Homemade horizontal vertical milling table. How to make a milling table with your own hands

1. Device
2. FS design example
3. Stanina
4. Table top
5. Working plate
6. Rings
7. Milling cutter
8. Router fasteners
9. Guide rail
10. Stop strips
11. Nozzle
12. Longitudinal movable stop
13. Additional clamps
14. Rotary FS

The owner of a private house has to do a lot of repairs, improve their living conditions. The milling table will be an excellent solution for the manufacture of various parts and accessories from wood, as it provides precision and good quality of workpieces processing.

The table is the main base of the machine. The working body of the equipment is a cutter, a part with several cutting blades. With its help, various types of grooves, channels, windows (vertical recesses), bevels of an oval profile and much more are made in wooden blanks. Milling - mechanical processing of workpieces with a multi-edge tool. The milling cutter, in addition to the rotational movement, makes translational movements. A bed with a table top for processing wood products is called a milling table (FS).

Device

Correct installation of the router in the table depends on a flawless frame design. The working surface of the machine is located on the bed. From below, a router is attached to the plate, which moves along the vertical axis. The workpiece is fixed in the transverse direction with a special device - a parallel stop for the milling table.

The principle of the FS can be compared to how a circular saw works. A wood material is pushed onto a rotating blade body installed in a stationary position for processing.

FS design example

For the manufacture of FS, you will need the following materials:

• or ;
• small pieces of chipboard or plywood;
• various hardware;
• metal corner;
• steel plate;
• aluminum profile;
• lift (jack);
• carriage;
• plastic clamps.

The drawing shows the dimensions of the parts, which can be adjusted in each case of the individual design of the FS. This homemade hand router table is an example of the most primitive FS design. Homemade FS designs can be made from other materials. It all depends on the capabilities and qualifications of the one who took up such work.

Self-made FS

Consider the structural features of FS parts:

Stanina

The supporting part of the machine can be made from a wooden bar or welded from a metal profile. The required bed drawing is shown below.

An ordinary workbench can be used for FS. But you need to know that during the operation of the power unit, strong vibrations will occur. If the workbench is not stable enough, then a special support structure should be made. The main load is transferred from the platform down to the machine support. Therefore, the bed must be heavy.

Table top

The working area of ​​the table is the table top. It is better to make it from PCB 20-30 mm thick. Why choose textolite? This is due to the fact that the entire process of processing workpieces is associated with the sliding of parts on the working surface of the table. Textolite differs from other materials in a high degree of wear resistance and a low coefficient of friction. A worktop made of such a material will not harm the solid surface of the workpiece and will serve for many years.

Instead of textolite, a steel plate with a thickness of 6 mm or more can be used as a working platform for a table.

Working plate

The milling plate is made of PCB or metal sheet. A hole is made in the plate into which metal rings are inserted. Rings with different diameters are inserted into each other. The ring inserts are flush with the worktop surface.

Rings

What are rings for? They ensure that the cutter fits snugly into the workpiece body. Different ring sizes correspond to different cutting element diameters.

Milling cutter

Since the router is attached to the bottom of the tabletop, the FS design creates free space at the bottom. Installation and maintenance of the power plant should not be difficult due to the cramped conditions at the bottom of the machine.

The universal power unit that drives the cutter is called a milling cutter. It can be done using any suitable electric motor. But this is within the power of a person with extensive experience in this field of activity. The best option would be to purchase a ready-made manual router.

The manual milling cutter is a multifunctional unit. A variety of operations are performed with a power tool. It is mainly used for processing wooden blanks.

However, it is very difficult to hold the tool in your hands and at the same time try to fix a wooden part. This will not do the trick. To make parts with high precision, the router is fixed on a special table.

The sole of the router has threaded holes. The holes are used for fastening the tool with screws to the plate built into the FS tabletop.

Router fasteners

Tabletops and plates on milling tables must be located strictly in the same horizontal plane. The fixing screws on the plate are screwed into the countersunk holes. Nothing should protrude or sink on the FS working surface.

In the absence of mounting holes in the router body, they are cut independently. To fix the plate in the table top, make a sample of the material from the bottom. If the platform is made of steel sheet, then the metal plate is equipped with special mountings.

Elevator

On professional machines, a special device is installed to move the milling cutter vertically - an elevator.

