In search of a worthy answer to the discomfort that arises when working with hand-held milling tools, owners of home carpentry eventually come to the need to purchase a convenient milling table.
VovroKsyu User FORUMHOUSE
I've been thinking about the table for a long time. Especially after manually performing the reservation 22 m of fence.
The purchase option can be expensive; the dimensions of a machine assembled in a production environment do not correspond to the size of a small home workshop. The optimal solution in this case would be to assemble the milling table yourself.
Those who want to make a homemade milling machine will find it in the corresponding section of FORUMHOUSE.
How to make a milling table
A homemade milling table is the simplest. The main working unit in it is a manual milling machine. Working with hand-held power tools involves moving the working cutter along the surface of a stationary workpiece (which is not always convenient). A milling table for hand tools allows you to change the processing method and mill in a lightweight way: the hand tool is fixed on the work table, and the workpiece is easily fed to the cutter by hand.
A homemade milling table is the simplest wood processing. The main working unit in it is a manual milling machine. Working with hand-held power tools involves moving the working cutter along the surface of a stationary workpiece (which is not always convenient). A milling table for hand tools allows you to change the processing method and mill in a lightweight way: the hand tool is fixed on the work table, and the workpiece is easily fed to the cutter by hand.
A milling table for a manual router consists of basic and additional elements. Additional elements are not required, but their use makes it possible to make the technician’s heavy work as easy as possible, make the design of the device safer, and make the functionality closer to the capabilities of serial installations.
Universal milling table:main structural elements
The main elements of the milling table are indicated in the figure.
Aib User FORUMHOUSE, Moscow.
I really needed a mobile milling table. I welded the frame, painted and assembled the structure.
The dimensions of the milling table depend on the dimensions of the parts being processed, as well as on the height of the craftsman himself. The length and width should be slightly smaller than the tabletop, and the height of the bed is 850...900 mm, which corresponds to the most comfortable conditions for standing work. The homemade legs can be made adjustable, which will allow you to compensate for uneven floors or change the height of the bed.
Tabletop for router
The dimensions of the tabletop depend on the size of the parts being processed.
dauto User FORUMHOUSE
In a home workshop, a small table of 500x500 mm is sufficient.
To process relatively long parts (for profiling edges on door frames), you will need a tabletop of the appropriate size. Let's look at the drawing:
For the manufacture of the frame, wood-based materials are most often used, which can effectively dampen vibrations. This could be a countertop made of chipboard, which is used in the manufacture of kitchen furniture, or a sheet of thick plywood. Here, for example, is a countertop made from chipboard scraps formed after installing a kitchen sink.
Krott64 User FORUMHOUSE
With this tabletop scrap, after some simple modifications, you can do some pretty decent things.
Some people make countertops from metal, others from edged boards, but, as practice shows, chipboard and plywood are always a priority.
Orfo74 User FORUMHOUSE
If I make it, it will be from laminated plywood (I have one like this on my trailer). I have already traveled hundreds of thousands of kilometers under the heat and below zero. Neither salt nor rain spoiled it. And it can still be used, but you need to assemble it either in 2 layers, or make the bottom out of simple plywood.
To make a countertop, you cannot use material that has defects on its surface (knotty boards, etc.).
Mounting plate for hand router
A hand router is attached to the mounting plate using threaded connections. Therefore, its production must be taken with full responsibility. The material from which the plate will be made must be strong enough so that the router does not tear out during operation (the consequences can be imagined). This can be a rectangle made of metal or plywood sheet (but metal is more reliable).
AlekX User FORUMHOUSE
A powerful car has a lot of dope. And if she gets thrown out of the table while working–it won't seem like much.
Dgusepe User FORUMHOUSE
The legs can be made of wood, but it is advisable to make the tabletop from 3 mm metal. For maximum cutter lift.
The length and width of the mounting plate must correspond to the dimensions of the base of the hand router, with which the power tool will be attached to the table.
Longitudinal workpiece stop
The longitudinal stop can be made from a regular sheet of chipboard or from an edged board. The stop must be made movable to ensure the possibility of adjusting the horizontal reach of the cutter. For more precise adjustment, you can attach measuring rulers to the sides of the tabletop.
The design of the locking mechanism, which allows you to secure the longitudinal stop in the required position, is extremely simple. It can consist of two slats with through longitudinal grooves and two threaded fasteners with wings.
Instead of slats, you can use two metal corners, which will last longer and will not deform under the action of clamps.
