Milling table torrent. Homemade milling table for a manual router video. Build a solid foundation

A milling machine is a professional woodworking tool that requires special installation. For installation, a milling table can serve, which is rarely found on sale, and those that are on the market cost a lot of money. Therefore, it is much easier to make a milling table with your own hands. It is the presence of a special machine that allows you to optimize the work as much as possible, make it safe and process the workpieces more quickly. This is due to the fact that it is not the tool (milling cutter) that moves along the material being processed, but the part is moved along the resulting machine. Below will be described how to make a homemade milling table.

The quality of work largely depends on the choice of a table for a milling machine.

Choice of material and table type

Professional craftsmen who are engaged in carpentry always try to make themselves a specialized milling machine. It not only simplifies the work, but also allows you to make more accurate and accurate cuts that will not differ from the factory ones. Many foreign companies offer some models of specialized milling machines, but these models are either not well thought out (not ergonomic and inconvenient), or they cost a lot of money, which will pay off for a long time. A home-made machine made for yourself will save money and will be convenient during operation. To make a machine for yourself, you must first decide on the type of its design.

As a countertop for a milling table, MDF boards or wood of different species are usually used.

In principle, all types of machine tools can be divided into 3 types:

stand-alone (personal, non-portable);
portable (small portable);
expandable (stand - wing to the table).

Determining the type is quite simple, for which you should know the operating time on the machine. For long and long work, you should choose a separate machine. In case of rare use of the tool, a portable one is also suitable. A prefix or wing to the table is suitable if there is not enough free space. The advantages of a stand-alone table include the fact that when long work with the tool, you can not turn it off.

For the manufacture of machines, you can use MDF boards (on the countertop), pine boards(relatively cheap material) or boards of any other material. It is much easier to use MDF after all. This is the cheapest material for the production of furniture, easy to process. If financial opportunity allows, then preference should be given to natural wood.

Special mention must be made of metal. Some people consider metal to be the most durable material, and they are right. Metal is much stronger than wood, but it has significant drawbacks. For example, it is an ideal conductor, so it is not recommended to mount an electrical appliance on such a surface. Another disadvantage is weight. You should take care of the strength of the legs, which must withstand not only the surface of the table, but also the sum of the masses of the tool, parts and workpieces, the weight of a person. In addition, in winter, in an unheated room, the metal will be cold and create discomfort for the working master, the metal may rust. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to abandon the metal.

Small design details

To make a good multifunctional table, you should know the principle of the router.

In order to make a good machine, you need to know how the router works, and how best to process workpieces on it.

So, the milling cutter is mainly used for processing the longitudinal edge of the part. If it is necessary to mill grooves across the workpiece, it is recommended to provide a special groove in the design for the stop-carriage. In addition to the function described above, additional clamps can be mounted in the groove for better processing blanks.

It will greatly simplify the work of an emphasis placed longitudinally, which will act as a guide for the materials being processed. This stop must be perfectly flat and even, the working plane of the stop must be perpendicular to the plane of the table surface, and the stop itself must be movable. The latter is required to adjust to the dimensions of the workpieces. With proper manufacture of such an emphasis, the machine will be able not only to mill, but also to joint (plan) materials. A groove should be provided in the stop, which will allow the installation of auxiliary tools. You can also provide attachments for a vacuum cleaner hose on it, which, working on blowing, will allow you to quickly clean the treated surface from chips and sawdust, improving visibility.

A properly made milling table with metal plates will allow you to quickly change the cutter if necessary.

But the most important thing is the way the router is attached. To mount the tool, metal countertops are usually used, which look like a small plate that is attached to the countertop. The milling cutter is attached to this plate with screws or bolts in specially made holes. The use of such a mini-surface will save up to 1 cm of milling depth, you can make a quick dismantling (mounting) of the tool and more evenly fix the tool to the metal tabletop.

The speed of removal of the milling cutter from such a plate will allow you to quickly replace the cutter on it. There is still a gain and on fastening. So, if for attaching a tool to wooden tabletop very careful leveling of the surface is required, it is necessary to drill holes in the right places, which for another model of the tool may not be suitable both in diameter and in attachment points, then in the case of a metal mini-surface, the surface of the boards is leveled only at the attachment point of the sheet of metal, points fasteners will always be static, which will allow you to quickly change the tool if necessary. Each router has its own attachment points, so before installing it, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with its drawings.

Installing the router using the drawings is not difficult - just drill holes, maintaining the dimensions (distances between them).

Table manufacturing procedure

A properly assembled milling table allows you to process various surfaces.

A primitive home-made table may look like this: an MDF tabletop, fixed on 4 legs, on (under) which a tool is installed, a board is fixed on the tabletop - a guide that can be fixed to the table and with clamps. This is the easiest option. However, it is irrational, because part of the countertop (at least 50%) will not be used in the process of work, in addition, there is a high probability of uneven installation of the router, which will cut uneven grooves. It is more rational to use this design on the folding wing of the table. This will significantly save space in the workshop and rationally use work surface.

