DIY milling table

DIY milling table for some it seems like an unnecessary thing in the household, and for someone it will be very necessary, because with it you can make a large number of various beautiful wood products. Finished items of original shape can be used to decorate the interior of your home, and even to design a landscape area in a recreation area in the garden. How to make such a device correctly, we will tell you in this article.

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Milling table and its purpose

Ease of use of the milling cutter, which is placed inside the table, consists in safety and optimization of work with wood, as well as the time of manufacturing parts.

The essence of the operation of this installation is quite simple, because it is not the milling cutter that moves along the machined plane, but the part moves toward it. The milling cutter, which is fixed in the table, gives wider prospects for processing parts. As a result, product blanks are obtained such as those from professional craftsmen who have professional equipment.

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Where to begin?

Before making do-it-yourself milling table Decide on the size and appearance.

Important! You must consider the possibility of changing the table. The table must be stable and reliable to use. The presence of boxes will create additional convenience during operation.

There are three types of milling tables, and you need to choose the most suitable option from them:

• Stationary is a specialized design, which is usually large in size and not subject to movement.
• Portable - has compact dimensions and relatively low weight. This table can easily be moved from place to place.
• Aggregate - its design provides for the expansion of the plane of the saw table, which is very convenient and beneficial when processing various-format parts.

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Tools and materials for work

In order to make a countertop yourself, as a rule, use MDF boards, boards or thick plywood. These materials are easy to process, have a low weight and a long service life.

Important! Some craftsmen think that the metal countertop is the most durable and strong. And they are right, but a similar table with any electrical appliance will become an excellent conductor, which is quite dangerous. Also, metal is extremely susceptible to corrosion, so it makes sense to paint it.

The covers of the milling tables must be smooth. Quite often they are made of metal or plastic.

Tools and materials that are necessary for DIY milling table:

• Joiner's glue;
• Wood screws;
• Bolts with nuts;
• MDF board and birch plywood sheet;
• Spanners;
• Jigsaw;
• Sandpaper;
• Pencil;
• Ruler:
• Drawings and calculation.

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Where to assemble the table?

To produce a table for the milling cutter, you can use a separate plane, which will be fixed in wooden supports or between two curbstones. The easiest way to create such a countertop, parts for the milling table and supporting parts will be the use of MDF boards or birch plywood with a thickness of 16-25 mm.

Important! If the plate is covered with plastic, during the manufacturing process there will be much less resistance. On both sides, the laminated board will not warp during operation.

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We prepare workpieces for work

In this case, during the manufacture of the milling table, we use:

• 1 MDF panel, dimensions: 19x1000x1800 mm.
• 1 plywood sheet, dimensions: 19x1000x1650 mm.
• 1 plate, dimensions: 4x30x30 mm.
• Guides made of aluminum - 2.3 m.
• Wheel support with brakes - 4 pcs.

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Production instruction with drawings

The design of the upper part will be made of wooden parts sawn from a solid 19 mm MDF board. You can use birch plywood to replace this material.

We act:

1. Saw the sheet materials into fragments according to the above parameters.
2. Before sawing into parts, check the thickness of the MDF board, because often it can be defective or not match the specified dimensions.
3. Remove the plastic pad from the bottom of the router. In the future, it will serve as a template for marking on cutters on the plane of the countertop.
4. On the most large-scale sawn part No. 1, the dimensions of which are 90x70 cm, make a marking under the cutter. To do this, draw a line at a distance of 235 mm directly from the edge in the middle with a mark. Next, place the cover in such a way that the milling adjustment mechanisms are closer to the edge of the countertop. Place the pad evenly, mark the places for making holes, which will then be fixed with screws.
5. Measure the diameter of the patch, as well as the distance from the cut of the sole to the outer edge.
6. From the middle of the part of the sole that you cut, perpendicularly draw a line directly to its center.
7. Using the holes in the sole and overlay, mark the future holes that will be used for the mounting screws.
8. Take parts numbered No. 2 and No. 3, drill holes for the cutter and fixtures in them. Mark the semicircular holes in the front and base of the stop. Using a jigsaw, cut out semicircular holes. Sand all surfaces.
9. Fasten the four slats to the bottom of the countertop with screws.
10. Glue the rest of the workpieces and fasten them with screws. Install a milling cutter at the bottom of the tabletop.
11. Now make the supporting structure of the entire table. In this case, its height is 820 mm. To do this, use a sheet of birch plywood, the dimensions of which are 19x1000x1650 mm.
12. Cut the plywood into parts, observing the parameters.
13. Assemble the design of the table by connecting its details with glue, screws, screws. You will get a frame with free space in the cabinets.
14. Make a mounting plate from duralumin, hetinax or polycarbonate, the thickness of which varies from 4 to 6 mm. Cut a square with sides of 300 mm from the selected material. Glue the milling cutter sole on it using double-sided tape. In this case, the overlay plays the role of a template. Drill a plate through the holes on the cover. Then remove the pad and make a large drill recess for the caps in the plate.
15. Put the plate on the countertop, circle its contour, and use a chisel, hammer and sandpaper to make a recess under the plate.
16. At the place where the cutter is mounted, drill holes and expand them already from the back of the tabletop using an 11 mm drill. Place the mounting plate in the hole in the countertop, connecting them with the bolts for fastening. Attach the element to the bottom of the router. Insert the tool into the worktop and then fasten it with the screws.
17. To connect the vacuum cleaner to the machine, make a branch pipe for dust removal. From a plywood, cut a piece measuring 140x178 mm. In the center of the part, make a round hole in order to fix the adapter fitting of the vacuum cleaner.
18. To stop, add a safety shield, which can be made of plywood, as well as plexiglass.
19. Sand all surfaces of the table, especially those places where the milling work will be performed.
20. Clean all wood parts from dust and cover with oil.

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Safety precautions when operating the milling table

During work on the milling machine, accidents are likely, as well as injuries of varying degrees from contact with the rotary mechanisms of the cutter and all particles of the workpiece flying away from it. To prevent this from happening:

1. Before you start the milling cutter, remove absolutely the entire tool from the surface of the countertop, clean its surface from various debris and small particles of wood.
2. You can also equip the milling table with a protection screen that will not allow particles to fly apart.
3. In the process of working at the table, in no case should you clean and lubricate the parts, remove the protective screen and measure the workpieces.
4. In order to avoid getting into the eyes of all flying particles, be sure to use safety glasses. This is especially true during high-speed milling or processing of bronze, cast-iron or silumin elements.

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Stock footage

Now that you have collected do-it-yourself milling table You are ready to create original wooden products for the joy of yourself and your loved ones. And if the business seems very interesting to you, it can go into the category of a hobby or even professional activity as an additional or main source of income. We hope we have helped you implement any of these ideas.