To prevent dust and chips from interfering with work, it is advisable to equip the longitudinal stop with a dust collector, to which a chip extractor or a small carpenter's vacuum cleaner is connected.
The longitudinal stop can be made double, which significantly expands the functionality of the milling table.
Superkuzen User FORUMHOUSE
The monolithic stop makes it impossible to carry out a lot of operations performed on the milling table, that is, it makes the table of little functionality.
A milling table can perform the functions of a small jointing machine if an adjustable difference between the working planes is arranged between the two halves of the longitudinal stop. This design allows you to move one half of the stop relative to the other, setting one stop flush with the cutter using thin wooden plates. Adjustment plates are placed under the non-working surface of the stop.
Manual milling machine
The performance of the milling table will directly depend on the technical characteristics of the hand tool (power, number of revolutions per minute, etc.). You should choose a router for a milling table based on the expected load. The additional functionality of the machine will be an additional advantage for the master. If you don’t yet have a manual milling cutter, then choose a tool with an adjustable cutter rotation speed and the ability to set the processing depth (plunge-beam milling machines). Very easy to use machines with a spindle lock (for easy replacement of cutting tools), as well as devices with soft start and quick stop of the spindle.
We looked at the main elements of a milling table, which will allow the owner to perform the simplest milling operations. In order to expand the functionality of the device, make it universal and increase operational safety, it is necessary to ensure the availability of additional devices. Let's look at the most common of them.
Longitudinal guide for movable milling carriage
Using a longitudinal guide built into the surface of the table top, you can attach a variety of devices to the milling table: an angular stop with a protractor, a perpendicular stop, etc.
The longitudinal guide can have a different design, but most often it is an aluminum C-shaped profile into which bolts and wing nuts are inserted. This design allows you to quickly install the device you need at the moment on the milling table.
By the way, using the C-shaped profile, you can also attach a longitudinal adjustable stop to the tabletop.
Vertical clamp
The upper clamp increases safety when working with a homemade router and increases processing accuracy. Its fastening can be implemented using the type of clamps for a movable carriage.
If you are planning to make a milling table with your own hands, a video about setting up a universal carpentry workshop for personal use will help you with this.
Lift for router
The vertical reach of the cutter very often has to be adjusted. To perform this adjustment, a milling lift is provided - an adjustable stop that allows you to maintain the milling machine at a given height and, if necessary, quickly change this height.
It is advisable to use a milling elevator in conjunction with submersible milling machines. Their design initially has guides for adjusting the reach of the cutter (unlike machines with a fixed motor).
A lift for a homemade router can have different designs.
Car jack lift
You can use an old car jack to create a lifting mechanism.
leon42 User FORUMHOUSE
The elevator can be made from a car jack: there is a shelf under the router, and we attach the jack to the shelf. We turn the jack - the router rises or lowers.
For convenience, the jack handle can be moved out of the side wall of the bed. This will make adjustments much easier.
Threaded rod lift
Blackk User FORUMHOUSE
The angle with the threaded rod is screwed to the protrusion on the router, to which the measuring pin is normally attached. The corner for the threaded rod is threaded. By rotating the pin, we seem to screw into the corner and pull the entire router up along the guides. Accordingly, when rotating backwards, we lower the router.
The mechanism consists of a wooden wedge (item 1), in which a through hole is drilled for a screw (item 2). Thanks to metal plates (item 3), attached to the sides of the wedge and having threaded holes, the wedge moves in a horizontal plane, raising or lowering the milling machine. The handle of the lifting mechanism is located on the side surface of the bed. To reduce the load during lifting, the router is equipped with a homemade roller (item 4).
Turning the router table on and off
All necessary equipment for the electrical part of the milling table is already provided in the design of the milling machine. The only thing that can be added to an existing electrical circuit is a remote switch and an emergency shutdown button (after all, no one has yet canceled the safety rules during operation).
You can use a very ordinary switch for the router. As for the possibility of quick shutdown: it can be realized by installing an emergency button with a locking mechanism on the table (in which the unlocking is carried out by turning).
Table assembly
We have listed the main and auxiliary elements of the milling table. Each master can determine the order of assembling the device for himself. The only point to pay attention to is the manufacture and installation of the mounting plate.
After a plate of a suitable size is cut from a steel (or plywood) sheet, it is necessary to drill holes in it for attaching the milling machine, a hole for the cutter (its diameter must correspond to the diameter of the hole in the base of the router) and mounting holes (for attaching the plate to the tabletop) .