With a certain skill, you can adapt a jack or other lever lifting mechanism as an elevator. The best option would be to purchase a ready-made elevator in the retail network. The main thing in the design of the lifting mechanism is to ensure reliable fixation of the unit at a particular height. The conical arrangement of the cutting elements of the cutter allows, at a certain height of the protrusion above the working surface of the FS, to regulate the depth and width of the working in the body of the workpiece.

Guide rail

The guide rail is made of a duralumin profile. You can use as a guide rail duralumin tracks used in furniture to move the sliding doors of the cabinet. A sample is made under the rail with a hand mill. The guide track must be placed parallel to the opposite abutment wall.

Stop strips

At the ends of the tabletop, on both sides, duralumin tracks are installed, along which the frame structure with stop strips moves. A ruler is attached parallel to the track at the end. A ruler can be made from a regular tape measure.

The stop bars act as lateral support for the workpieces. They are located on both sides of the milling head. To protect the operator's eyes from chips, the gap between the slats is covered with transparent plastic.

Nozzle

A suction nozzle is mounted on the outside of the stop strips above the milling head. During the operation of the machine, it is connected to a vacuum cleaner. This effectively removes wood dust and shavings from the work area.

Longitudinal movable stop

The lower part of the sliding stop is inserted into the guide track. The stand moves freely along the FS. With its vertical wall, the device abuts against the base of the workpiece. By pressing the stop, the machine operator moves the part along the table during milling.

Additional clamps

The clips are made of plastic. They keep the workpiece from unintentional displacement of the part in the vertical and horizontal plane. The clamps are mounted on a special stand.

Rotary FS

A rotary table for a milling machine is a rather complex technical device. Rotary FS allows you to set the angle of inclination of the workpiece. This is due to the ability of the working surface of the table to move in different directions. On machines equipped with CNC, it is possible to manufacture parts with a round and spiral configuration.

FS with manual control perform various roundings, allow you to process curved surfaces of parts. The most common FS diameter is from 300 to 600 mm. The swivel mechanism moves the working surface of the table both in the horizontal plane and in the transverse-longitudinal and vertical-horizontal planes.

The horizontal-vertical rotating platform ensures high quality workpieces processing. The vertical-horizontal working platform makes it possible to perform circular processing of parts and form screw channels on the surface of the products.

Rotary tables are used for processing steel parts and workpieces from other metals.

Only highly qualified specialists can make a rotary machine with their own hands. It is advantageous to have a machine of this design when doing business. For one-time work, it is economically unprofitable to maintain a rotary FS in your farm.

Below is a video demonstrating a simple diagram of the FS structure. Collecting such equipment is quite accessible to a person with experience in carpentry.

Compliance with safety precautions

The milling table is equipped with an electric tool. During the operation of the machine, the following safety precautions must be observed:

1. If the FS frame is made of metal, then it is necessary to arrange the grounding of the tabletop support.
2. It is important to install the machine in a well-ventilated and well-lit area.
3. In the case of manufacturing FS from wooden parts, the router body itself is grounded.

One of the main assistants of a carpenter's work is a woodworking router. This hand tool is indispensable when you need to:

• cut a groove;
• make a groove;
• make a spike connection;
• process edges, etc.

However, when performing some carpentry work, it is not always convenient to use this tool due to the fact that it is required to simultaneously hold the workpiece and wield a milling cutter. Therefore, many craftsmen go to the trick, making a milling table for a hand router. With the help of a table, which is a reliable addition to a milling tool, it is possible to obtain wooden elements in quality and accuracy that are in no way inferior to joinery made in professional furniture workshops on milling machines.

A self-made table for a hand router significantly increases the productivity of the tool and makes it easier to work on processing wood products. It is not difficult to manufacture such equipment, moreover, unlike a standard milling table produced by various manufacturers, this table will have the dimensions, design and options chosen directly by the craftsman who makes it.

To perform any engineering work, and the manufacture of equipment is just such, it is necessary to draw up a sketch of the future machine. On it you need to indicate your vision of the project with an indication of the actual dimensions. Based on the sketch, you can easily select materials for the manufacture of the future structure, their quantity, determine the construction budget and stock up on the tools necessary for processing machine parts.

