Router or spindle: what "spindle not included" means

Six machines in the record ship without anything to cut with. What they expect you to add.

The part of a CNC router that actually cuts is a motor holding a bit. Wikipedia describes a CNC wood router as "a computer controlled machine to which the router or spindle mounts", and those are the two options. A router is the handheld woodworking tool; the trim router or laminate trimmer is "a smaller, lighter version of the router". A spindle is a motor made to live in the machine, with its speed set electronically.

A trim router (left) and a spindle with its separate driver (right). Simplified drawings. Original drawing.

Some machines come with one, some don't

Machine	Included	What the page says
SainSmart 3018-PROVer V2	Yes	775 spindle, 42 mm diameter (included). Power and max RPM not published on this page.
SainSmart 3020-PRO MAX V2	Not published	Not published on this page
SainSmart 4040-PRO	Yes	75W, max 9,000 RPM (included; described as upgradable)
FoxAlien Masuter Pro	Yes	775 spindle, 10,000 RPM (included). Power not published on this page.
FoxAlien Masuter Pro Max 2x2	Yes	500W brushless (included). RPM not published on this page.
SainSmart 4040-PRO MAX	Yes	710W trim router, 6,500-30,000 RPM (included)
Onefinity Apprentice	No	Not included; takes a 65 mm spindle or a Makita trim router
FoxAlien Masuter 3S	Yes	400W spindle (included). RPM not published on this page.
Sienci Labs LongMill MK3 30x30	No	Not included ("Router and other accessories sold separately")
Onefinity Gen 2 Elite Woodworker	No	Not included; takes an 80 mm or 65 mm spindle or a Makita trim router
Carbide 3D Nomad 3	Yes	130W brushless DC, 9,000-24,000 RPM (included)
Sienci Labs AltMill MK2 4x4	No	Not included; standard 80 mm spindle mount only. Optional 1.5 kW and 2.2 kW ER20 spindle kits and a 2.2 kW ATC kit.
Carbide 3D Shapeoko 5.1 Pro 4x2	No	Not included; takes a 65 mm trim router or Carbide 3D's VFD spindle
Sienci Labs AltMill MK2 2x4	No	Not included; standard 80 mm spindle mount. Optional 1.5 kW and 2.2 kW ER20 spindle kits and a 2.2 kW ATC kit.

In the record, six of the seven machines that include something to cut with cost under $1,000; the other is the enclosed Nomad 3. The six that don't are from Carbide 3D, Onefinity and Sienci Labs, and their prices don't include a router. Sienci Labs' AltMill pages offer 1.5 kW and 2.2 kW spindle kits as add-ons. Sienci Labs says it plainly on the LongMill page: "Router and other accessories sold separately."

What the bigger machines expect

Where makers say what fits, they describe a round mount rather than a model. Carbide 3D asks for a "65mm trim router", either its own Carbide Compact Router or its VFD spindle kit. Onefinity lists a 65 mm spindle, a Makita trim router, and, on the Elite series, an 80 mm spindle. Onefinity also lists "RS485 PWM" control for spindles, which is how its controller can set a spindle's speed.

Reading the power figures

Where the spindle is included, the power figures vary a lot: 75W on the 4040-PRO, 130W on the Nomad 3, 400W on the Masuter 3S, 500W on the Masuter Pro Max 2x2 and 710W on the 4040-PRO MAX, which comes with a trim router. Two pages, the 3018-PROVer V2 and the Masuter Pro, name the spindle as a "775" and don't give a power figure.

Power isn't the whole story either. The Nomad 3's spindle runs at "9000 - 24000 RPM" according to its page; the 4040-PRO's tops out at 9,000. Speed matters for how small a bit can cut cleanly, and that's beyond what this record tests.

Before you budget

If a machine doesn't include a router or spindle, the price on the page isn't the price of a working machine. Check what mount it takes, and whether the maker sells a matching router, before comparing prices.

Sources

Read on 1 November 2026. Quotes are copied from these pages.