What tools should you have in your carpentry or furniture workshop? And a video about the design of a homemade milling table and the features of power carpentry tools will help you find answers to questions regarding equipment that is extremely rarely used in a small home workshop.
A router is necessary for processing wood. This tool allows you to make a groove, cut grooves, process edges, and make tenon joints. Its use can be inconvenient, since the master has to ensure that the workpiece is motionless and at the same time subject to processing. A self-built milling table, which is considered a reliable and convenient addition to the equipment, helps to cope with difficulties. The design of the table is so convenient that it allows you to make products at home that are not inferior in quality to factory-made analogues.
Basic moments
This design simplifies the process of processing wood products and increases the productivity of the tool. Its options, dimensions and design meet the individual requirements of the master. It is necessary to begin work on the product with a drawing, which will indicate the dimensions and location of the working parts.
The production process involves the use of the following materials:
- scraps from pieces of plywood or chipboard;
- square bars, 4 pcs.;
- jack;
- hardware;
- steel plate, 6 mm;
- metal profile;
- aluminum guides;
- hand router;
- the support carriage is movable.
To make a milling table, you will need a beam (50x50 mm), plywood, a tape measure, a jigsaw, and a saw. A stationary base is first prepared from chipboard scraps and wooden blocks. From them it is necessary to twist the legs of the support. You can further increase the rigidity of the structure using plywood and horizontal connecting panels. On the right (side) you need to cut a hole, which is intended for the “Start” button. It attaches to a hand router.
It is recommended to make the tabletop from chipboard; it must be liftable. Then the hinges are installed and an additional support base is prepared from a single piece of plywood with a thickness of at least 15 mm. A moving carriage-stop will be needed to move the workpiece smoothly, without shifting, along the table. It is necessary to cut a groove in the tabletop for the guides of the movable stop. A metal profile is installed in the groove. A guide from an old, unused saw can replace the stop carriage.
Manufacturing instructions
It is advisable to make the longitudinal stop from chipboard. It must be movable (to adjust the gaps around the cutter). To do this, you will need to cut perpendicular grooves in the upper part of the stop, securing the stop to the base using clamps. It is necessary to cut a small groove in the center, designed to absorb milling waste.
A box with a hole, which will serve to connect the hose from the vacuum cleaner, can be made from thin plywood. The vacuum cleaner will remove chips and dust formed during operation. The box is attached behind the perpendicular stop.
The steel plate must be screwed to the tabletop so that it is level with its surface. During the fastening process, it is advisable to ensure that the edges of the plate do not protrude above the level of the table top so that the workpieces cannot catch on it. A hand router needs to be attached to the bottom of the plate.
The tool is fixed to the aluminum base using bolts, having previously drilled holes for them. By attaching the device not to the tabletop, but to the plate, the milling depth will be smaller, which allows you to change the cutter if necessary.
Then it is recommended to start building the router lift using a car jack, which allows you to easily and accurately change the height of the unit. Instead of handles, you need to attach aluminum guides, connecting them to the jack.
Components of a milling table
The milling cutter is the main element of the installation. Its power depends on the specifics of the master’s work.
Convenient models include those that are additionally equipped with quick stop and soft start functions, and those that have a button for spindle lock. In such units, you can change the brushes without opening the device casing.
The frame on supports, on top of which the tabletop is fixed, is called the frame. It can be made of chipboard, wood, MDF, steel. The unit must provide a high degree of rigidity and be stable. The dimensions of the bed depend on the parameters of the parts that will be processed by the carpenter. The size that is considered universal is the height of 850-900 mm for standing work. It is recommended to equip the bed with adjustable supports so that you can change the height of the table and compensate for uneven floors.
The tabletop is presented in the form of a kitchen analogue made of chipboard with a thickness of 26-36 mm coated with wear-resistant plastic. Such material will allow workpieces to slide easily over the surface and dampen vibration. You can replace the kitchen countertop with a plate made of MDF or chipboard with a thickness of at least 16 mm.
It is necessary to maintain the amplitude of the router's reach, taking into account the thickness of the tabletop from 26 mm, using a mounting plate. The thickness of the product should be small and the strength should be high. The plate can be made of metal, but a more durable and easy-to-process material is called textolite. The product should be rectangular in shape, with a side of 150-300 mm, a thickness of 4-8 mm, with a hole whose diameter corresponds to the hole in the base of the router, in the center.
