about the delay in responding, I haven’t checked in for a couple days. Glad to help / inspire, and you’re not a nuisance at all! Fair question.
I should mention that my controller is a Centroid Acorn which has the auxillary input for ‘Cutter Check’. Are you running the standard Buildbotics 1F controller? If so, I don’t know if there’s a similar command or input on that. But it could also be used to trigger a program pause, which is essentially the same thing, except that my cutter check command raises the Z axis.
On the WS55-220 there is a ALM output that is high when the motor stalls (it’s actually active anytime the controller has power, but the motor is not running). The manual states it’s supposed to be a +5v output, but I measured it at a higher voltage than that. Anyway, I input that +V into this relay module and then into the cutter check input on the Acorn board.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LW15D1M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Bill,
I deeply apologize for taking so very long to respond to your incredibly fast and helpful reply. In fact, I’m embarrassed that it took me this long. What can I say, except that life tends to keep one busy.
Yes, my Onefinity X-50 does indeed have the standard Buildbotics 1F controller. It does have an input that will stop the machine In its tracks (it will also shut down the controller which means it will lose wherever it was in the g-code file.). Based upon what you stated about the ALM output, I will not be able to used that input. I’ll look into an alternative once I get the Rattmmotor installed.
I must admit that I was somewhat surprised when I received my X-50 (some 14 months ago) and found that there was no out-of-the-box way of having the controller turn on and off either the router or my dust collection system. I ended up purchasing a pack of six relay boards (very similar to the one in your photo, I believe) and wired up a box using two of the relay boards - one for the router and one for the shop-vac - along with several outlets, some switched via the Buildbotics, and some always live. So if I find a reasonable way of protecting against the router stalling, I have some remaining relays boards that I can use.
BTW, I did wire up the Rattmmotor on my workbench, and it is so delightfully quiet in comparison to the Makita! The only concern I have is that the voltage from the power supply drops from about 49 volts to a bit over 40 volts when the router is running. I don’t know if this is normal or not, but I’m not gong to worry about it for now.
I can’t quite tell how you dealt with your cable management for the Rattmmotor, but I think I will mount both the power supply and controller above my X-50 and use some light spring action to keep the motor wiring above the Y-rail. That might also help keep the wiring away from any rf that might cause the motor to stall. I hope to get everything up and running this weekend. I’ll post a photo once I do.
One last thing: I havre long resisted purchasing a quiet Fein or a Festool dust collection system because of the very high cost. But I recently saw an add for DeWalt’s new “Stealthsonic” line of shop-vacs. I purchased a 12 gallon one at Lowe’s, and it really is so much quieter than any of my previous
shop-vacs.
Again, and as always, thank you, Bill, for all your assistance.
David
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Oh please David, no apologies necessary. Believe me, I’m quite familiar with life demanding attention away from the hobby! Hope all is well.
It sounds to me like your plan for cable management should work out just fine. My spindle ran just fine for a few months on my previous Chinese CNC, without so much as a hiccup. It wasn’t until I mounted it on the Onefinity that it started giving me issues. I initially thought the WS55-220 controller was the culprit, but I don’t think that was the case. Once I re-routed the wires to the spindle, it’s been smooth sailing. I apologize that I can’t get you better pics of how I have the cable routed, as my machine is taken apart, ready for a move hopefully later this month or early next month. But to verbally explain the setup, the pic is taken from the left-front corner of the machine. The XXXX looking piece is just a thin cut from a piece of 20x80 aluminum extrusion, however, anything would have worked. This was convenient because 1) it was already laying in my bench drawer, and 2), the open end of the extrusion made for a perfect snap-in fit of the protected cable. The green panel you see is a piece of HDPE that is covering the rear portion of the machine frame, behind the aluminum workplate on the machine. The 3 wires from the spindle are routed through an access hole, down to the WS55-220 controller.
I love this spindle. It seems to have sufficient power for anything I’m doing with it. It has run for hours on end without getting more than just warm to the touch. And whisper quiet!! I I love that about this! The router was a screaming banshee by comparision.
I have never measured the operating voltage while running, but I should do that once I’m up & running again. But I would not be concerned with the voltage drop. I’m no expert, but I believe that would be normal, and would not be surprised to measure it as such. I’m not using the 48v power supply that came with it, I’m using another 48v unit that had an input header for a potentiometer control. I have that pot mounted on the side of my control enclosure to adjust the RPM’s of the motor, as opposed to using the switch & pot that wire directly to the WS55-220 controller. I just didn’t have a good place to mount those items on the front of my machine, so I opted to do it the way I did.
If you have any more questions, I will certainly try to answer them!
