You can get a spindle here. You could also buy the upgraded z slider here which I believe is available via an upgrade path. So you don’t need a new machine, just some new accessories.
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@jfleser, unsupported by Onefinity means they will not help you with spindle specific things if you email 1F support. That’s it. Nothing worse than needing to hit the forums and YouTube for help instead of company support.
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They’ve had the ability to use a 65 and 80mm spindles for a long time. They just came out with a new Z-Slider that will allow for more height and more speed.
As @KenA says, you can buy a compatible spindle kit from PwnCNC, Onefinity even recommends them (I wish Onefinity sold them though, then I’d have a Canadian seller and not have to deal with the customs costs). You can get spindle support from PwnCNC for their products. You can also ‘roll-your-own’ and buy parts off Amazon, etc. From what I’ve seen here, that can be a lot of work to get going well. Likely worth buying from PwnCNC for a supported kit.
I’m still running a Makita router and haven’t burnt it up but seeing your experience and others I’ve been looking at the spindle route. I considered buying a backup Makita router but have decided that if my current one goes, I’ll just have to buy the spindle. A lot more money but a better tool. Would have to decide on which one though. I think the 80mm to get the large collet. Water cooled would be better for long runs. 220V would also be best, but I don’t have a 220V outlet at that end of the shop but it wouldn’t be real difficult to fix that.
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Thanks all! The local Makita factory repair shop just told me that I had to go pound sand. (But in a friendly way; good folks.). They said that as soon as I installed my router into the 1F and turned it on, that they consider the warranty null and void. “Not its intended use.” That’s right, no warranty when you use this router for this purpose. Chalk that up under ‘things I wish I’d known.’
The PwnCNC looks like a good bet. (Their installation video looks like it’s intended for 1F users.). Hard to judge from a price perspective. A full kit on Rockler (for the Shark machines) is $1,400 so $1K seems reasonable. However, there seem to be a ton of less expensive ones but I’m not interested in an integration project.
@KenA Do you own the PwnCNC spindle? Is that the best spindle for 1F users from what we gather here in the forum? Sounds like using an “un-supported” spindle isn’t that big of deal after all. Good news there as I must say that 1F support folks have been pretty responsive and helpful.
I don’t have a spindle yet; still running the Makita. If I were to buy one now that’s the one I’d buy.
Serious question: Does a spindle give you a better cut? I ask because I recently had the issue where my speed control vibrates to the faster speeds after a few months of work. It was an easy fix with that plastic thingy you superglue over the dial. I also keep a spare set of brushes handy, and have toyed with the idea of keeping a backup Makita on hand. My thoughts are that I can buy many of those that are drop in replacements and still be cheaper and less fuss than a spindle. All my projects with my Makita have always turned out great.
I just went the spindle route. I haven’t installed it yet as I am making some other changes. But I can tell you that the one I bought is beefy.
I do have another one for sale with the VFD here on the forum if anyone is interested. After I had bought the 110V version my circumstances changed and it made more sense to go 220V. The one for sale is essentially brand new. I bought them in September if I remember right.
Plus… I needed a trim router anyway so I was happy to converrt my Makita back to its original form. 
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I don’t have a spindle so can’t answer your question about a better cut from experience. I suspect that if you are within the operating range of the router they will have very similar cuts. The spindle likely has a little less runout. Note I said the operating range of the router. I think that’s a big difference is the capability. Spindles can handle larger bit shafts (less chatter) and bigger bits. They have better torque at low speeds, so more range of speeds that you can use well. Being able to safely run bits at higher speeds should allow for faster feeds as well. The Onefinity products are very sturdy, and I suspect people are now finding that the router is a weak point for them where with some other products folks may find they overdrive the CNC before the router. With the spindle your software also has control over the speed, so you can change speeds per tool path, etc.