The tabletop on which the mounting plate is located must be temporarily attached to the bed. Its outline should be outlined with a pencil. Using a hand router in the frame, select a seat for the plate so that it is installed flush with the tabletop. The corners of the seat must be rounded.
It is necessary to start manufacturing the table after determining its design features. The milling table allows you to move the workpiece instead of moving the tool (during the processing of parts), while the switched on device remains motionless.
We continue the topic of creating an excellent milling table using the example of a model from Victor Travelller. This is a demanding machine with precise adjustments, including the guide.
Let's analyze this device in more detail. The material for the guide itself is scraps of laminated parquet, from which the base is made.
This base is placed on a pair of metal transverse guides placed beyond the ends of the workbench. Moreover, it is placed in a completely original way, on special skids. 
The slide is made from a pair of metal channels arranged in parallel. Between them there are two bearings along and 4 more across. This minimizes friction on the transverse tire. 
The issue of fixation is solved by installing an eccentric clamp. It consists of a metal corner to which a pair of plywood jaws is attached, the inner one of which moves under the action of a cam clamp. The clamp itself is attached by means of a pin to the base through a long nut. The pin rotates by turning the wheel. 
That is, when the eccentric is clamped, you can move the rotating edge of the guide base forward or backward with high precision for precise adjustment.
To facilitate this adjustment, you can put a ruler on the transverse tires or glue a tape measure. 
On this note, let's finish with the clamps and move on to creating the guide itself. It is shorter than the base and consists of a pair of main parts connected at right angles. Rigidity is provided by transverse stiffeners. A groove is selected in the upper part. 
Another shot with a more general plan. Through longitudinal grooves are also made in the vertical sheet (they are not in the photo yet), which serve to secure the movable cheeks. 
We glue an aluminum guide into the upper groove (it is used to secure the comb or other clamps). We install movable “cheeks” into the through grooves using wing bolts. 
They allow you to change the dust intake opening depending on the installed cutter: expand it for a wide 
And move for thinner cutters. 
In the photograph of the rear plan we can clearly see the longitudinal through grooves, as well as the dust collector mounted in the center of the guide. It is a box formed by a pair of stiffening ribs and a hinged lid. A pipe for a vacuum cleaner is embedded in one of the walls. 
The inclined lid hinges on a pair of butterfly hinges, which allows you to eliminate possible blockages, etc. 
When processing a surface with a hand router, it often becomes necessary to hold the product at the same time. The milling table is designed for such situations.
Of course, you can purchase this device in hardware stores, but it is not cheap, so it is better to spend a little time and make a milling table yourself.
Types of milling tables
The amount of work to be done will depend on which version of the table you need.
There are several types of router tables:
- Stationary
Free-standing, full-fledged desktop. - Portable
Tabletop design, which can be installed if necessary. - Aggregate
An option when, in order to work with a router, the surface of the saw table is expanded (pictured).
Design elements
In this article we will look at a stationary milling table. Having made it, you can independently cope with any other type of design.
The most important part of the table is the bed. It consists of a frame (legs, frame, etc.) and a table top (including a metal plate and other table components). The height of the bed varies from 75 cm to 1 meter and can be adjusted individually.
An old unnecessary table, which can easily be converted into a milling table, is quite suitable as a bed.
The tabletop is made of chipboard, laminated chipboard, thick plywood or plastic. The optimal sheet thickness is 16 mm. The material for the frame should be selected taking into account the fact that wooden pieces will constantly move along its surface. Therefore, it should be smooth. Often the countertop is made of metals that are not subject to corrosion (for example, aluminum).
There is a mounting plate in the middle of the tabletop. Many people think that they can do without this detail, but this is not true. The mounting plate is a holder for all milling equipment.
The thickness of the plate should be no more than 8 mm. The material used depends on desire and capabilities. It can be metal, textolite, durable plywood or other sheet material. A hole is cut in the center of the plate to fit the size of the router sole.
Important: Models of milling cutters differ from each other, so when making a table you should take into account that its height should be ideal for your height, and the mounting of the router and the size of the hole should be exactly for your tool.
Stationary milling table
Let's consider the option of making a milling table with a metal frame and a tabletop made of Dutch plywood.
Materials and tools
In order to make a table for a manual router with your own hands, you will need the following materials:
- metal corner or pipe (for frame)
- aluminum guide
- axles for mounting the router
- putty, primer and paint for metal
- self-tapping screws
- furniture bolts 6 x 60 mm
- Hexagonal adjusting bolts with nuts – 4 pcs.
