It is possible, I don’t mill Aluminum. Hard and soft woods. Besides, noise doesn’t bother me much. But everyone’s situation is different. I like Dewalt, it is work horse.
I can cut 0.002 with dewalt. It’s not your spindle’s capability. If you have rigid machine, you can go as precise as your steppers allowance. Router only spins Bit for you. I ran 20X22 Pannel 3D Logo on it, took 4 Hrs and 14 Minutes. Dewalt didn’t even get warm. That’s why I’m calling it as work horse.
.002mm runout with a Dewalt 611???
Yes I am. ■■■ soon as I find another copper, I’ll engrave it and send it to you as Christmas gift. 
In the line of the posters question… Go with either a Dewalt style AC router or with a VFD style spindle. Both have far more power over the 400W 48V spindle for deep wood or the milling of aluminum. But it still depends on the items being milled. I still love my Shapeoko and 48V spindle for PCB milling for which it is perfectly suited. But any aluminum milling under 1" I give to the X Carve and the VFD. Anything over 1" deep goes to the big ball screw mill with the 1.5KW VFD spindle. But in short, the stock spindle is total trash as many posts here tell. For most folks the Dewalt is their spindle of choice as it is cheap, works great and has a stock mount sold for it by Inventables. Some of us elect to go with a VFD style spindle and have had great success with that style and setup. Inventables has the .8kw water cooled spindle on their own 1000 x 1000 X Carve test rig in their shop instead of the Dewalt when I was invited so their offices.
But no matter which spindle the poster picks from the Dwalt style or the VFD style, most everyone here agrees it will beat the 400 48V spindle for everything above PCB milling.
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I’ll probably go with the vfd. How reliable are those vfds? I’ve heard of quality control issues with vfds from china, is that the case or is it a good performer? Considering everyone loves the vfd spindles I’ll assume it’s good
Do you find that the 1.5kw spindle is louder than your .8 or are they similar?
I bought mine from here 800W 1HP CNC Milling Spindle, ER11 Chuck (KL-800), Water Cooling | and have had no issues at all from it or the 1.5KW VFD 800W 1HP CNC Milling Spindle, ER11 Chuck (KL-800), Water Cooling | or you can power the same motor with the 110 VFD 1.5KW VFD, Variable Frequency Drive (KL-VFD15), 110VAC input |. If you need help with the cooling system I can also help with that. Keep in mind the fittings on the spindle for water cooling are a much smaller tubing size. I can show you how I did mine if you need some help. So far mine has milled like a champ and is hardly warm to the touch.
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I find them to be the same level of noise. but a 1.5KW will not work on the X Carve while the .8KW works great
Why won’t it work on the x-carve? You mean it won’t fit the standard spindle mount? That’s no problem.
How much is the cost differences guys. I better keep in mind in case I need it. What’re we looking here, is it big difference or not.
No it is more that the 1.5KW spindle just is too heavy for the X Carve and the dual maker slides. WAY too much twist on the 1000 spans also. I spoke with Bart on this at the Inventables offices while there and he and I both agreed that the 1.5KW is far too heavy for the X Carve to use. My 1.5KW is on my big ball screw router and it is built from 3/4" aluminum tool plate and 60mmX60mm box beams so it can take the weight without issues. The .8KW works great on the X Carve but anything heavier and it starts to twist too much to be of real use.
I bought mine from a USA seller so I could have faster shipping and recourse if there was an issue. It is not a cheap system, I think cooling systema nd all i am in about $425 or so maybe $500 (I went extra on the cooling loop system I used) so it is not cheaper, but it does suit some better than a AC router does. But you can expect to spend about $275-350 US for a good 220V .8KW with good bearings in it. I bought mine here 800W 1HP CNC Milling Spindle, ER11 Chuck (KL-800), Water Cooling |. Not cheap but it is top notch so far and the guy runs a great company. I buy lots of items from them and never any issues.
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Thanks.
Heavier than the Hitachi (7.3 lbs)?
8LB 11 OZ dry without the mount or cooling water in it. The .8kw is closer to 6.5 or 7ish LBs
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I’m sorry if I’m misunderstanding, as I am new to CNC’s, but are you saying you can power that .8kw (220v) spindle with the 110vac input VFD (KL-VFD15) from automation tech? I want to eventually upgrade my x-carve, but am trying to avoid purchasing from the vendors from China. I’m leaning towards a.8kw air cooled spindle (220v), but was unsure if the 110vac input VFD’s would power it. Thanks for all the info you’ve provided!
Yes the 110V VFD unit will power the 220V 3 phase Spindles. The 110v VFD has a step up transformer inside it which steps up the 110V to 220V 3P power for the spindle. I opted to go a bit different way though. I use a 220V VFD unit but step up my 110V before with a step up transformer first. I use this http://www.amazon.com/ELC-T-5000-5000-Watt-Converter-Transformer/dp/B00EBC5HSS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440093131&sr=8-1&keywords=step+up+transformer+5000w as I do not have 220V output in my mill room in the house. The .8KW spindle draws about 1.4 amps 220V at the VFD. I have milled about 100 hrs on this with jobs running 3-6 hours at a time non-stop in aluminum and had zero spindle issues. If you call the guys over at Automation tech INC they are VERY helpful and will make sure you get everything you need for the spindle. If you go water cooled be sure to touch base with myself or another of the VFD guys so we can help you out as there are some odd connection sizes on the spindles but we can help you get it all hooked up right and cheaply.
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Awesome, thanks for the info!