The next option differs from the previous one in advanced features. So, in the middle of the table, a hole is made for mounting the tool, the Guide Board is made with a groove for processing thin workpieces, and fixed with self-tapping screws. Next, a groove is made (at some distance from the router), which will allow milling workpieces at an angle.

A portable machine looks very simple. Small legs are attached to the tabletop (the size is equal to the length of the router + 5-7 cm). The dimensions of the tabletop itself are minimal, allowing you to install only a router + 15-20 cm. This option will be mobile (portable), but it will be inconvenient to work on it long time. This mini-machine is suitable for extremely rare tool use.

Individual workplace

Consider the manufacture of a "serious" table for a router.

To begin with, it is worth mentioning the size. On average, the size can be 1 x 1 or 1 x 0.7 (0.8) m. This will not only allow you to work comfortably on the table, but also place other auxiliary items on it. A frame is knocked under the tabletop (legs, which should be attached not only to the tabletop, but also have an additional screed).

Then they do the countertop. For its manufacture, it is necessary to knock down the boards (under right size), carefully plan them with a planer and grind sandpaper to be almost smooth surface. Then plywood is glued onto the countertop. It will make the surface almost perfectly flat. To prevent plywood from peeling off under the influence of vibrations, it should be additionally fixed with self-tapping screws. When the glue dries and the plywood is fixed to the countertop with self-tapping screws, a hole is cut in the middle of the countertop for mounting the router. The hole should have a rectangular shape and have dimensions equal to the size of the router + 50-100 mm in length and width.

The tabletop surface of the milling table must be even and smooth.

The next step is to prepare a metal plate to which the router will be attached. It should have a size equal to the size of the hole + 2.5-3 cm in length and width. The fixing points of the tool are determined in place.

Next, install a guide board or stop. The latter is preferable. It is better to make the emphasis movable (as described above) and double, so that they can clamp the material. Mobility is provided by grooves for the entire length of the table, into which metal guides are inserted. An anchor is made on the stops themselves, which will enter the guides. It can be cut out of wood or attached to the wheels stop.

For the convenience of work, grooves are cut out in the tabletop, which will allow processing workpieces at an angle. Their width and the distance between them is determined by the master. Several drawers for tools can be attached to the bed. In order for the table to have a pleasant appearance, slopes should be made on the table top and legs. and varnish all surfaces.

Such a table will allow you to quickly, without straining, process workpieces, which will make the woodworking time enjoyable.

Milling table significantly increases labor productivity and work efficiency with a manual milling cutter. It is often unprofitable to purchase a serial model of such a table for your home milling machine. It is much more economical to make a table with your own hands. It will not take much time and will require very little financial outlay. Any home master can cope with such a task if desired.

The question is how to make milling table with their own hands, many home craftsmen ask. This is understandable: equipment on which the router is fixed motionless, and the workpiece moves along a specially equipped desktop, in many cases is much more convenient to use. Often, when working with a manual milling cutter, the workpiece is fixed on regular table, and all manipulations are carried out by the tool itself, which does not allow maintaining the accuracy of processing.

Using the table for manual router when processing wood products, you can achieve results that allow you to get professional milling machines. With the help of such a simple device, a whole list of technological operations is performed qualitatively: cutting out figured holes and making various slots and grooves in the workpiece, manufacturing connecting elements, processing and profiling of edges.

The factory-made milling table device can be found in the video below. We will try to make it no worse, but in some ways even better and, which is very important, cheaper.

The milling table will give you the opportunity to process not only wooden blanks, but also products that are made of chipboard, MDF, plastic, etc. With the help of such a table, you can make grooves and slots, process elements of tongue and groove joints, chamfering and creating decorative profiles.

The milling table, the manufacture of which does not require large financial costs, will allow you to equip your home workshop with a real woodworking machine. It is no coincidence that many manufacturing companies engaged in the manufacture of precisely milling tables and accessories for them, but for such a device you will have to pay a decent amount of money. A home-made table, if made in accordance with the drawings that we will analyze in this article, is in no way inferior to models produced under production conditions in terms of its functionality, but it will cost much less.

Milling table drawings: option number 1

Drawings of the milling table with a detailed analysis of the design of the main units and their dimensions.

Dimensions of parts Table in section Two-layer table cover Cut-out in the first layer of the table Marking the cut-out of the second layer of the table Gluing both layers Cutting the cut-out according to the marking of the second layer Rip fence drawing End plate of the fence Dust extraction nozzle Plexiglas guard Comb clamp and locking block

Milling table design

If desired, you can make a milling table from an ordinary workbench, but it is better to make a special design. This is explained by the fact that a machine with a cutter creates strong vibration during operation, so the table for it must be highly stable and reliable. It should also be taken into account that the milling device attached to the bottom of the tabletop, so there should be enough free space under it.

To attach the router to the tabletop, a mounting plate is used, which must have high strength and rigidity. You can use a metal sheet, textolite or durable plywood for the manufacture of such a plate. On the soles of most models of routers there are already threaded holes, and they are needed to connect such a device to the tabletop and mounting plate. If there are no such holes, you can drill them yourself and cut threads into them, or use special clamps.