- Finnish moisture-resistant laminated plywood, 18 mm thick (you can use another material)
- boards or plywood scraps (for making a rip fence).
The following tools are also required:
- welding machine (for metal table frame)
- drill and bits
- screwdriver
- jigsaw
- milling cutter
- spatula, brushes, rags.
How to make and assemble a transforming table with your own hands:
You might also be interested in the DIY article.
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Manufacturing stages
Step 1. First, we make the table frame: the tabletop holder is welded from 4 profile pipes 25 x 25 mm, on one side of the table it is necessary to weld another pipe along which the parallel stop will move. The legs are welded to them.
You can weld on each side of the frame (along the perimeter where the tabletop will be located) a corner as long as a pipe, so that the tabletop sits on these corners in the recess.
Another option, which we will use, will be to install additional supports for the tabletop: we weld two more pipes onto the long sides, which will serve not only as a support for the plywood, but also as a limiter for the router (the distance between them should be such that you can safely cut out a hole for mounting the device).
To make the workplace more stable, we weld reinforcing bridges between the table legs, at a distance of about 20 cm from the floor.
Step 2. For painting you need to take oil paint (not suitable for aluminum and galvanized steel!). We clean the metal from dirt and degrease it using any solvent (alcohol, kerosene, etc.). If necessary, you can fill the surface with a special putty and prime it.
Note: all actions should be carried out in a respirator and a ventilated area.
For primers You can use the same paint that will be used for further painting, but diluted with a solvent. More long term and qualitative the result is obtained during processing specialized compositions for metal.
After application last standing you need to wait until it's full drying out and only then proceed to further actions.
Step 3. We cut the tabletop exactly to fit the metal frame so that it fits firmly into the corners. For greater strength, you can drill holes (with a metal drill) in metal pipes (or corners) and fasten the edges of the tabletop to the frame with furniture bolts. The size of the finished tabletop is 84 x 59 cm, table height is 90 cm.
Step 4. At a distance of 20-25 cm from the edge we cut aluminum guide along the entire length of the tabletop.
Step 5. Cut the axes for the router in half. This will help increase the space between the sole and the guide axle to 11mm (if using uncut axles, this distance will be only 6mm).
Step 6. We remove the sole from the router and mark 4 holes in the middle of the tabletop for its fastening, and drill them. We make a hole in the middle of the tabletop. The hole size will be different for each tool! Holes are drilled to the left and right of the hole into which the bolts securing the clamps of the router axes are inserted (they will no longer be removed).
Step 7 On the reverse side, you need to use a router to make a large groove for sole milling cutter.
In the groove itself, at the top and bottom of the through hole, cut small grooves (with a router) equal in length to the axes. At the ends of the grooves, use a Forstner drill to make small recesses for adjusting bolts with hexagonal hole.
Step 8 We cut out two pieces of pipe equal to the width of the large groove. We drill holes in them for bolts that cannot be removed. We have obtained clamps for the router axes. Nuts are screwed onto the bolts.
Step 9 Hex nuts and bolts are placed on both sides axes and are necessary in order to carry out plane adjustment milling cutter.
Step 10 We make a parallel stop. To do this, a groove is cut in a small piece of plywood for movement along a pipe specially welded for this purpose. Using a jigsaw, three equal-sized strips of plywood are cut out (length of the strip = table length + width of the guide pipe) and 4 stiffening ribs for them.
A semicircular hole is made in one strip of plywood for the release of chips, which should correspond to the slot in the tabletop. A square hole is made in the second strip in the same place.
The third strip of plywood is sawn in half. It is attached to the back of the strip with a square hole using bolts (then you need to make long grooves for their movement) or simple guides. The plywood halves should move apart in different directions. An aluminum guide is installed at the very top edge of this strip.
Step 11 We fasten the first and second strips together with the sides with cutouts. We fasten the stiffening ribs: two - along the edges of the resulting large hole at the junction of the plywood strips and one - on both sides (at a distance of 7-10 cm from the edge).
We cut out a small square of thin plywood (which would fit between the stiffening ribs located in the middle), closer to the middle we make a hole equal to the diameter of the vacuum cleaner pipe. The plywood is attached to the stiffeners, forming a triangular box.
Step 12 The parallel stop for the milling table is fixed with clamps. This is done so that the milling table can be easily removed and rearranged. If it is completely intended for the router, you can fix emphasis using brackets with grooves for its movement.
