Well I got very disappointed today after waiting for a little over a week for my water cold spindle and VFD to arrive I got everything wired up and hooked up turn the water on to the spindle and the spindle leaked all over my CNC table and spoilboard. Sending it back and getting the air cooled spindle. Are there any downfalls as far as air-cooled versus water?
Sorry to hear about your defective spindle.
I plan to get a water cooled, but wonât be for a while.
Negatives I recall others mentioning about air (vs water):
- Air might be a bit louder
- Fan may blow downward, impacting efficiency of dust extraction at tool
- Cooling/fan speed proportional to spindle speed, so may cool less at lower RPM
⌠others with real-life experience I am sure will offer more insights
Hey Mark,
I am sorry that your attempt with the water-cooled spindle was so unsuccessful. But where did the water come from? Off the spindle? Or from the hose connection?
it came from around the spindle right above the collet after carefully inspecting I believe it has a hairline crack
It happens. You got a defective spindle. My HY water cooled spindle doesnât leak and I donât think Iâve hear of anyone else having that problem. I would say you just got unlucky. The biggest drawback for me with an air cooled spindle was you have a fan blowing air through small passages to keep it cool in a woodworking environment. Itâs just a matter of time before dust will build up inside it. Iâve pulled apart too many routers packed with sawdust.
Hey Mark,
You are surely disappointed with water cooling, but the question is whether you have to be disappointed with water cooling itself, or with spindles from this particular manufacturer (which one did you buy?), or just simply disappointed because of bad luck.
If you now distrust the quality of the manufacturer, I wouldnât buy an air-cooled spindle from him either. Then I would buy a completely different make.
On the other hand, if you continue to trust the manufacturer, then you could simply have the water-cooled spindle exchanged for a guarantee.
In any case, I wouldnât turn away from water cooling because of that. The benefits are just too great. Thousands of users have smooth running and watertight spindles.
But Iâve also read that users are happy with air cooling.
One question: The manufacturer of my spindle writes in his manual that the spindle must never be clamped at the height of the bearings, but only above a mark on the housing. Is that the same with your spindle?
Thanks,
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was this a 65mm water cooled? I have a 65mm 1.5k and the first two I got leaked the same way. The manufacture told me that they have issues with them cracking due too how thin the inside wall is.
Hey,
Really? Where did you buy it? Why is anyone still buying this?
I imagine water spilled over your MDF table top is not funny at all.
the brand was huanyang⌠I found a hairline crack in the housing right above the spindle nut
yes it was the 65mm. I did find a hairline crack
I bought it from AliExpress, unknown brand but they all look the same. My next one will be 80mm water cooled when this one craps out.
Always test before installing. Test the electrical, test the water loop. So many points of failure. Always worth the up front effort in my opinion.
On air cooled, be aware they have a minimum speed imposed by using a fan, over 9k rpm as I recall. The water cooled has no such limit, but still has a practical bottom end due to insufficient torque.
The only downside I can think of is the spindle being cooled by airflow which is operating in a dust filled environment which will eventually clog the cooling process.
Is cracking in the housings of 65mm water cooled spindles an issue, or are the thee reported here a fluke?
Iâm on the fence deciding between 65mm or the 80mm. I donât really need the extra power (or expense), but a propensity to cracked housings may tip the scales. Just need cool, with quiet as a bonus.
Shipping to/from Thailand is hit or miss as it is. (Things go missing at times). I donât want to be playing warranty ping pong.
Hey Sterling,
as far as I understood these were all low-cost chinese spindles. I donât think that this problem has to occur with all 65 mm spindles that you can buy, at least I donât expect it from manufacturers who would quickly lose their reputation in this way.
I also believe that if you want a spindle, a VFD, and a cooling system to cost less than $ 300 then I wonder how that can even go. Something is stolen from someone here, from the environment where it is manufactured under certain conditions, from the workers who assemble it, or from the customer who then has a broken thing.
If I wonder how much money me I would take to make all of this, I kind of run out of $ 300.
On the other hand 65 mm is narrow, itâs tight in there for the technical things inside your spindle. 65 mm is the diameter of a hand trim router: Itâs to be able to hold it in your hand. But if you put a spindle in a stationary machine, why should it be narrow and tight. Larger diameter means larger bearings, larger bearings mean longer life. Larger diameter also means less overheating, more room for keeping everything cool inside.
Sorry @Aiph5u Iâm not sure I followedâŚ
Was asking about failure rates due to cracked housings on these low cost 65mm Chinese spindles.
Do you find it high, or are what we see in this discussion more or less, an outlier?
Hey Sterling,
if you read this,
âŚjudge yourself. I do not have more information on the 65 mm housing cracking than this. But my general impression after research in the web on these low-cost Hanyuang and no-name chinese spindles and VFDs is that there were a little too many who reported total failures.
On the other hand, if you browse search results, you find others who report:
Yes, of course, who would not.
I prefer to buy things where I find no failure reports or if there were any, a prompt and
good service from the manufacturer.
PS: I am not affiliated with Mechatron in any way, but I link to manufacturers or dealers from which I bought the things I own.
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I think I would go with an air cooled spindle if I was going with 65mm. My water cooled HY 2.2kw 80mm spindle has worked great. The only complaint would be that the fittings on the spindle kind of choke down the water flow but they seal excellently. Even with the reduced water flow the spindle barely gets warm to the touch.
Iâm sure a more expensive brand would be better. If I was trying to make money from my 1F or planning on using it a lot I would spend the extra money. At some point I would expect that I may have to replace the bearings since they most likely are made in China to a budget. At that point I may replace it with a nicer one. But by then Iâll have my 1F set up the way I want it and Iâll have plenty of experience with the spindle.
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Hey Alex, hey all,
Yes, I like the idea too, no modification on mount, no water plumbing. There are so many that are satisfied with an air-cooled spindle. Especially in comparison to a router.
Thanks, but Iâm pretty much decided on water cooled. I have a temperature issue in the shop. Steppers on the X-Carve, when I had it, would frequently over heat. So, with the 1F I have decided to beat the heat to the punch and water cool them. Going to the trouble to water cool the steppers, might as well water cool everything. Right?
I have plenty of time, so I guess Iâll hang round a bit and see how the 80mm 1F adapter shakes out. Just hate upgrading on such a small data set. I definitely donât need the additional power.
As for making money, I canât work in Thailand on my current visa, possibly ever. Wood âcarvingâ and carpentry are both on the farang restricted profession list. I suspect wood âworkingâ is close enough that I would never get the permit. So itâs hobby only.
For that reason, I canât really justify the costs to go the name brand route. Without a return, the 1F is a big enough splurge as it is.
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