CNC SPINDLE :
Porter Cable 75182 Router
 Many companies set up their mounting brackets on their CNC gantry to accept a specific router, and this is true with a number of brands of CNC wood routers including some ShopBot machines. They design their mounting brackets AND wiring to accept the Porter Cable 75182 router.
Note that the 7518 is exactly the same as the 75182 except that it includes the handles and mounting plate assembly, parts that you don’t need if you only intend to use this router in a CNC carriage. If you have any thought on using this manually as well, then buy the 7518 with the handles.
Price:
Under $300.00 for the 75182 router and $350-$400 for the 7518 with the handles . You can buy a reconditioned one for under $300 but that then reduces your warranty from 3 years to 1 year. Not a good deal if only once in that period have to change bearings.. and on a CNC machine that can be a common occurrence if your machine sees any hours.
Collets:
Most Porter Cable Router motors I have seen seem to ship with the standard ½” collet. I’d encourage you to buy right from the onset the 1/4” and 3/8” sizes as well, otherwise I’ll guarantee that you’ll be playing at midnight one day and desperately need to use a smaller bit and not have the tooling to accommodate that.
Porter Cable has also engineered an auto release collet system that makes bit change-over faster and easier.
Motor:
15 amp. 110 volt, 60 Hertz with electronic speed control that gives you five settings (10,000, 13,000, 16,000, 19,000, and 21,000 rpm), and electronic soft start. This reduces wear and tear on the bearings and the mounting harness on startup. The motor housing is 4.2” in diameter (in case you making your own CNC router) and need to fabricate a mounting clamp. All bearings are sealed ball bearings.
Switch: dust-sealed
Weight: 18 lbs
Note that the 75182 without the handles is harder to find but you can save yourself $50.00 or so by buying it from Amazon (Click HERE to Check) .. they are one of the few places selling the Porter Cable 75182 Router, remember the extra “2” at the end that indicates it i s the one without the handles.
In the next article we’ll have a look at the various considerations of using an industrial CNC spindle motor, the good and the bad.
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