Step 13 For convenience, we weld a 6-mm metal plate to a regular bolt. The clamps are made of wood, with two grooves for such bolts. It is necessary to have two such clamps.
Step 14 We install the router: we thread our half-cut axles into the side holes of the router, put nuts on them and secure the router with pipe clamps.
Step 15 We turn the table over. Using a hex wrench, turn the bolt, lifting the router up (1 turn = 1 mm).
Can be installed with a jack so you don't have to use bolts all the time. To turn on the router, we attach a socket with a switch to one of the legs, which will act as an ON/OFF button.
Note: for convenience, you can provide a small tape to hold the wire from the router while working.
Workplace safety
When working with power tools, do not forget about the safety rules:
- When working with a router, be careful not to turn away from it or move workpieces near the tool with your hands.
- Always use restraints, safety glasses and gloves.
- Keep children away from the operating machine.
- If a malfunction occurs, immediately unplug the router and take it to a workshop.
For more information on how to make a table for a hand router, see video:
Accessories for a hand router can expand the functionality of hand-held power tools and make their use more convenient, comfortable and safe. Serial models of such devices are quite expensive, but you can save on their purchase and make devices for equipping a wood router with your own hands.
Various types of attachments can turn a hand router into a truly universal tool.
The main task that milling tools solve is to ensure that the tool is positioned in relation to the surface being machined in the required spatial position. Some of the most commonly used milling machine attachments come standard with milling machines. Those models that have a highly specialized purpose are purchased separately or made by hand. At the same time, many devices for a wood router have such a design that making them yourself does not present any particular problems. For homemade devices for a hand router, you don’t even need drawings - their drawings will be enough.
Among the accessories for a wood router that you can make yourself, there are a number of popular models. Let's take a closer look at them.
Rip fence for straight and curved cuts
A rip fence for or other base surface, which allows you to make straight cuts in wood relative to these surfaces, is one of the most popular devices and is included in the standard kit of many models. Using such a device, the base element for which, in addition to the work table, can be the side of the workpiece or a guide rail, the grooves on the workpiece are processed, and its edge part is also milled.
The design of the parallel stop for the router includes the following components:
- rods that are inserted into special holes in the milling cutter body;
- a locking screw, by means of which the rods are fixed in the required position;
- fine adjustment screw, which is needed in order to more accurately adjust the distance at which the cutter axis will be from the base surface;
- support pads with which the device rests on the base surface (in some models of parallel stops it is possible to change the distance between the support pads).
To prepare the router stop for work, you need to do the following:
- insert the stop rods into the holes in the base of the router and secure them in the required position with a locking screw;
- Loosen the locking screw and use the fine adjustment screw to adjust the distance between the cutter axis and the supporting surface of the fixture.
By adding one simple part to the rip fence, you can use this device to create not only straight, but also curved cuts in wood. Such a part is a wooden block, one side of which is straight, and on the other there is a round or angular recess. It is placed between the support pads of the stop and the base surface of the processed wood workpiece, which has a curved shape.
In this case, naturally, the straight side of the block should rest against the support pads of the device, and the side with the notch should rest against the curved base surface. You should work with a parallel stop, additionally equipped with such a block, with extreme caution, since the position of the router itself in this case will be quite unstable.
Guide rail
The guide rail, like the rip fence, ensures the linear movement of the router relative to the base surface during wood processing. Meanwhile, unlike a parallel stop, such a guide for a router can be located at any angle to the edge of the workpiece. Thus, the guide rail can provide the ability to accurately move the router during wood processing in almost any direction in the horizontal plane. A guide rail equipped with additional structural elements is also useful when milling holes located in wood at a certain pitch.
Fixation of the guide bar on the work table or workpiece is ensured by special clamps. If the basic configuration of the device does not include such clamps, ordinary clamps will be suitable for these purposes. Some models of guide bars can be equipped with a special adapter, which is often called a shoe. The adapter, connected to the base of the router via two rods, slides along the profile of the tire during processing and thus ensures the movement of the working head of the router in a given direction.
A milling device such as a guide rail is best used in conjunction with routers whose support platform is equipped with height-adjustable legs. This is explained as follows. In cases where the supporting surfaces of the router and the tire are in different horizontal planes, which can happen when the device is too close to the wood workpiece being processed, the adjustable legs of the tool make it possible to eliminate such a discrepancy.
