Ok, as some of you know I am using Bosch Colt Routers as spindles on my
Taig and on my MaxNC mills for cutting aluminum. The Bosch Colt routers
like most wood routers (all?) have an internal fan that blows downward
around the cutter. It fantastic for doing wood work as it blows the
sawdust away from the work piece and allows you to see what you are
doing. Its even helpful to some degree when doing aluminum work dry as
it helps blow the aluminum chips away.

However since I have started using flood lubricant I think it is
contributing substantially to oil mist (the Taig is in a full enclosure
now and the MaxNC will be when I have time to build one) and wasted
lubricant. I still get enough flowing on the cutter to do a great job
and wash the chips aside, but whenever I am using a small short cutter
you can really see the lubricant fly on the cameras.

There is a cylinder protruding below the fan outlets that I could easily
make an air deflector to clamp on so that the air does not blow onto my
lubricant discharge nozzle at all, but instead blows outward away from
the spindle area. My only concern is that this might restrict air flow
to much and cause the router to run hotter than it should. They do run
routinely for 7-10 hours non stop.

Wadda ya think? The gap between the deflector and the fan ports would
only be about .250" but it would still be all the way around.

In article ,
Bob La Londe wrote:

Ok, as some of you know I am using Bosch Colt Routers as spindles on my
Taig and on my MaxNC mills for cutting aluminum. The Bosch Colt routers
like most wood routers (all?) have an internal fan that blows downward
around the cutter.
....
Wadda ya think?

No way to tell for certain but to try it, IMHO.

A: Got a thermometer, perhaps one of those "trendy two years ago" point
and shoot ones? Take some readings on an unmodified router during the
corse of a workday. Do the same thing with a modified one, see if it's
noticeably hotter.

B: assuming you burn through routers anyway, and have a usual hour range
for that, modify a new one and see if it dies early.

C: A, then B if A doesn't look absurd.

D: actually, if you have a spare input that would take it, a thermal
sensor on the motor might be a good thing to have in place all the time.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

On 5/10/2011 7:37 PM, Ecnerwal wrote:
In ,
Bob La wrote:

Ok, as some of you know I am using Bosch Colt Routers as spindles on my
Taig and on my MaxNC mills for cutting aluminum. The Bosch Colt routers
like most wood routers (all?) have an internal fan that blows downward
around the cutter.
...
Wadda ya think?

No way to tell for certain but to try it, IMHO.

A: Got a thermometer, perhaps one of those "trendy two years ago" point
and shoot ones? Take some readings on an unmodified router during the
corse of a workday. Do the same thing with a modified one, see if it's
noticeably hotter.

I replace brushes moderately often. The ones I get from e-replacement
parts do seem to last longer than the originals. Not sure when the
bearings are going to go, but I have one that is getting warm in the
nose. Its probably about due. I do have an NCT around somewhere.

B: assuming you burn through routers anyway, and have a usual hour range
for that, modify a new one and see if it dies early.

Burn through? I don't now. I have atleast a few hundred hours on both
of them. More on one. I suppose I should keep better track. Brushes
yes. Bearings on one soon probably. I have been thinking about
replacing them with a slightly more power Porter Cable router... and
that router is on sale right now from Grizzly. Of course then I
probably have to make new mounts.


C: A, then B if A doesn't look absurd.

D: actually, if you have a spare input that would take it, a thermal
sensor on the motor might be a good thing to have in place all the time.

Hmmmm... a temperature controller could always be wired into the e-stop
circuit I suppose. Gotta look and see what other input options I can
program. Estop is not good if motors are moving at full speed when you
hit it. Now if I could program a feed hold and spindle stop that might
be ok.

I did pickup a couple temperature controllers recently, but those are
dog eared for another project.

On 5/10/2011 7:37 PM, Ecnerwal wrote:
In ,
Bob La wrote:

Ok, as some of you know I am using Bosch Colt Routers as spindles on my
Taig and on my MaxNC mills for cutting aluminum. The Bosch Colt routers
like most wood routers (all?) have an internal fan that blows downward
around the cutter.
...
Wadda ya think?