The mounting plate must be flush with the countertop, for this the appropriate dimensions are selected in the latter. It is necessary to drill several holes in the plate, some of which are necessary for connecting it to the tabletop using self-tapping screws, and others for attaching it to the router sole. The screws and self-tapping screws that you will use must be countersunk.

To make your turn on homemade milling machine more convenient, on the tabletop you can place a regular button, as well as a mushroom button, which will make your device even safer to use. To improve the convenience of your home machine you can fix a long metal ruler on the surface of the table.

Before you start building milling table for your workshop, you need to determine the place where it will be located, as well as decide what type of milling equipment you want to make. So, you can make an aggregate-type machine (the table will be located on the side of the sawing equipment, serve as its extension), compact desktop machine, stand-alone stationary equipment.

Opt for compact benchtop equipment for woodworking and other materials if you access it infrequently or often use it outside your workshop. Such an installation takes up very little space, and if desired, it can be hung on the wall.

If the area of your workshop allows, then it is better to make a stationary milling machine, which is much more convenient to work with than desktop equipment. To make such a device more mobile, it can be put on wheels, with which you can easily change its location.

A simple homemade milling table. There are questions about the overall strength, but cheap and cheerful.

The simplest milling table can be made very quickly. To make a structure that is easily located on a regular desktop, you will need a chipboard sheet on which the guide element is fixed. As such a guide (and at the same time a stop), an ordinary board of small thickness is suitable, which is attached to the table top with bolted connections. If necessary, a second such board can be attached in parallel, which will serve as a limiting stop.

In a sheet of chipboard, it is required to make a hole to accommodate the router, which will be fixed on the countertop with two clamps. After that, your compact router table with rail can be considered ready.

Manufacturing of the bed and countertop

The bed of a home-made milling machine must have high stability and reliability, since it is on it that the main loads will fall. Structurally, it is a frame with supports on which the tabletop is fixed. As a material for the manufacture of the frame frame, you can use welded metal profiles, chipboard, MDF, wood. It is advisable to prepare first simple drawing. It is necessary to indicate on it all structural elements and their dimensions, depending on the dimensions of the parts that are planned to be processed on such milling equipment.

The lower part of the bed from the side of its front part must be deepened by 100–200 mm so that nothing interferes with the feet of the operator of the milling machine. If you are going to process door linings and facade ends for them on your home-made machine, then the dimensions of the bed can be as follows: 900x500x1500 (height, depth, width).

One of the significant characteristics of the bed for a homemade milling machine is its height, on which the convenience of working on such equipment depends. According to ergonomic requirements, the most suitable height of equipment for which people work while standing is 850–900 mm. It is desirable to make the lower parts of the bed supports adjustable. This will make it possible not only to compensate for uneven floors, but also, if necessary, to change the height of the milling table.

You can make an inexpensive, but very reliable work surface for a homemade milling device from the countertop of an old one. kitchen table. These tables are usually made from chipboard sheet 26 or 36 mm thick, covered with wear-resistant plastic. Their surface ensures good sliding of the workpiece, and the chipboard base perfectly dampens the vibrations that occur during the operation of the equipment. If you make a desktop for the machine with your own hands, then MDF and chipboard (LDSP) plates with a thickness of 16 mm or more are suitable for these purposes.

Milling table drawings: option number 2

Detailed drawings of a milling table with additional drawers, which can be made from timber and plywood (or MDF). The list of parts with dimensions and recommended material of manufacture is presented in the table.

Table of table parts and their dimensions Frame Upper corner of the frame Lower corner of the frame Guide for sliding drawers Guide layout Table top Stop drawing Large drawer Small drawer Small drawer front Table side panels

How to make a mounting plate

Since the tabletop of a homemade milling machine has a fairly large thickness, the mounting plate for mounting the router should have a minimum thickness. This will maximize takeoff. cutting tool. It is clear that such a plate with a minimum thickness should be characterized by high strength and rigidity.

The plate can be made of metal or of a material that is not inferior to it in its strength - textolite. The thickness of the textolite sheet should be in the range of 4–8 mm. According to a previously prepared drawing, a rectangular part is cut out of such a sheet, in the center of which a hole is made. The dimensions of the latter correspond to the diameter of the hole in the sole of the router.

The connection of the plate with the sole of the milling cutter and the table itself, as mentioned above, is provided by the holes made in it and the mating threaded holes in the sole of the milling cutter. Holes for fixing the plate to the table surface are made at its four corners.

The dimensions and location of the holes for connecting the plate with the router must fully correspond to the holes located on the sole of the tool. In order not to be mistaken in the manufacture of the plate, it is necessary to first prepare its drawing, on which it is necessary to indicate dimensions this part, the diameters and the location of all the holes on it. If desired, you can fix it on the surface of the table using clamps.

Videos from detailed story about the construction of a milling table, the functionality and convenience of which are very high, but the complexity of manufacturing is also very serious. For most masters, such a table will be unnecessarily complicated, but perhaps someone will draw useful ideas when building your own equipment.