Option 1. Instructions for making a table for a hand router

Materials for making a milling table

To build a milling table you will need:

• 4 square bars;
• trimming chipboard and plywood, the dimensions of which are determined when building the drawing of the table;
• hardware (nuts, bolts, screws, hinges, etc.);
• jack;
• metallic profile;
• 6mm steel plate;
• aluminum guides;
• movable carriage-stop (guide from the saw);
• manual frezer.

Drawing of a homemade milling table (option 1)

In any case, before starting to make any such table, the drawing must be completed with the designation of all sizes and the determination of the location of the working elements relative to each other.

Step by step assembly

Let us consider in detail each step in the manufacture and fastening of each element of a homemade milling table.

1st step. To make a stationary base for the table, you will need bars and chipboard trimmings, from which we twist the support legs, additionally strengthen the rigidity using horizontal plywood connecting panels. In the right side part we cut a hole for the start button, which will be connected to the hand router.

2nd step... The table top of the table is made of chipboard. We make it lifting together with a router, for which we install hinges and make an additional base-support from 15-millimeter plywood.

3rd step. To move the workpiece evenly along the table, for example, to cut a groove in it, a moving stop carriage is used. In the countertop, cut out a groove for the guides of the movable stop and install a metal profile in it. You can use a guide from an old saw as a stop carriage.

4th step. The longitudinal stop is also made of chipboard and we make it movable to adjust the gaps around the cutter. To ensure mobility, we cut out perpendicular grooves in the upper part of the stop and attach the stop to the table top with clamps. In the middle we cut out a small groove for sucking out chips and other milling waste.

5th step... From thin plywood we make a box with an opening for connecting a vacuum cleaner hose, which will remove dust and chips formed during the milling process. We fix the box behind the perpendicular stop.

6th step... Take a 6mm steel plate and screw it to the table top flush with the surface. In the process of fastening, we make sure that its edges do not protrude above the tabletop, otherwise the processed parts will cling to them. A manual router will be attached to the plate from below.

7th step. We attach the router by the aluminum sole to the bottom of the plate using bolts, but do not forget to pre-drill the holes for the bolts in the sole. Attaching the hand tool to the removable plate rather than directly to the table saves milling depth and allows for easy bit replacement.

8th step. We build a router elevator. For this we use a car jack, which allows you to change the height of the cutter with maximum accuracy.

9th step. We remove the handles from the router and instead of them we fasten the aluminum guides, which we connect to the jack mechanism.

The design and video of a homemade milling table for a manual router

Before proceeding with the manufacture of a milling table, it is necessary to accurately determine its design features. This article provides instructions on how to make a simple milling table. For other first assembly options, see the video below for details.

We check the reliability of fastening of all elements - and the do-it-yourself milling table is ready!

We offer several more models of hand-made wood milling machines for your taste.

Option 2. Another milling table and other assembly features

We offer a table design for a router with a detailed analysis of its nodes.

Materials and tools.

In order to make a table for a manual router with your own hands, you will need materials:

• metal corner or pipe (for the frame);
• aluminum guide;
• axles for mounting the router;
• putty, primer and paint for metal;
• self-tapping screws; furniture bolts 6 x 60 mm;
• adjusting hex bolts with nuts - 4 pcs. ;
• Finnish moisture-resistant laminated plywood, 18 mm thick (you can take another material);
• boards or plywood trimmings (for the manufacture of a parallel stop).

The following tools are also required:

• welding machine (for the metal frame of the table);
• drill and drill;
• screwdriver;
• jigsaw;
• milling cutter;
• spatula, brushes, rags.

Basic Drawings

Design features of the milling table

The existing workbench can be adapted for the milling machine. But it is more expedient, in order to exclude the influence of strong vibration during the operation of the cutter, to make a separate structure that ensures the stability of the table.

The main loads during the operation of the equipment are transferred to the base. Therefore, the bed must be reliable and stable. The bed is understood as a fixed base on which the router is located. It takes all the loads and is a table-like structure with a fixed lid. It can be made from a metal pipe, corner, channel, wood, chipboard.

It must be taken into account that the router itself is attached to the table top from below, which means that empty space must be provided there.

The router is attached to the table through a high-strength and rigid plate for installation work. It is preferable to make it from metal, PCB or tongue-and-groove boards.

On the base of the router there are threaded mounting holes for fastening. In the absence of threaded holes, cutting is performed independently. If the task is not feasible, fix the milling device using special clamps.