No way to tell for certain but to try it, IMHO.

A: Got a thermometer, perhaps one of those "trendy two years ago" point
and shoot ones? Take some readings on an unmodified router during the
corse of a workday. Do the same thing with a modified one, see if it's
noticeably hotter.

I replace brushes moderately often. The ones I get from e-replacement
parts do seem to last longer than the originals. Not sure when the
bearings are going to go, but I have one that is getting warm in the
nose. Its probably about due. I do have an NCT around somewhere.

B: assuming you burn through routers anyway, and have a usual hour range
for that, modify a new one and see if it dies early.

Burn through? I don't now. I have atleast a few hundred hours on both
of them. More on one. I suppose I should keep better track. Brushes
yes. Bearings on one soon probably. I have been thinking about
replacing them with a slightly more power Porter Cable router... and
that router is on sale right now from Grizzly. Of course then I
probably have to make new mounts.


C: A, then B if A doesn't look absurd.

D: actually, if you have a spare input that would take it, a thermal
sensor on the motor might be a good thing to have in place all the time.

Hmmmm... a temperature controller could always be wired into the e-stop
circuit I suppose. Gotta look and see what other input options I can
program. Estop is not good if motors are moving at full speed when you
hit it. Now if I could program a feed hold and spindle stop that might
be ok.

I did pickup a couple temperature controllers recently, but those are
dog eared for another project.

Bob La Londe wrote:

On 5/10/2011 7:37 PM, Ecnerwal wrote:
In ,
Bob La wrote:

Ok, as some of you know I am using Bosch Colt Routers as spindles on my
Taig and on my MaxNC mills for cutting aluminum. The Bosch Colt routers
like most wood routers (all?) have an internal fan that blows downward
around the cutter.
...
Wadda ya think?

No way to tell for certain but to try it, IMHO.

A: Got a thermometer, perhaps one of those "trendy two years ago" point
and shoot ones? Take some readings on an unmodified router during the
corse of a workday. Do the same thing with a modified one, see if it's
noticeably hotter.

I replace brushes moderately often. The ones I get from e-replacement
parts do seem to last longer than the originals. Not sure when the
bearings are going to go, but I have one that is getting warm in the
nose. Its probably about due. I do have an NCT around somewhere.

B: assuming you burn through routers anyway, and have a usual hour range
for that, modify a new one and see if it dies early.

Burn through? I don't now. I have atleast a few hundred hours on both
of them. More on one. I suppose I should keep better track.

Doesn't Mach3 have a spindle hour meter function in it somewhere? I seem
to recall that it might, if not once could certainly be added.

"Pete C." wrote in message
ter.com...

Bob La Londe wrote:

On 5/10/2011 7:37 PM, Ecnerwal wrote:
In ,
Bob La wrote:

Ok, as some of you know I am using Bosch Colt Routers as spindles on
my
Taig and on my MaxNC mills for cutting aluminum. The Bosch Colt
routers
like most wood routers (all?) have an internal fan that blows downward
around the cutter.
...
Wadda ya think?

No way to tell for certain but to try it, IMHO.

A: Got a thermometer, perhaps one of those "trendy two years ago" point
and shoot ones? Take some readings on an unmodified router during the
corse of a workday. Do the same thing with a modified one, see if it's
noticeably hotter.

I replace brushes moderately often. The ones I get from e-replacement
parts do seem to last longer than the originals. Not sure when the
bearings are going to go, but I have one that is getting warm in the
nose. Its probably about due. I do have an NCT around somewhere.

B: assuming you burn through routers anyway, and have a usual hour
range
for that, modify a new one and see if it dies early.

Burn through? I don't now. I have atleast a few hundred hours on both
of them. More on one. I suppose I should keep better track.

Doesn't Mach3 have a spindle hour meter function in it somewhere? I seem
to recall that it might, if not once could certainly be added.


Not that I am aware of, but I will look. It has a job hour meter, but it
resets as soon as you start/load another run.