Guide devices for equipping a router, which, despite the simplicity of their design, will be highly efficient in use, can be made with your own hands without much difficulty. The simplest of such devices can be made from a long wooden block, which is secured to the workpiece using clamps. To make this device even more convenient, you can supplement it with side stops. If you place and fix a block simultaneously on two (or even more) pieces of wood, you can mill a groove on their surface in one pass.
The main disadvantage that distinguishes the device of the above-described design is that it is not easy to accurately fix the block relative to the line of the future cut. The guide devices of the two designs proposed below do not have such a disadvantage.
The first of these devices is a device made of interconnected boards and plywood sheets. To ensure alignment of this device with respect to the edge of the groove being made, the following conditions must be met: the distance from the edge of the stop to the edge of the plywood (base) must exactly correspond to the distance at which the tool used is located from the extreme point of the router base. The device of the proposed design is used if the tree is processed with cutters of the same diameter.
For milling operations performed with tools of different diameters, it is advisable to use devices of a different design. The peculiarity of the latter is that when using them, the router comes into contact with the stop with the entire sole, and not just its middle part. The design of such a stop includes a folding board on hinges, which ensures the correct spatial position of the device in relation to the surface of the wood product being processed. The purpose of this board is to ensure that the stop is fixed in the required position. After this procedure is completed, the board tilts back and thereby frees up space for the working head of the milling cutter.
When making such a device for a router with your own hands, you should keep in mind that the distance from the center of the tool used to the extreme point of the base of the router must correspond to the width of the folding board and the gap between the board and the stop, if it is provided in the design of the device. If in the manufacture of this device you focused only on the edge of the cutter and the edge of the groove that needs to be formed with its help, such a device can only be used with cutters of the same diameter.
Often, grooves in wood blanks have to be milled across the fibers of the material, which leads to the formation of scoring marks. The amount of scoring can be reduced by devices that, by pressing the fibers in the place where the cutter comes out, do not allow them to break off from the surface of the wood being processed. The design of one of these devices consists of two boards, which are connected to each other with screws at an angle of 90°. The width of the groove made in such a device must match the width of the recess created in the wood product, for which cutters of different diameters are used on different sides of the stop.
Another milling device, the design of which consists of two L-shaped elements, fixed to the wood product being processed with clamps, is required for milling open grooves and ensures a minimum amount of scoring during processing.
Copy rings and templates
A copying sleeve for a router is a device with a protruding edge that slides along the template and thus sets the movement of the cutter in the required direction. Such a ring can be fixed on the base of the router in various ways: screwed with screws, screwed into a threaded hole, inserted with special tendrils into holes in the base of the tool.
The diameters of the copying ring and the tool used should have close values, but it is important that the ring does not touch the cutting part of the cutter. If the diameter of the ring exceeds the transverse size of the copy cutter, then such a template to compensate for the difference between its size and the diameter of the tool should not exceed the size of the workpiece.
A milling template, made in the form of a ring, can be fixed to a piece of wood using double-sided tape and clamps, with which both parts are pressed to the work table. After milling according to the template, you should check that the ring was pressed tightly against the edge of the template during the milling operation.
Milling templates can be used not only to process the entire edge of a product, but also to give its corners a rounded shape. Using such a template for a router, you can make roundings of various radii at the corners of the wood product being processed.
Templates used for working with a hand router can be equipped with a bearing or ring. In the latter case, the following conditions must be met: the ring must exactly match the diameter of the cutter, or stops must be provided in the design of the fixture that allow the template to be moved away from the edge of the workpiece and thereby eliminate the difference between the radii of the tool and the ring.
Using templates, which can be adjustable, you can not only mill the edges of the wood product being processed, but also create shaped grooves on its surface. In addition, if you make a template of the appropriate design, which is not very difficult, you can quickly and accurately cut grooves for door hinges with it.
Cutting round and elliptical grooves
To cut grooves in the shape of a circle or ellipse in wood with a hand router, use compass devices. The simplest compass for a router consists of a rod. One end of it is connected to the base of the router, and the other is equipped with a screw and pin. The pin is inserted into a hole that acts as the center of a circle, along the contour of which a groove is formed. To change the radius of the groove circle, for which such a compass for a router is used, it is enough to move the rod relative to the base of the router. More convenient to use are compass devices, the design of which includes two rods rather than one.
Equipment operating on the principle of a compass is a fairly common type of device used to work with a router. With their help, it is very convenient to mill shaped grooves with different radii of curvature. As mentioned above, the typical design of such a device, which you can make yourself, includes a screw with a pin that can move along the groove of the device and thereby allows you to adjust the radius of the groove being created.