Start the work by making a cutout according to the shape and thickness of the mounting plate. For simplicity, straight corners on the mounting plate should be rounded off with a file. A recess in the table top ensures that the plate is flush with the table top.

In the center of the plate, make a hole for the tool to exit, drill holes for fixing the plate to the table. The next step is to drill holes for attaching the milling device, keep in mind that the fasteners must be sweaty.

How to make a countertop and base

Making the base of the future milling table begins with the frame. For the convenience of work, the table cover should protrude in the front part by 100-200 mm. When designing the frame of the bed, pay special attention to the height of the installation of the working surface. This size is decisive for the convenience of working at the machine. According to ergonomic requirements, it should be 850-900 mm, depending on the height of the person. For convenient operation of the future milling machine, you can install height adjusters at the bottom of the support. This will allow, if necessary, to change the size of the height of the table; in case of unevenness in the floor, it will help to set the tabletop in level.

A Soviet-era kitchen countertop will be useful as a working surface for the future machine. Most often it is made from a 36 mm chipboard sheet covered with plastic. The wood-based material will reduce the vibration generated during the milling process, and the plastic coating will provide excellent movement on the surface of the workpiece. In the absence of an old countertop, use MDF or chipboard boards with a minimum thickness of 16 mm.

Choose a place for the future milling machine in your workshop, the dimensions and type of future design depend on this. It can be a modular machine located on the side of the circular saw, a tabletop version, or it can be a free-standing stationary machine.

If the use of a milling machine is not regular, it comes down to one-time work from time to time, it is enough to make a small compact table.

You can make a milling machine yourself. It is a structure that fits on a standard table. For work, you will need a chipboard plate, two boards. Fasten two boards in parallel on a chipboard sheet. Attach one of them to the tabletop with bolts, it will serve as a guide and as a stop. Use the second as a limit stop. Cut an opening in the table top to accommodate the router. Attach the router to the table top with clamps. The compact milling machine is ready.

If your workshop has a lot of free space, then make a full-fledged stationary milling machine. It will be more convenient to work on it than on the desktop version

Option 3. Cheap homemade router table

The sketch is ready. Materials purchased. The instrument, laid out in its place in the workshop, is waiting for the moment to serve its master. The master is also serious and is not going to grab onto everything at once. He will put everything on the shelves and do everything in stages.

Stage 1.

Start by making the frame of the future machine. The following method of making the bed can be applied. Cut the profile pipe 25 × 25 using a "grinder" to size, then weld the workpieces intended for the frame on which the working surface will be located. Weld a pipe on one side, along which the rip fence will subsequently move. Weld 4 supports to the frame.

To fix the table top, frame the perimeter of the frame with a corner, then it will sit in the recess.

Use the second method for making the frame. It implies additional supports for the work surface. In the middle of the table, weld the stops for the milling equipment. The size between them should correspond to the convenient fastening of the router.

For the stability of the structure, connect the lower supports with jumpers at a height of 200 mm from the floor.

Stage 2.

Color the resulting structure. To do this, prepare the surfaces: clean the metal pipes and degrease with a solvent, then prime. If there is a need to putty the surfaces, apply a special putty mixture and apply a primer. After complete drying, paint with PF-115 enamel.

Stage 3.

Cut the work surface according to the inner size of the frame, set it tightly in the corners. Then drill holes in the upper frame for fastening the table top. Mark the worktop itself, drill and securely connect to the bed using furniture bolts. Table dimensions 850 × 600 × 900.

Stage 4.

Step back from the edge 200-250 mm and cut the T-shaped guide along the length of the working surface.

Stage 5.

Cut off half of the milling axes. This will make it possible to almost double the distance from the sole to the guide axis, which in turn will expand the range of capabilities of the tool.

Stage 6.

Remove the sole from the milling equipment, mark the holes for its fastening in the middle of the working surface of the table and drill them. Drill a hole in the middle of the table top for the appliance. On both sides of it, drill holes for attaching the clamps of the router axes.

Stage 7.

On the underside of the tabletop, make a groove for the sole of the router.

Make grooves on both sides of the drilled through hole in the recess to accommodate the router axes. The size of the groove and the axis must match.

Along the edges of the grooves with a Faustner drill (picture above), drill holes for the adjusting bolts for the hexagon.

Stage number 8.

Cut two pieces of pipe to fit the width of the large slot and drill through the center holes for the fixed bolts. They will serve as clamps for the milling tool axes. Screw the nuts onto the bolts.

