Spindle interaction with Vacuum

[bill_lumley]

I recently ordered a PRS system and I am trying to decide if I should go to the Spindle or not . One thing I am not sure about and some of you could help me with is this . My application is cabinet parts cutting and drilling . Curently on the PRT I cut in two pass . With the spindle I can cut through in 1 pass at a faster move speed than I use now on the PRT . My quetion is will this extra cutting force and going through in one pass affect the performance of a 2 Fein vacuum setup . I will be able to move from a downcut bit at the moment to a compression bit which will have the effect of applying some upward pressure on the cut but more importantly because it is cutting in a single pass I start to loose vacuum sooner I think . Hope that made sense


Thanks Bill

[richards]

Bill,
I have two Fein vacuums and a Colombo 3-hp spindle. Although I can (and have) cut in one pass with a 3/8-inch compression cutter, the vacuum isn't strong enough to be reliable. Granted, I'm at about 4,500 ft altitude, so I'm loosing about 2-inches of mercury compared to those near sea level; however, that only makes about 1-lb per square inch difference. I don't think that that small of a vacuum increase would enable anyone to reliably cut ordinary cabinet parts.

From what I've read, even those who have the large vacuums that pull around 14-15 inches of mercury with lots of air flow still have to pay attention to the smaller parts - sometimes tabbing them and sometimes changing the order in which they are cut.

With my two Fein vacuums, I normally use a downcut spiral, one pass, at a depth that leaves about 0.030-inch skin. The parts don't wander and I can easily trim off the 'skin' at the router table.

[bill_lumley]

Thanks Mike for the data point . I was thinking of sticking to 1/4" mortise compression bit for my cutting pass . I want to stay away from the skin route . I am also effectivley at sea level so I have that in my favour also . I would like to hear others experiences as well .

[beacon14]

I also use 2 Feins and am about to replace my router with a spindle. I can't see cutting sheets in one pass unless they consist of just a few large parts. I leave a skin on the first pass and remove it with a second pass.

Either way you won't regret getting the spindle. Once I got up to running 20-30 sheets every couple of weeks I was replacing router bearings every 6-8 weeks.