Milling table assembly

The milling table begins to be assembled by attaching the table top to the finished bed. The mounting plate is applied to the place of the countertop where it should be placed according to the drawing, its outline is drawn with a pencil. This is necessary in order to select a recess for the plate along the indicated contour, for which a hand mill with a tool with a diameter of 6–10 mm is used. The size of this recess should be such that the plate lies in it at the same level with the surface of the countertop.

It will not work to make a recess with right angles with a round cutter, therefore, on the plate itself, the corners must also be rounded with a file. After fixing in the countertop, it is necessary to do in mounting plate hole with dimensions corresponding to the diameter of the sole of the router. It is done using a straight cutter, the thickness of which should be greater than that of the countertop itself.

When the equipment requirements are low and there is no desire to get involved with homemade products, you can buy something similar to what is shown in the photo below.

To perform such an operation, you do not need a drawing, since it does not require high accuracy. WITH reverse side worktops, it is also necessary to select a certain amount of material, since the dust collector casing and other devices will need to be placed at the bottom of the table. To quickly perform all the above operations, you can focus on the drawings or photos posted in this article.

The final step in assembling a homemade milling table is to connect all of its structural elements. First, a milling cutter is started from the bottom of the tabletop, its sole is screwed to the mounting plate. Then the plate itself is attached to the top surface of the countertop with countersunk screws, which must be completely recessed into the prepared holes. Only after performing these operations, the tabletop itself is securely fixed to the frame.

Milling table drawings: option number 3

A compact desktop milling table and a detailed analysis of its creation in the photo below.

computer model Appearance assembled Back view Front view Cutter raised, doors moved apart Cutter lowered, doors moved apart Hand router Hose from a vacuum cleaner for removing dust and chips Mounting the router and removing chips Adjusting the rise of the cutter Cutter is raised by turning the screw Adjusting the rise of the cutter router Glass precisely fitted to the worktop Router screwed to the base plate

Making the top clamp

To do homemade machine safer in operation and ensure the convenience of processing dimensional workpieces on it, it is possible to equip such equipment top clamp. To create this fixture, made on the basis of a roller, it is necessary to prepare a drawing.

A ball bearing of a suitable size is often used as a roller for the pressure device. Mount such a roller on a holding device that allows you to fix it at any distance from the table top. With the help of this simple universal device, the workpiece of any thickness will be securely fixed when moving along the surface of the desktop.

In the video below, a man shows his homemade router table, which he assembled right on the balcony of his own house.

Drive for homemade milling machine

In order for a homemade milling machine to be different high performance and functionality, it is necessary to equip it with an electric drive of sufficient power. If you plan to use your machine for shallow woodworking, a 500W electric motor will suffice. However, equipment with a low power drive will often shut down, which will negate all the savings from purchasing a weak electric motor.

The best choice for such machines are electric motors, the power of which starts from 1100 watts. Such an electric motor with a power ranging from 1 to 2 kW will allow you to use your own homemade device like a real milling machine for processing wood products. In addition, you can use any type of cutter on such a machine. To equip the drive of the machine, you can use electric motors that are installed on stationary equipment (for example, on drilling machines), as well as hand tools(drills, grinders, manual milling cutters).

You should pay attention not only to the power, but also to the speed of the electric motor. The higher this indicator, the best quality will get a cut. Electric motors, as you know, can be powered by electrical network with a voltage of 220 and 380 V. There will be no problems with connecting the first ones, but three-phase asynchronous motors will have to be powered using a special star-delta circuit. Connecting according to this scheme will make it possible to use the electric motor on its maximum power and give it a smooth start. And if you directly connect such an electric motor to a 220 V network, then you will lose 30–50% of its power.

Milling table drawings: option No. 4

Analysis of another design of a do-it-yourself milling table, supplemented by a video from the author.

The table top is folded down The elevator is organized with a jack The table top, top view Movable stop carriage Parallel stop with wings Box for connecting a vacuum cleaner (dust and chips removal) Steel plate for fastening the router Attaching the sole of the router to the plate The principle of operation of the elevator

Safety when working on a homemade milling table

When making a homemade milling machine, you should ensure the safety of working on it. First of all, you need to equip the working tool itself protective screen. How such screens are arranged is illustrated by photos and drawings. professional equipment. An essential element of your homemade equipment there should be an emergency stop button, the so-called fungus. It should be placed in an easily accessible place, and the start button should be fixed in a place where it will not be accidentally pressed.

Make sure that the processing area is well lit, as this is the most dangerous place in any equipment. If in the course of work you need to frequently change the overhang of the cutter, it is worth making a manual or automatic device lifting-lowering of the tool (elevator). Such an elevator will allow you to more efficiently use your homemade milling equipment and make the work on it comfortable and safe. Various designs such lifts can also be found online.

If desired and necessary, you can constantly upgrade your home-made equipment and turn it over time into a full-fledged coordinate machine with a rotary desktop.

With the milling table, you can professional processing tree. Connections, end profiling, door and window frames, plinths, frames for photographs and paintings are made neatly and conveniently on the table. A factory-made table can fly into a pretty penny with dubious quality. Why not make it yourself? Moreover, the design is not at all complicated, further drawings will be disassembled in detail.