Stage number 9.

Install Allen bolts and nuts on both sides of the axles to adjust the plane of the milling equipment.

Stage 10.

Now make a rip fence. Take a small piece of plywood and cut a groove in it so that it can move along the pipe previously welded for this. Using a jigsaw, cut three strips of identical size, where its length is equal to the sum of the table length and the width of the guide tube, and four plates for them in the form of stiffeners.

On lane 1, make a semicircular hole to remove wood waste. It should line up with the slot in the table top. In strip # 2, cut a square hole at the same location.

Cut strip number 3 of plywood into equal parts. Attach one to the back of the square-hole strip with bolts or rails. The plywood halves should slide in opposite directions. Place an aluminum guide along the top edge of this strip.

Stage 11.

Fasten plates # 1 and # 2 together with the half-hole sides. Fasten two stiffeners along the edge of the hole formed and two on the sides at a distance of 70-100 mm from the edge.

Cut a square of plywood to the size of the distance between the ribs, cut a hole in it to match the diameter of the vacuum cleaner hose. Attach the square to the stiffeners.

Stage 12.

Secure the rip fence with clamps. This is done for the mobility of permutation of the stop. If it is intended for a milling machine only, then fix it with brackets with slots for movement.

Stage 13.

Weld a bolt to the 6mm thick metal strip. The clamps are made of wood with two grooves for bolts in the amount of two pieces.

Stage 14.

Install the milling equipment: pass the cut axles into the side holes of the device, put nuts on them and fix the device with pipe clamps.

Stage 15.

Turn the table over and use the hex wrench to lift the router up.

For the convenience of raising the router, it is advisable to install a lift based on a jack.

Option 4. Milling machine based on writing table

A milling machine based on a writing table is considered an economical and convenient solution. In the list of photo drawings, there is a table with a specification of parts by size and recommended material.

Parts sizes and materials

It is not difficult to make a milling table with your own hands, having in front of you the drawings, the necessary materials, fasteners. Some people think that it is better to purchase a finished product. Others are confident that a homemade table allows you to accurately adapt the work site to your needs, the nuances of a CNC machine or a conventional hand router. What to choose is up to you.

To make yourself a table for a router, you must first decide what kind of table it will be. Operating a milling machine may vary depending on a number of factors, including the dimensions of the machine itself.

Work on a table for a CNC milling machine begins with the fact that you choose which drawing will become the basis for manufacturing. It is not uncommon for work to be carried out without drawings. But then you yourself must draw the parameters of the future table, cut its elements using a circular. Select the components that will be required to make a homemade table based on its basic elements.

1. Construction type. Work outside the workshop, and with constant movements, provides for the choice of a portable table for a CNC machine or without software control. If the work will be carried out in the garage, workshop without the need to carry the table, you should choose a stationary table for your router. There is an aggregate type. This is an option when the table top of your milling machine is expanded or a rotary design option is made.
2. Table top. To make the top cover of your table, use chipboard or MDF sheets. These materials are easy to cut with a circular, so the work is not difficult. Many people make a homemade table using a pressed tabletop. But it is important to understand that when working in conditions of increased dampness, they quickly swell and become unusable. Alternatively, you can choose plastic. An excellent practical tabletop is created from polymer sheets. Metal is a tougher but heavier material. If you decide to choose aluminum, be sure to cover it with a protective varnish layer.
3. Groove and stop. Working on a milling machine usually involves longitudinal machining of the side of the workpieces. If you want to machine cross-face elements, the design must include a movable stop. This stop will move in the grooves. The groove will also serve as a fixation of the clamping elements of the structure.
4. Installing the router. Using a homemade table, the hand router can be attached to the table directly to the bottom of the tabletop or to a removable platform. The first option is easier to do, but if you choose the second method, you get some benefits in the form of easier removal of the cutter when changing cutting tools. In this regard, the mounting plate is a preferable option, which will take a little longer to tinker with.
5. Longitudinal stop. This stop acts as a guide for the workpieces. Therefore, the most important requirement is that the emphasis must be as even as possible. Since this is a homemade table, you can make the support using the T-slot. Pressing devices and other components are inserted into it, which make it possible to simplify the work on the machine.