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Hi Bill,
Still working on installing the Rattmmotor, but I wanted to follow up on something I stated in my last post. There is, in fact, nothing wrong with the power supply that came with the spindle. As it happened, while mounting the supply on the wall behind my X-50, I noticed an almost hidden switch on the power supply for selecting 220V/110V. Of course the switch was in the default position of 220V! After I switched it to 110V and retested the spindle voltage, it was around 50 volts regardless of whether the spindle was switched on or off.
Given my background, I have to say that I feel like a bit of a dufus for not checking that first thing. But I’m glad it was that and not an issue with the supply.
More to come.
David
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Well, I sure wouldn’t hold that against you. Unless you’re very familiar with these power supplies, you (like a lot of people) simply didn’t notice that switch. Virtually every power supply like these will have that switch.
Hi Bill,
The spindle is finally installed and running! The reduction in the noise level is incredible. I’m in the middle of my first cut since the install, and so far it seems to be going well. Mounting the power supply and controller in the rafters above the X-50 worked out quite well.
I used a relay board to control the on/off of the router from the Buildbotics controller, but I left the on/off switch in place for now. Both the switch and the speed control potentiometer are just hanging from the controller for now. I’ll have to figure out where they’re going to live.
I’m very grateful for your inspiration, Bill. Thank you!
David
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Nice job! And you’re so very welcome, I’m glad I could inspire! That’s what this great forum is all about!
You shouldn’t have any interference issues the way you have your cable run for the spindle. And yes, don’t you just love how whisper-quiet this spindle is? I can’t wait to get moved & get my machine unpacked once again.
Whatever it is you’re carving there, I’d love to see the finished product!
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Hi Bill,
Yes, the new spindle, coupled with the DeWalt Stealthsonic shop-vac has had a profound impact on my interaction with the machine. Before the upgrade, even with my ear muffs, I found I couldn’t stay in the shop for very long while a cut was in progress, let alone work on something else during that time. The noise was just too loud and frenetic for me to concentrate on any other work. Now, I can easily remain in the shop, keep a close eye on the cutting progress, and continue working on whatever else I have going on. Such an improvement!
While vacationing in Sedona, Arizona a few years ago, my wife and I went to the Town of Jerome, an old mining town that has since been revived as an art community with galleries and stores and nice restaurants. While browsing through one of the galleries/ stores, I saw some absolutely wonderful layered wall art, that I immediately recognized was made on a CNC machine or some kind of computer controlled laser cutter. I was fascinated by the work, and decided that if I ever acquired a CNC machine, I would try to see if I could create some artwork like that. The piece I was cutting in the photo I included in my last post was one of the layers in my first attempt at it.
As in most endeavors, this has been quite challenging, and I am learning a lot (and making lots of mistakes) as I go along. I am cutting the last layer as I write this, and will then deal with the challenges of staining each layer a different color, and then gluing the layers together (not sure yet how I’m going to deal with gluing the layers after they’re stained - any thoughts on that would be most welcome.)
Below is a photo of the first four layers just sitting on top of each other. I hope that gives an idea of where I’m trying to go with this. I will definitely post a photo of the final project, assuming it comes out reasonably okay.
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Wow David, that’s really something. Is that your own design? How many layers will there be in total when you’re done? What’s the material?
We’re the layered pictures that originally inspired you of Anasazi cliff dwellings? So many questions.
I wish I had enough power in my shop to follow in your footsteps and switch to a spindle but it’s just not in the cards for now.
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Hey Charles,
I’d love to take full credit for the design, but I based it off one of the pieces I saw in a store in Jerome, Arizona. I have included a photo of that piece below. You can see that I took a lot of my ideas from that piece.
I have one more layer that will go below the ones in the photo in my last post (and then a solid piece below that, so I guess that would be a total of six layers.
I used very inexpensive basswood craft sheets (see description from Amazon immediately below). I figured that since this was my first attempt at this, I didn’t want to mess up anything too expensive. The twelve 12" x 20" sheets cost $40.00, which seemed very reasonable. If I’m happy with the end result of this project, I will go with something better for the next one. Also, these sheets are actually .116" thick, which is a bit under 3mm. This resulted in some of the thinner lines being quite delicate and tough to work with (removing the hold-down tape, sanding, etc.) I think I will use 5mm sheets for the next project.
From Amazon (I tried to include a link to the page, but it wouldn’t work):
12 Pack - Basswood Sheets for Crafts-12 x 20 x 1/8 Inch- 3mm Thick Plywood Sheets with Smooth Surfaces-Unfinished Rectangular Wood Boards for Laser Cutting, Wood Burning, Architectural Models, Staining.
This is the piece that I “borrowed” my ideas from:
Thanks so much for your interest!
David
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