The main parts of the milling table

There are many options for milling tables. As a rule, masters create unique blueprints to suit your needs. But the basic design is the same regardless of the size of the machine. Here is a table 90 x 48 x 30 cm, top and supports made of plywood No. 27, workbench legs welded from a steel corner.

The main elements of the table for a manual router, the quality and design of which will determine the convenience of work and functionality.

Table type

First you need to decide on the type of future machine:

stationary;
portable;
aggregate.

If you plan to work on the road, a small drawing will do. portable design. With constant work in the workshop, it will be convenient to be reliable and powerful stationary table. It can be mounted on wheels and moved around the room. And for a small workshop, the aggregate version is good, it is an extension of the tabletop of the saw machine or its rotary version.

Cover material

The most practical countertops are made of chipboard, pasted over with thin plastic or MDF with a melamine layer. Such material is very easy to cut with a jigsaw, and it will last a long time.

Pressed worktops are not suitable for work in damp rooms and outdoors! So that they do not swell, all edges will have to be carefully processed and sealed.

Very good homemade countertops from plastic sheets. They are smooth, even and easy to work with. Such a machine can be used in any conditions.

Metal countertops are harder to make, they are heavy. A aluminum sheets it is necessary to additionally clad - cover with a layer that prevents contamination of parts.

Stop groove

Typically, a milling table is used for processing longitudinal edges. In order to be able to process the transverse ends, when creating a home-made machine, it is necessary to provide for a movable stop that moves in the groove. The built-in groove is also used for mounting clamping devices.

Fixing the router

There are two options for attaching a hand router to a table:

directly to the bottom surface of the countertop;
to the removable mounting platform.

When doing, they often use the first method, as it is simpler. But the mounting plate equipment has a number of advantages in operation:

up to 1 cm of the depth of processing of the part is released;
the router is easier to remove for changing cutters.

Therefore, we recommend to tinker a little longer and equip the mounting plate. It must be flush with the surface of the countertop, otherwise the workpiece will touch the protrusions. Even more convenience is provided by a cutter elevator, the design of which will be discussed in detail later.

Longitudinal stop

It serves as a guide for the part, so it must be even. You can make an emphasis with a T-slot, into which clamps and other devices are inserted to facilitate work.

Homemade table

The most primitive drawing homemade table for a router - this is an MDF tabletop, in which a hole is made for the passage of the cutter and a guide ruler is attached - an evenly planed board. Such a tabletop can be placed between two workbenches or installed on its own legs. Its advantages are in the simplest and quickly manufactured design. Do serious woodwork similar device unlikely to allow. Consider more functional options, including swivel.

Small milling table

A desktop model for a manual router, which you can make yourself in a few evenings. Lightweight construction and mobile, fits on a shelf, takes up little space, and its drawings are simple.

The working surface and side racks are made of thick laminated plywood No. 15. Tabletop size 40 x 60 cm, height without corner stop 35 cm, stop height 10 cm. Three grooves are selected in the surface of the desktop for installing rails. Various auxiliary devices are installed here and moved along the countertop.
To make the structure stable, the legs are made of chipboard or MDF No. 22. The legs are placed with a slight indent, leaving some space for attaching templates, clamps with clamps.
To cover the mechanism, a front panel made of plywood or chipboard is installed from below.
For the side stop, grooves are provided along which it moves. Locks in the right place with the help of bolts with wing nuts. The emphasis can be dismantled and installed on the vacant place any convenient device.
A branch pipe is connected to the stop for removing chips, which are released in abundance during operation. Chip deflectors for router and table through plastic corrugations from sewer siphons are combined with a splitter for water supply. A hose from a household vacuum cleaner is attached to it on a clamp. It turns out a very effective system for removing chips, it practically does not scatter around the room.
Since the machine is designed for a hand router, a special on-off toggle switch is not required.
The stop consists of two parts, which approach or move apart depending on the diameter of the working body. A wing nut is provided for fastening the sash. The proposed model is good in that the tool can be easily removed from the bed to replace the cutters.
The mounting platform for the router is made of textolite or plexiglass. Pre-dismantled plastic playground from the cutter kit. The recesses for the mounting site are selected with a milling cutter, and the hole is cut with an electric jigsaw. When the hole is ready, the plexiglass is adjusted to its size and shape. It should fit tightly and without protrusions into the window.

You can make several mounting pads of the same size with holes for different cutter diameters.

This option is convenient for small hand tools. If a stationary table is made for a large milling cutter, insert rings are attached to one mounting platform for different cutter diameters.

To ensure that the workpiece moves smoothly, movement stops are installed on the side stop. Also, clamps are attached to the side stop, which hold the part near the cutter during operation. Additional Convenience create a sled along which the workpiece moves at a right angle. And to make work safe, pushers are made.

The table is ready for use, its disadvantage is the lack of adjustment of the working depth. This is done manually, by pressing on the tool. From the first time it is impossible to "get" into the desired depth. Therefore, we recommend equipping the table with a lift.