All the necessary elements can be cut using a circular. Making a homemade table is not a problem. The table top, stop, guides, fasteners are clearly indicated by the dimensions if you use standard drawings. Taking a ready-made drawing, you can adapt a homemade table for a CNC machine for your own needs. Do what is best for you. It will not be difficult to find the drawings themselves, and the circular is probably in your arsenal of power tools, since you are going to make a table for a CNC machine.

Do it yourself

To make yourself a table for a hand router or machine tool with a CNC module, you will need the drawings and the necessary elements of the future design, which we described above.

When choosing a drawing for a future design for a milling machine, be sure to be guided by the dimensions of your machine, as well as the dimensions of the space available for placing the equipment. It makes no sense to make a large table for a small CNC machine, exactly, as well as vice versa.

You can always redo the drawing, make some corrections based on the available materials, machine features, the presence of circulars and other nuances. If you need a good coordinate table for a router, it is better to purchase it from a factory. It is quite problematic to make a homemade coordinate table.

We offer you the option of a small table, work on which will make it easy to place a small desktop router with or without a CNC module. The advantage of this design is that it is easy to do it yourself, it is small in size, and simple fasteners are used here.

1. It is recommended to make the working table and side posts from laminated plywood. The material must be thick enough to support the load. The approximate dimensions of the table top will be 40 by 60 millimeters. Not taking into account the corner stop, the height is 35 cm. The corner stop itself is 10 cm high. Instead of plywood, a metal or plastic plate can be used. The plate made of such materials is more durable and less prone to wear. But the metal plate will add weight, making the table not so mobile and lightweight.
2. On the surface of the countertop, make three grooves that will serve for the installation of the rails. Here, auxiliary components of the future working surface can be installed, which you may need to work with milling cutters or a circular milling machine.
3. To increase the stability of the leg attachment structure, reinforce it with chipboard or MDF No. 22 sheets. The table legs must be set at a certain distance so that there is room for fixing the templates and clamps with clamps.
4. You can close the machine mechanism by covering the bottom of the front panel with a sheet of plywood or other similar material.
5. Under the side stop, there must be grooves along which it can move. At the required place, the stop is fixed with bolts and nuts. Moreover, it is better to use wing nuts. In this case, you can easily remove the stop and put another unit in its place.
6. The stop is connected to the branch pipe, which is necessary for removing dust, chips during processing. For waste disposal, use ordinary corrugated hoses, which are widely used in the organization of sewage. A home vacuum cleaner can be connected through the clamp.
7. If you have a bench-top machine, it is better to provide a toggle switch for turning the machine on and off. If you do not have a desktop, but a simple manual router, such a toggle switch is not required.
8. The stop includes two elements that can move or move apart depending on the size of the working tool. Use wing nuts to secure the leaves. This design will make it easy to remove the milling device from the bed and change milling cutters as needed.
9. It is up to you to decide what material to use for the mounting surface for the CNC milling machine. Experts advise taking textolite or plexiglass.

A similar table for a desktop or hand-held milling machine can be made using a circular, an electric jigsaw and standard tools. The coordinate version of the table is much more complicated, because the work involves the use of appropriate drawings and materials.

Which table to choose for you - coordinate or ordinary home-made for a router with or without CNC, decide for yourself. The work must be carried out with high quality, observing all the specified dimensions. Watch the video instructions to help you determine which table is best for your machine.

The milling table allows you to significantly increase the efficiency and productivity of your work. There are many models available for a wide variety of hand routers. However, the price of finished products is very high. It is much more profitable and more interesting to assemble a table with your own hands. No expensive materials or complicated tools are required for this.

General information about the design of the milling table

The milling table can be installed on a work bench or a specially assembled separate table. The product must have a rigid structure and good stability, because during operation, a very noticeable vibration will be created. Be sure to take into account the fact that the installation of the router will be performed from the bottom of the tabletop and absolutely nothing should interfere with it. No additional elements are installed there.

The design of a homemade table provides for a mounting plate, due to which the router will be attached directly to the table. To create a plate, use high quality durable material: plywood, textolite, sheet of metal, etc.

A sample for the plate is created on top of the tabletop. The plate is directly fixed using self-tapping screws with a hidden head. The router is fixed with screws with the same hidden head. Additional fixation of the plate can be performed using the clamps.

For convenient turning on of the router, a button is fixed on the table. Additionally, it is recommended to install a mushroom-type emergency shutdown button. If you have to work with large workpieces, equip the table with upper hold-down devices. For even greater convenience and accuracy, the table is equipped with a ruler.