I was also of the mind that I could buy a lot of Makita routers for the price of a spindle but my views on which is a better value is changing. Spindle has capabilities that the router can’t match, it runs quieter, and the fire risk is way less.
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@Atroz Yes, there is an actual fire risk; you’d think that was a joke. The last Makita I had go bad (the one that Makita said they were voiding the warranty on because of using it for an application [CNC] that it was not intended for) was glowing a very pretty blue in the inside. Kind of memorizing.
@Bern For me the ‘drop in replacement’ turned out to be a real hassle. I even stopped putting the router cable in its track on the dust collection boom because it was a waste of time to clip it off again in just a week or two. In regards to having backups being cheaper, hell, $230 for two routers is 20-35% of a packaged spindle from PwnCNC depending on which one you get. But in the end, it’d have to give you a better cut because you can control the speed so much more precisely. The ability to face a good sized hardwood board with a large Amana flat 2+2 would be awesome. Once you toy with the tram a little (OK, quite a bit…), you can get a perfectly flat surface that hardly needs sanding.
@Ziggy Let me look at your setup. I’ve been thinking of going with a PwnCNC 220V with liquid cooling but I’d have to run a 220V line which was sort of a future plan. Is your spindle up and working now? How was installation and how are your cuts?
In the near future I’ll be purchasing the Pwn, 120V air cooled spindle kit. Their plug-n-play kit with support is very appealing to me.Reading/watching videos, it became apparent to me that one has to have a motor with enough torque, to power a bit at the proper feeds, speeds, and DOC to achieve the recommend chip load for any given bit. This results in extended bit life, and I have to logically assume, a better quality of cut will be achieved. I have a need to surface many projects which concerns me with the Makita router. Using a 1” surfacing bit, recommend DOC combined with speed to achieve the necessary chip load to prevent bit from burn up/destruction, isn’t possible with the Makita. Could I do the same with a 1/4” end mill, sure, times 4 in time. In my opinion, the Makita will reliably serve most using 1/4” or less bits with conservative feed rates, DOC, etc. I could fry eggs on the router, ruined the 1” surfacing bit while surfacing my waste board with the recommended settings which confirmed my suspicions of the Makita’s limitations. Ironically, it still lives, but for how long? When it finally dies, Pwn spindle we go!
@jfleser My 110V setup was only bench tested. I never actually mounted it in the machine because my circumstances changed and I was given the supplies I needed to go 220V (Great luck on my part.)
So I decided to go with a 220V spindle because I also want to be able to use the same outlet for my welder. (Not at the same time of course.)
That is why I have the essentially brand new spindle and VFD up for sale here:
I do know that it is very quiet and smooth… at least as far as a bench test. As to the quality of cuts I can’t personally attest. I do know that of all of the lower price spindles, this is the one most recommended. I believe the runout is .01mm. This one has the ER20 collet that will allow for larger bits.
There are other forum member here using this same setup. That is why I bought it.
Hey Jim,
It is known. At least if you had read the fine manual. Or if you noticed my frequent postings spotting on that.
No, don’t worry. What you need to upgrade your Onefinity is just the optional 80 mm spindle mount. You can also use 65 mm spindles in the stock mount, but they won’t clear the stepper.
And of course you need a 80 mm ø spindle, a VFD, a control cabinet and what to put in it and what is needed to wire it up. Note that despite the fact that many people do this as a DIY project, I would not recommmend doing this yourself unless you have the knowledge of an electrician, or better, an electrical engineer or a machinery engineer. Note that a VFD is an device made for installation in a cabinet.
Just had this happen minus the fire, but scorched it is. 2nd time using the Makita. Same scenario as you same size bit.
Bummer!
I will now only use that surfacing bit to resurface my spoil board. Now I use a 1/2" diameter mortising bit to surface large areas. It takes a little longer, but at least it doesn’t burn up my router.
I had the same problem. Second use of my Makita router, inch and an eighth surfacing bit, and now my Makita is dead. Last week