A hole must be made in the bed where the adjusting bolt with a wing nut is inserted. The depth of milling is smoothly changed by twisting the lamb.

Some craftsmen fit under old car jacks. The device is attached under the router, a hole is made in the side wall to bring the jack handle out. The handle of the jack can be bent under right angle, during rotation, the router moves up and down smoothly in 2 mm increments.

Another model of a homemade milling table for a router in a video:

Examples of milling table designs and their drawings

Construction 1

A modern range of processing power tools will satisfy the needs of any craftsman. In this case, you can always turn a hand tool into stationary machine.

The most sought-after woodworking tool is, of course, a milling cutter. Most of the work can be done with a manual milling cutter, but when large workpieces are processed, technical difficulties arise.

Purchase of a milling machine for home use too costly event, so the masters are trying to make a table for the router with their own hands.

A self-made table allows you to manipulate the workpiece being processed, while the router itself is rigidly fixed on the table top. The power tool is attached from below, protrudes above the level of the table.

Do-it-yourself homemade milling table from wooden bars

How to make a table for a manual router

The main condition is a massive structure that will be reliable during vibrations and withstand the weight of a workpiece of any size.

IMPORTANT! Because the router is dangerous, the table may fall and cause injury. To give stability to the structure, it is advisable to equip the table legs with height adjusters. Then you can set the machine on an uneven surface.

The worktop should be made of a smooth, wear-resistant material, such as a kitchen worktop coating. The legs and frame of the table can be made from a bar with a thickness of at least 40 mm, or from plywood 10-12 mm. The space under the tabletop should allow easy access to the router for maintenance and changing the router bit. Or the upper part is made hinged, like a piano cover.

Since a home-made milling table is a critical piece of equipment, before starting work, you need to draw detailed drawing.

Security:

The cutter start button is made remote. It is advisable to close it with a lid to prevent spontaneous switching on. But the emergency de-energization button, on the contrary, should be easily accessible;
It is advisable to close the cutter with an automatic folding shield, as in circular saws;
There should not be any objects, protruding parts of the interior, steps and wires around the table. During operation, you can trip and get injured;
The electrical wiring is laid in the corrugation, and securely fastened to inner surface table;

IMPORTANT! There should not be any sagging power wires inside the structure.

The replacement of cutters is carried out only on a de-energized electrical appliance, with a complete disconnection from the network;
It is desirable to provide for the possibility of removing chips from the working area.

In addition to clogging the workplace, sawdust can get into the ventilation of the router (because it is under the table) or between the tabletop and the workpiece. This can lead to slippage of the workpiece.

How to install a plate for a router in a table

The most important part of the design that affects the quality of work is the plate (or sole) of the hand mill. Since, when installed in a table, it is no longer a support unit, it is necessary to consider a reliable fastening and controlled movement of the cutter vertically.

Plate for fastening the router

Mounting the power tool to a plate instead of a table makes it easy to dismantle it for maintenance or changing attachments.

The question of how to make a milling table on your own is asked by many home craftsmen. This is understandable: equipment on which the router is fixed motionless, and the workpiece moves along a specially equipped desktop, in many cases is much more convenient to use. Often, when working with a manual milling cutter, the workpiece is fixed on a regular table, and all manipulations are carried out by the tool itself, which does not allow maintaining the accuracy of processing.

The milling table significantly increases the productivity and efficiency of working with a manual router. It is often unprofitable to purchase a serial model of such a table for your home. It is much more economical to make a milling table with your own hands. It will not take much time and will require very little financial outlay. Any home master can cope with such a task if desired.

Using a homemade table for a manual router when processing wood products, you can achieve results that allow you to get professional milling machines. With the help of such a simple device, a whole list of technological operations is performed qualitatively: cutting out figured holes and making various cuts and grooves in the workpiece, manufacturing connecting elements, processing and profiling edges.

The factory-made milling table device can be found in the video below. We will try to make it no worse, but in some ways even better and, which is very important, cheaper.

A home-made milling table that you equip your home machine with will give you the opportunity to process not only wooden blanks, but also products that are made of chipboard, MDF, plastic, etc. With this home-made milling table, you can make grooves and slots, process elements of tongue and groove joints, chamfering and creating decorative profiles.

A homemade table for a router, the manufacture of which does not require large financial costs, will allow you to equip your home workshop with a real woodworking machine. It will only be necessary to fix the tool itself - a hand mill, for which you can use a drill stand or a workbench. It is no coincidence that many manufacturing companies are engaged in the manufacture of milling tables and accessories for them, but for such a device you will have to pay a decent amount of money. A home-made table for equipping a milling machine, if made in accordance with the drawings that we will analyze in this article, is in no way inferior to models produced under production conditions in its functionality, but it will cost much less.

Milling table drawings: option number 1

Drawings of the milling table with a detailed analysis of the design of the main units and their dimensions.