To assemble the milling table yourself, you will need the following tools:

1. Electric jigsaw. If not, you can get by with a hacksaw.
2. Plane. Electric is desirable.
3. Chisel.
4. Grinder. In the absence, you can get by with a bar with sandpaper, but processing with their help will require more time and effort.
5. Screwdriver or drill with screwdriver function.
6. Electric drill with a set of drills.

Back to the table of contents

Initial stage of table assembly

Explore your workshop and choose a place to install the future milling table. Determine the most suitable product design. Tables are:

1. Aggregate. In essence, they are a side extension of a standard saw table.
2. Portable. Extremely comfortable and ergonomic desktop option.
3. Stationary. Installed separately and assembled specifically for the router.

If your milling table will be used infrequently, or if you have to work outside the workshop, opt for a portable option. If you have enough space, make a separate table. For greater convenience, it can be equipped with wheels, which will allow, if necessary, to "move" to another place.

You can assemble a small structure and place it on an ordinary table. You can take a chipboard of a suitable size and install a guide on it. The guide in this case is a board of relatively small thickness, fixed with bolts.

Take 2 CLAMPS. Make a hole for the cutter. This completes the main work. However, if the machine is your main working tool, you need to approach the process more thoroughly and create a convenient and reliable table at which you will be comfortable spending your time.

Back to the table of contents

Preparing the bed and table top

The bed is a stationary part of any milling table. In essence, it is a frame on supports with a table top on top. The material of the frame does not really matter. Suitable for wood, metal, chipboard, MDF. The main thing is to ensure the required rigidity and maximum stability. The dimensions of the bed are also not critical. Choose them based on the size of materials you most often need to process.

The lower part of the bed should be 10-20 cm deeper in relation to the front overhang of the table top. Dimensions, as already noted, select according to your needs. For example, for processing the ends of facade blanks and door linings, you can make a frame 150 cm wide, 90 cm high, 50 cm deep.

Height is a very important characteristic in this case. The optimal value is considered to be 85-90 cm. It is good if you can equip the bed with adjustable supports. They will allow you to compensate for unevenness in the floor surface and change the height of the milling table when the need arises.

To make a homemade table, you can take an ordinary kitchen countertop made of chipboard. A plate with a thickness of 26 or 36 mm with a wear-resistant plastic coating is used. Thanks to the plastic, the workpiece will glide well on the tabletop, and the chipboard will take on the task of damping the vibration. In extreme cases, you can use chipboard or MDF with a thickness of at least 16 mm.

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What you need to know about the mounting plate?

A mounting plate must be fixed next to the attachment point of the router sole. The best is considered to be durable and at the same time thin material. The most commonly used sheet metal. A more convenient and no less durable option is textolite (fiberglass). Usually it is a rectangular plate with a thickness of 4-8 mm. A hole must be prepared in the center of such a plate. Its diameter must be the same as the diameter of the hole in the router base.

The sole of the router, as a rule, is equipped with standard threaded holes necessary for fixing the plastic lining. These holes secure the router to the mounting plate. If there are no holes initially, make them yourself. You can use another method of fastening the router, for example, metal clamps. Holes to secure the plate are created closer to the corners of the plate.

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Step-by-step instructions for assembling the table

First you need to fix the table top to the finished bed. A plate is placed in a preselected place on the worktop. Take a pencil and outline its contours. Next, you need to take a hand router with a 6-10 mm cutter and select a seat for the mounting plate in the tabletop. It should lie flush, i.e. make up a perfectly flat surface with a table top, as if a single whole.

The footprint should have slightly rounded corners. You can round them with a file. After adding the mounting plate, take a cutter with a thickness slightly greater than the thickness of the table top and make through holes in the table top exactly according to the shape of the router base. You don't have to try too hard, perfect accuracy is not required at this stage. From the bottom of the tabletop, you need to make an additional sample for the dust collector casing and other devices with which you plan to equip your milling table.

The work is almost complete, you just need to assemble everything into a single product. Start the router from the bottom and screw it to the plate. Fix the plate to the countertop with self-tapping screws. The caps of the self-tapping screws must be drowned, otherwise they will interfere in the process of doing the work. Finally screw the tabletop to the bed.