In cases where it is necessary to create a hole of small diameter with a milling cutter on wood or other material, a different type of equipment is used. A design feature of such devices, which are fixed on the bottom of the router base, is that their pin, installed in the central hole on the workpiece, is located under the base of the power tool being used, and not outside it.
Base Corner Guides
Centering pin Compass assembly. Bottom view Compass assembly. View from above
Using special devices, you can use a hand router to create not only round, but also oval holes in wood. The design of one of these devices includes:
- a base that can be fixed to the wood product being processed with vacuum suction cups or screws;
- two shoes that move along intersecting guides;
- two mounting rods;
- bracket connecting the base of the device to the router.
Due to special grooves in the bracket of such a device, its base plate is easily aligned in the same plane with the base of the router. If this equipment is used to perform milling along a round contour, then one shoe is used, and if along an oval contour, then both. The cut made with such a device is of higher quality than if it was made using a jigsaw or band saw. This is explained by the fact that processing with the milling cutter used in this case is carried out by a tool that rotates at high speed.
Devices for fast and high-quality milling of grooves on narrow surfaces
Any home craftsman can answer the question of how to make grooves for door hinges or a lock. For these purposes, as a rule, a drill and an ordinary chisel are used. Meanwhile, you can perform this procedure much faster and with less labor if you take a milling cutter equipped with a special device for this purpose. The design of such a device, with the help of which grooves of various widths can be created on narrow surfaces, is a flat base fixed to the base of the router. On the base, which can have either a round or rectangular shape, two pins are installed, the task of which is to ensure the straight movement of the router during processing.
The main requirement that the attachment to a milling cutter of the design described above must meet is that the axes of the guide pins must be in line with the center of the cutter used for processing wood. If this condition is met, then the groove made at the end of the workpiece will be located strictly in its center. To move the groove to one side, just put a sleeve of the appropriate size on one of the guide pins. When using a similar attachment on a hand router, you need to ensure that the guide pins are pressed against the side surfaces of the workpiece during processing.
It is possible to ensure the stability of the router when processing narrow surfaces without special devices. This problem is solved using two boards, which are attached to both sides of the workpiece in such a way as to form one plane with the surface on which the groove is made. When using this technological technique, the router itself is positioned using a parallel stop.
Milling devices for processing bodies of revolution
Many accessories for manual milling machines, made by users to suit their needs, do not have serial analogues. One of these devices, the need for which arises quite often, is a device that facilitates the process of cutting grooves in rotating bodies. Using such a device, in particular, you can easily and accurately cut longitudinal grooves on posts, balusters and other wood products of a similar configuration.
Cutter and frame assembly Carriage for router Dividing disc
The design of this device is:
- frame;
- mobile milling carriage;
- a disk used to set the rotation angle;
- screws that secure the workpiece being processed;
- locking screw
If such a device is additionally equipped with a simple drive, which can be used as a conventional drill or screwdriver, then milling on it can successfully replace processing performed on a lathe.
Tenon milling device
A tenon-cutting device for a router allows high-precision processing of parts connected using the tongue-and-groove principle. The most versatile of these devices allow you to mill various types of tenons (dovetail and straight). The operation of such a device involves a copying ring, which, moving along a groove in a special template, ensures precise movement of the cutter in a given direction. To make one yourself, you must first select the groove patterns for which it will be used.
Several additional options for expanding the functionality of the router
Why do you need to create additional devices to equip a hand router, which is already a fairly functional device? The fact is that such devices will allow you to turn your manual router into a full-fledged processing center. So, by fixing a manual milling cutter on a guide (this can be), you can not only make the process of using it easier, but also increase the accuracy of the operations performed. The design of such a useful device does not contain complex elements, so making it for a router and drill with your own hands will not be difficult.
Many home craftsmen, wondering how to work with a hand router with even greater efficiency, make a functional work table for this tool. Naturally, such a table can also be used for other equipment (for example, a circular saw or electric drill).
If you do not have a manual milling machine at your disposal, then this problem can be solved with the help of special devices that allow you to successfully perform milling on a serial lathe. Using a milling attachment for a lathe, you can significantly expand the functionality of serial equipment (in particular, use it to process planes, make grooves and grooves, and process various parts along the contour). It is also important that such a device for a lathe does not have a complicated design, and making it yourself will not be a big problem.