Drawings of a homemade table for a manual router (click to enlarge)

Detail dimensions Table in section Two-layer table top Cut-out in the first layer of the table
Marking the cutout of the second layer of the table Gluing both layers Cutting the cutout according to the marking of the second layer Drawing of the parallel fence
Stop end plate Dust pipe Plexiglas safety guard Comb clamp and locking block

Milling table design

If you wish, you can make a home-made milling table from an ordinary workbench, but it is better to make a special design. This is explained by the fact that the machine with the cutter creates strong vibration during operation, so the frame used to fix the cutter must be highly stable and reliable. It should also be taken into account that the router itself is attached to the bottom of the table top for the router table, so there must be enough free space under it.

When attaching the device to the tabletop of a homemade table for a manual router, a mounting plate is used, which must have high strength and rigidity, or special clamps for a milling machine. This plate can be made from sheet metal, textolite or durable plywood. On the soles of most models of routers there are already threaded holes, and they are needed to connect such a device to the tabletop and mounting plate. If there are no such holes, you can drill them yourself and cut threads into them, or use special clamps for a milling machine.

The clamps for the milling machine or the mounting plate must be flush with the table top, for this, the appropriate dimensions are selected in the latter. It is necessary to drill several holes in the plate, some of which are necessary for connecting it to the tabletop using self-tapping screws, and others so that such a plate can be fixed on the router sole. The screws and self-tapping screws that you will use must be countersunk.

To make turning on your device more convenient, you can place a regular button on the tabletop, as well as a mushroom button, which will make your device even safer to use. To increase the convenience of your home machine, you can mount a long metal ruler on the surface of a milling table made for a manual router with your own hands.

Before starting to design a milling coordinate table with your own hands, you need to determine the place where it will be located, and also decide what type of milling equipment you want to make. So, you can make an aggregate router with your own hands (the table will be located on the side of the sawing equipment, serve as its extension), a compact desktop machine, and freestanding stationary equipment.

Opt for compact benchtop equipment for woodworking and other materials if you access it infrequently or often use it outside your workshop. Such a setting, which is distinguished small size, takes up very little space, and if desired, it can be hung on the wall.

If the size of your workshop allows, then it is better to adapt the base of a stationary milling machine to the router, which is much more convenient to work on than on desktop equipment. To make such a device more mobile, it can be put on wheels, with which you can easily change its location.

A simple homemade milling table. There are questions about the overall strength, but cheap and cheerful.

The simplest milling table or table for a drilling machine can be made very quickly. To make such a design, which is easily located on a regular desktop, you will need a chipboard sheet on which the guide elements are fixed. As such a guide, which can be used as a parallel stop for a milling table, an ordinary board of small thickness, which is attached to the table top with bolts, is suitable. If necessary, a second such board can be attached in parallel, which will serve as a limiting stop.

To insert a router into a table in a sheet of chipboard, it will be necessary to make a hole for its placement, and it will be fixed on the tabletop with the help of two clamps. After that, the manufacture of the milling table can be considered complete. To make the use of this design more convenient, simple clamps for a milling machine can be placed on the tabletop.

Manufacturing of the bed and countertop

The bed of a home-made milling machine must have high stability and reliability, since it is on it that the main loads will fall. Structurally, it is a frame with supports on which the tabletop is fixed. As a material for the manufacture of the frame of the frame, metal profiles, chipboard, MDF, wood connected by welding can be used. It is advisable to first prepare the drawings of such a device. On them it is necessary to designate all structural elements and their dimensions, depending on the dimensions of the parts that are planned to be processed on such milling equipment.

The assembly of approximately such a table is considered in option No. 2

You can make a milling table, which is notable for its low price, high reliability, from the countertop of an old kitchen table. Such countertops are usually made of sheet Chipboard thickness 26 or 36 mm, covered with wear-resistant plastic. Their surface ensures good sliding of the workpiece, and the chipboard base perfectly dampens the vibrations that occur during the operation of the equipment. If you make a desktop for the machine with your own hands, then MDF and chipboard (LDSP) plates with a thickness of 16 mm or more are suitable for these purposes.

Milling table drawings: option number 2

Table of table parts and their dimensions Frame Upper corner of the frame Lower corner of the frame
Sliding guide for drawers
Large drawer Small drawer Small drawer front Table side panels

How to make a mounting plate

Since the tabletop of a homemade milling machine has a fairly large thickness, the mounting plate for mounting the router should have a minimum thickness. This will maximize the reach of the cutting tool. It is clear that such a plate with a minimum thickness should be characterized by high strength and rigidity.

The plate can be made of metal or of a material that is not inferior to it in its strength - textolite. The thickness of the textolite sheet should be in the range of 4–8 mm. Using pre-prepared drawings, a rectangular part is cut out of such a sheet, in the center of which a hole is made. The dimensions of the latter correspond to the diameter of the hole in the sole of the router.

The connection of the plate with the sole of the milling cutter and the table itself, as mentioned above, is provided by the holes made in it and the mating threaded holes in the sole of the milling cutter. Holes for fixing the plates to the table surface, which are used as clamps for the milling machine, are made at their four corners.