In order to increase convenience and safety, you can equip the structure with an upper pressure roller device. This addition will be especially useful when machining large workpieces such as door trims. The design of the clamp does not have any complex elements, so you can make and install it yourself without any problems.

A ball bearing of the correct size can be used as a roller. The bearing is installed in the holding device. The device itself must be rigidly fixed at the required distance from the surface of your countertop. This will ensure a constant tight clamping of the workpiece to the worktop surface at the moment the product passes under the roller. This will increase the accuracy and safety of the work performed.

Usually, to perform some new work, new tools are required. As a programmer, this is well known to me, since for many years, for each new task, one has to create libraries and write utilities. These are the very tools with which the solution of the following tasks becomes easier and easier. Probably so in many areas, except for those where you have to create everything from scratch, using only knowledge and skills. (Maybe that’s why I don’t really like drawing, for example, that I’m used to using the previous developments).

I finally finished my milling table. (It took 7 evenings to create.) At first I thought to buy a ready-made one, but those that I found for affordable money and suitable for my work did not suit me at all. And I decided to make it myself for the manual router that I had Caliber FE-650E.

A milling table is a very useful tool for handicrafts. I hadn’t really thought about it before, but if you look around in any house, you can see a lot of objects that have been processed on a milling table: window frames, furniture doors, picture frames, wooden baseboards, door boxes, overlays, and so on.

First, as usual, I modeled in a 3D program. I did not copy someone's table, but developed a model for myself, having seen a bunch of ready-made similar milling tables on the internet. The idea is common, the essence is the same, the details are different, because everyone implements for themselves, using what they have and what they are capable of.

The side stop has slots and slots and can move back and forth and is fixed in the desired position with two thumbs. The chip collector is connected to the angle stop. (The milling cutter gives a lot of chips during operation) If required, the side stop can be easily removed and replaced by other devices or nothing at all.

The stop has two flaps that can move apart and move depending on the size of the cutter. The position of each flap is fixed with thumbs.

A regular vacuum cleaner hose is connected to the chip removal system.

This router model did not have a fine depth adjustment. It was necessary to put pressure on the router and catch the desired depth with a lock. (It should be noted that this is terribly inconvenient. You have to suffer by rearranging the depth several times to get to the desired one)

Modified the bed by adding the so-called "lift".

I drilled the bed and installed the adjusting screw with the high nut (In the picture in the center). By tightening the nut, you can smoothly adjust the depth.

This is how the depth is adjusted: the desired value is set on the square, and the cutter is raised with a key until it stops against the square.

The only remaining inconvenience is that this procedure requires two hands. It is necessary to squeeze the depth lock on the router with one hand and turn the nut with the other. I have a solution, but I haven't had time to implement it yet. When done, it will be possible to adjust the depth with one hand. And the clamp to hold the corner will no longer be needed.

Please note that the upper part of the side stand is specially designed so that various attachments can be attached to it.

In general, there are ready-made platforms for the manufacture of milling tables on sale. There are holes for specific models of the router, there are universal ones in which you can drill holes for your model yourself. The platforms are quite expensive (1500-5000r) and are much larger in size than required for my mini-table.

I made my platform for the router from plexiglass (6mm), removing my own plastic platform from the frame of the router.

Fitting the glass to the window.

First samples.

The cutter support is machined with a cutter on the left. To her, I worked the planks

By the way, the roller cutter does not require a side stop. This can be used to process edges on a bare table, although it is more convenient to have one more stop point, especially when processing cylindrical workpieces.

What is left for me to finish:
- Cut out a pair of glasses for installing larger cutters.
- Make hold-down devices that are installed on the side stop and the table top, ensuring that the workpiece is tightly pressed against the cutter.
- Improve the handy key for adjusting the depth of the cutter.
- Workpiece advance limiters (on the side stop).
- Special pusher feet for the workpiece (the Milling cutter is a dangerous tool. If I seriously injure my hands, it will be especially bad for me, because after that I will not be able to play most musical instruments).
- Special stop for working with edge cutters.
- Angle stop with a protractor, a device that allows you to move the workpiece at a certain angle using a rail.
- Slide for feeding the workpiece on the table at a right angle.
- Device for cutting "box joints".
- Trap container for chips. (The native bag of the vacuum cleaner clogs up very quickly)
- Well, and some other little things.

I hope that those who find it useful will find this post.

Other interesting posts about my DIY tools:

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