Hi, opening a new topic since I did not find a clear answer for this.
I own a Metabo FM 500-6 Trim Router (FM 500-6 (601741000) Trim router | Metabo Power Tools)
Will that work with the Maslow M4 as is? any modifications needed?
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The DeWalt router it is designed for has a cilindrical body of 69mm round and 120mm? (not sure here) long. If your router has the same or smaller cilinder, it is possible to fit, eventually with for example a 3D-printed sleeve
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That one doesn’t look like it has speed control. Not sure if that will be a good fit with the M4. For the classic speed control was a must to prolong bit life
So I can use the Metabo for first work to learn how to use the M4, and then upgrade. Am I correct?
This is accurate.
You are just liable to wear bits out faster and potentially not have ideal cuts till you can control the speed of the router.
Moshe Kohen wrote:
So I can use the Metabo for first work to learn how to use the M4, and then
upgrade. Am I correct?
that’s assuming that it will fit. I haven’t seen anyone post any measurements of
the router. If it’s more than 69mm in diameter, it can’t be used at all.
If it’s body is shorter than 100mm, it can only be used if it’s diameter is
small enough for you to 3d print a spacer.
you would be better off buying one of the 500w ait cooled spindles from China.
There are lots of people working on using those.
David Lang
Any drawback for using spindle? power, wear and tear. etc.
How do you control Z axis with the spindle?
What are the advantages of using spindle vs. router/trimmer?
I saw in one of your other comments that you mentioned this: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/1005006318067241.html?gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt
Do you recommend or better to get a higher power spindle?
Moshe Kohen wrote:
Any drawback for using spindle? power, wear and tear. etc.
How do you control Z axis with the spindle?
What are the advantages of using spindle vs. router/trimmer?
a spindle is probably a little less powerful, but quieter and better bearings
(which makes them quieter, more precise, and longer lasting)
they also tend to spin slower, which is an advantage for this machine (the
maslow doesn’t move very fast, so a very high speed motor will burn up the bit
faster, especially something like that 32000 rpm one you were looking at)
see M4 Router Be Gone (installed the spindle)
(and the thread pointed to in the first post) for what you need to print to make
a sleeve that will fit in the maslow 4 in place of the router and will hold the
52mm 500w spindle you link to below.
Another option that has been suggested is a 600w brushless spindle. It will be
very close to the power of the router (brushless are far more efficient than
brushed) last far longer, and be quieter than the brushed one you posted the
link to (which is still better than the router)
I purchased one like https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805052691834.html and
then because I want to have the option to use larger bits (up to 1/2" shank), I
purchased the ER20-10mm adapter
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806338163886.html and ER20 collets
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804810573689.html
But I have not tried this yet.
This is 59mm diameter, so it will need a different sleeve than the 500w one
above, but can be made to fit, and may be tall enough that the brackets in the
router-be-gone threads will need to be tweaked to be taller or something like
that.
most of the more powerful spindles that are attractive are 80mm diameter, and
that won’t fit in the maslow 4 (max 69mm)
In one of those threads, someone recommended a 1.5kw spindle that would fit.
That spindle would be far more powerful, but it was also ~$300 vs ~$80 for the
500w brushed one or $140 for the 600w brushless one
given what I’ve seen of the pricing of 220/240v routers, I think any of the
three spindle options would be far better for you
David Lang
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here is the one:
173 Euros
65mm diameter
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Is this recommended? https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005002300914356.html
The one you suggested does not ship to my location.
Parameters look the same. Dimensions 65x204mm
that looks like the most powerful option.
the only disadvantage I see to this (other than that it’s large and you will
have to extend wires for the maslow arm motors) is that it has a ER11 chuck that
looks like it’s built in to the shaft, so it won’t use bits larger than 1/4"
the medium one above can get the ER20 chuck, which can handle 1/2" bits and is
pretty much the same length as the cheapest one, which we have had people use,
so it should not require motor wire extensions
that may or may not matter for you, just calling it out.
David Lang
Ended up ordering the cheap one (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006318067241.html?gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt) due to cost/delivery considerations.
If I would like to upgrade to 600/800/1500W in the future, will I need to purchase the entire set or just the spindle itself?
This for example: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003297878776.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.5.3c85621aIJx6BX&algo_pvid=53f68679-33cb-49b1-b43d-b3cfe41a4153&algo_exp_id=53f68679-33cb-49b1-b43d-b3cfe41a4153-2&pdp_npi=4%40dis!USD!93.98!76.12!!!93.98!76.12!%40211b81b117197540065655060e76e0!12000034776663848!sea!IL!140951362!&curPageLogUid=T9lZxCasHKJO&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch|query_from%3A
Moshe Kohen wrote:
If I would like to upgrade to 600/800/1500W in the future, will I need to purchase the entire set or just the spindle itself?
you would need to purchase the entire set, the three spindles use very different
drive systems (brushed DC, brushless DC, variable frequency AC for the three
different ones)
David Lang