The dimensions and location of the holes for connecting the plate with the router must fully correspond to the holes located on the sole of the tool. In order not to be mistaken in the manufacture of the plate, it is necessary to first prepare its drawing, on which it is necessary to indicate the overall dimensions of this part, the diameters and the location of all holes on it. If desired, you can fix it on the surface of the table using clamps.

A video with a detailed story about the construction of a milling table, the functionality and convenience of which are very high, but the complexity of manufacturing is also very serious. For most crafters, such a table will be unnecessarily complicated, but perhaps someone will get useful ideas when creating their own equipment.

Milling table assembly

A universal milling table or begin to assemble by attaching the table top to the finished bed. The mounting plate is applied to the place of the countertop where it should be placed according to the drawing, its outline is drawn with a pencil. This is necessary in order to select a recess for the plate along the indicated contour, for which a hand mill with a tool with a diameter of 6–10 mm is used. The size of this recess should be such that the plate lies in it at the same level with the surface of the countertop.

It will not work to make a recess with right angles with a round cutter, therefore, on the plate itself, the corners must also be rounded with a file. After fixing in the tabletop, it is necessary to make a hole in the mounting plate with dimensions corresponding to the diameter of the router sole. It is done using a straight cutter, the thickness of which should be greater than that of the countertop itself.

When the equipment requirements are low and there is no desire to get involved with homemade products, you can buy something similar to what is shown in the photo below.

PROMA with a price of about 6 thousand rubles is one of the cheapest factory milling tables

To perform such an operation, you do not need a drawing, since it does not require high accuracy. On the reverse side of the tabletop, you also need to select some material, since the dust collector casing and other devices will need to be placed at the bottom of the table. To quickly perform all the above operations, you can focus on the drawings or photos posted in this article.

The final step in assembling a homemade milling table is the connection of all its structural elements. First, a milling cutter is started from the bottom of the tabletop, its sole is screwed to the mounting plate. Then the plate itself is attached to the top surface of the countertop with countersunk screws, which must be completely recessed into the prepared holes. Only after performing these operations, the tabletop itself is securely fixed to the frame.

Milling table drawings: option number 3

A compact desktop milling table and a detailed analysis of its creation in the photo below.

Computer model Appearance assembly Rear view Front view
Cutter raised, flaps moved apart Cutter lowered, flaps moved Hand router Dust and chip removal hose from a vacuum cleaner
Mounting the router and removing chips Adjusting the rise of the cutter The rise of the cutter is carried out by turning the screw Adjusting the rise of the cutter
Adjusting the cutter projection Plexiglas platform before installing the router Glass precisely fitted to the worktop Router screwed to the support platform

Making the top clamp

Asking the question of how to make a home-made machine safer in operation and ensure the convenience of processing dimensional workpieces on it, you can equip such equipment with an upper clamp. To create this fixture, made on the basis of a roller, it is also necessary to prepare drawings.

In the video below, a man shows his homemade router table, which he assembled right on the balcony of his own house.

Drive for homemade milling machine

In order for the homemade wood router you made to be distinguished by high performance and functionality, it is necessary to equip it with an electric drive of sufficient power. If you plan to use your machine for shallow woodworking, a 500W electric motor will suffice. However, equipment with a low power drive will often shut down, which will negate all the savings from purchasing a weak electric motor.

The best choice for such machines are electric motors, the power of which starts from 1100 watts. Such an electric motor with a power ranging from 1-2 kW will allow you to use your home-made device as a real milling machine for processing wood products. In addition, you can use any type of cutter on such a machine. To equip the machine drive, you can use electric motors that are installed on stationary equipment (for example, on drilling machines), as well as on hand tools (drills, grinders, hand mills).

More serious factory equipment is already significantly more expensive. For example, the price of such a Kreg table starts at 22 thousand rubles.

You should pay attention not only to the power, but also to the speed of the electric motor. The higher this indicator, the better the quality of the cut will be. Electric motors, as you know, can be powered from an electrical network with a voltage of 220 and 380 V. There will be no problems with connecting the first ones, but three-phase asynchronous motors will have to be powered using a special star-delta circuit. Connecting according to this scheme will make it possible to use the electric motor at its maximum power and provide it with a smooth start. And if you directly connect such an electric motor to a 220 V network, then you will lose 30–50% of its power.

Milling table drawings: option No. 4

Analysis of another design of a do-it-yourself milling table, supplemented by a video from the author.

The lift is organized with a jack Steel plate for fastening the router

Safety when working on a homemade milling table

When making a wood router with your own hands, ensure the safety of working on such equipment. First of all, you need to equip your homemade machine with a protective screen. How such screens are arranged is illustrated by photos and drawings of professional equipment. An obligatory element of your homemade equipment should be an emergency stop button, the so-called fungus. It should be placed in an easily accessible place, and the start button should be fixed in a place where it will not be accidentally pressed.

Make sure that the processing area is well lit, as this is the most dangerous place in any equipment. If in the course of work you need to frequently change the overhang of the cutter, it is worth making a manual or automatic device for raising and lowering the tool (elevator). By creating a do-it-yourself router elevator, you can use your homemade milling equipment more efficiently and make working on it comfortable and safe. Various designs of such elevators can also be found on the Internet.