No, I haven’t made up my mind, it’s just that your first reply wasn’t that helpful. I need to know why I need to spend almost $500 more for something like a PwnCNC spindle. They sell a 1.5kw 110v spindle with an ER20 collet (so they must consider it to be useful).
Why do I want a ER20 collet? I have a couple of 1/2" bits that I use. I can probably replace my 1/2" ball end mill with a bowl cutter with a 1/4" shank for the body and neck shaping on my bass guitars. But I also have a 1/2" x 2.5" straight flute bit that I use for “side planing”, which is important for the way I set up precise Y registration for double sided work on necks and bodies. (I find that the dowel based techniques are not accurate enough for me).
I don’t want to go through the hassle of setting up a water cooled system, especially in the short run. I will be moving probably in a year. I get they are quieter, but even with the Hitachi M12VC router in my current setup, I have to wear ear protection because of the noise of cutting maple and other hardwoods, this would be the case if the router made no noise at all.
Actually, now that I look at the G-penny site, I see that they also sell a 110v 2.2kw ER20 spindle. So they must think it is an OK option as well, though to get full use of it you would want a 30 amp circuit. What is not clear is how much the appropriate VFD would cost. If not too much, then that G-penny spindle might be a great compromise, as the spindle motor is not that expensive. And if that VFD would also work for a 220v (water cooled?) model later on when I move, that might be a really good path for me. I’ll repeat that I know I wouldn’t get 2.2kw out of it with my present wiring, but it would give me the ER20 collet.
All that brings us to the setup. I’m generally really good at stuff like this, but having investigated it a bit more, it seems there is a lot to it. It strikes me that this is the value proposition of PwnCNC - plug and play. That’s not nothing. If this were a one time deal where I’m getting a spindle for the next 5 years, that would be a big selling point. But I don’t know that that will be the case. My next place may have 220v. Or the effective 1kw I get out of my current circuit might be sufficient even after I move.
Which brings me to the final option, sticking with the M12VC router on my current setup for the time being. The problem there is that the mounting diameter is 82 mm, so I’d have to fabricate a mounting system.
So no, I haven’t made up my mind. And I value any input you can give me. But saying “those things are crap” without delving into the why (other than the lack of shielding or pointing out that it isn’t really 2.2kw, which I already knew), that wasn’t that useful.
I looked up H100 VFDs. The prices and options seem all over the map! Can you tell me more about that - how much did yours cost, whether I might be able to get one that would work for the G-penny 220v version if I were to upgrade after my move. G-penny doesn’t seem to sell a package with the 110v 2.2kw ER20 version, so I’d have to buy the VFD separately. If you bought one as part of a package, then I assume that at least the spindle part of the setup was preconfigured, only the Modbus setup had to be done.
I like the idea of getting a G-penny spindle and a reasonably priced VFD and then being able to upgrade the spindle motor later when I move. That would be a quality solution at a reasonable price.
@DonF