Water Cooled or Not

[OaklanDJ]

Would someone please point me to the best resource to decide if I will be happy with my Bosch Colt (less power) or my DeWalt 618 (heavy, really noisy) or should I spring for your water-cooled spindle. Web info says NWA spindle is quiet, but no data on decibels.
Can't wait to get my Shark HD4, since I'm well-familiar w/ the 80/20 line of extruded aluminum products (and have a lot on hand) plan to build an enclosure like the one for sale. Something to keep me occupied while waiting for delivery.
Thanks for your help,

[Brandon Albritton]

OaklanDJ,

I run water cooled spindles all of the time at Next Wave. I also have one on my Shark at home. I have never had one issue with them at all. They are incredibly quiet (which is why I bought one), and they last a very long time. In the 2.5 years I've had mine, I've never had to replace any parts. Very easy to set up and use.

[OaklanDJ]

I appreciate the fast response, Brandon. Think I'm gonna practice a bit with the little Colt handheld, then (on your fine recommendation) spring for the $800 spindle from NWA.

[Brandon Albritton]

What machine do you currently have?

[OaklanDJ]

Hello, Brandon. Don't know when it will arrive (unknown delay on part(s)), but a few days ago I ordered the Shark HD4. Would have ordered the Pirhana, but in the past made the mistake of starting too small, losing $$ when upgrading. The difference in the two machine's Z axis is mainly why I chose the HD4. Have used AutoCAD for furniture design for several years, so, hopefully will have no trouble w/ vCarve (Pro). My first project (after sufficient practice, is a solid mahogany "hood" for an antique stereoscopic viewer.

[Brandon Albritton]

I agree. I have the HD3 (hoping to upgrade this year), and couldn't be happier with the size. Trust me, I am taking AutoCAD in college right now, and vCarve is much easier. The nice thing is you can do work in AutoCAD and export dxf's to then bring into vCarve. Sounds like a great project, let us know how it goes.