Is 2.2hp HSD big enough for cabinet shop?

[Plyoboxwarehouse]

I am considering purchasing a new PRS Alpha for my cabinet shop. I am a one man operation with a couple of part time helpers. I make quite a bit of MDF doors and cut 3/4" plywood and melamine.

My plan is to purchase the "minimum" package and upgrade as I go. At some point, my plan is to upgrade to the 5hp ATC spindle. I would go with the 2.2hp as the folks at ShopBot have recommended, but am willing to purchase the 4hp HSD initially.

Has anyone gotten the 2.2 hp HSD and found that it wasn't enough hp for a cabinet shop operation? Any input is appreciated!

[kevin]

When I bought mine there was only 2.2 on single phase .There has been no problem

But if I was buying now i would get dual z not atc because all you need for cabinets is 2 bits spending an extra 10000 is over kill .The nice thing about dual is if spindle needs servicing you have a back up

Another mistake was not getting extra z height you need for ia indexing head .We can't live with out the indexing most under rated feature

The air drill is a pain in the ass

Go to traning save a lot of head aches

[Plyoboxwarehouse]

Can you elaborate on indexing? I am not familiar with what that is. Thanks!

[steve_g]

Rotary turning… similar to a lathe but totally different! Z height limits the diameter of turnings…
SG

[nat_wheatley]

I have a PRS alpha with 4hp spindle and 2 air drills, which has worked well for cutting cabinet parts. The spindle gets a 1/4" compression bit, one drill gets a 1/8" tapered drill bit for pilot holes, the other a 5mm brad point bit for hardware and shelf holes. Ideally I'd like to have the option for another router bit, so that I could do my perimeter cuts a 3/8" bit, and do my back and drawer bottom dadoes with a 1/4" bit, but still feel as though my current setup was the best option for the cost.

[jTr]

Robert,
I'm 2 years into my PRSAlpha 9660 with 2.2HP spindle, one person operation. No regrets at all - I'd recommend the 60" width, considering even in the smaller markets more and more material is available in that width.
Only time I ever heard the spindle bog was planing rough walnut slabs with 1.5" carbide planer bit. As I approached an arched center of a board while flattening, It was beginning to hog off almost 1/4" - naturally, I slowed the pace. Otherwise, for what you're describing, I agree with others regarding buying more flexibility vs muscle.

Jeff

[kevin]

Nat nice web site very professional would a line bore at 4,000 be more productive the 2 air drills time wise .That the direction I'am heading but you do a lot of hole way more then a kitchen thoughts?

Also with a small shop it sits idle for a couple weeks at a time

[nat_wheatley]

No question that line boring, with a single drill takes longer than doing it with a dedicated machine, but it it frees me up to do other things while the machine is drilling, and in the end time per sheet isn't our constraint. AT this point, I wouldn't be making more money if the machine were faster. (I'd be lying if I said I didn't sometimes wish it would process sheets faster.)

With cabinets, I stay away from line boring regardless, and just drill select adjustable shelf hole and hardware holes. This goes pretty quickly on the CNC.

[supertigre]

The PC router claims to be 3.25 Hp but on a very good day it maxes out at about 1.6 Hp. You should do fine with 2.2 (real) Hp on the spindle.

[steve_g]

Guy et al…
Router hp is measured by the amount of current it draws… 745.7 watts per hp while a spindle is rated by the work it can do…550 Ft. lbs./sec /hp.
The two really aren’t comparable. The more inefficient a router is the higher its hp rating is going to be!
SG