How to make a machine from a router. Homemade milling machine for home

Wood is the most ancient material from the point of view of its processing and introduction into human life. It was from wood that people assembled their first dwellings, tools, etc.

Such attention to wood from ancient times is completely justified, because it combines excellent strength qualities, as well as good durability and ability to process without the presence of powerful tools.

However, now woodworking is still carried out with the help of specialized equipment, since it can significantly reduce the time of work processes. We will now consider perhaps the most popular unit that performs woodworking functions - a milling machine.

1 General information

Woodworking machines do not have to be milling machines. It can also be mini-machines, vertical drilling machines, etc.

1.1 CNC milling machines

Separately, we note the CNC milling machines for wood. CNC is a numerical control module.

It was specially conceived for arrangement on machine tools. Moreover, first of all, it is installed not on woodworking machines, but on machines for working with metal.

The CNC is a small mini-unit in which the simplest reading processor or computer is installed.

A person working with a CNC machine simply needs to enter the desired coordinates into the device. This can be done by measuring the table and mounting work piece in the correct position. Coordinates can be entered sequentially.

Of course, it is possible to install and configure the CNC, and a person can cope with this task with his own hands. But the work will take much more time, effort, money, and you will also need experience in interacting with machine-tool computing mechanisms.

2 Self-assembly of the milling machine

As we noted above, you can make a mini milling machine for wood with your own hands. Moreover, the process is very entertaining, interesting and can give you a lot of pleasure.

In addition, it will not take much time and effort to create a homemade wood milling machine. Although it all depends on specific decisions.

As a rule, two schemes for creating machine tools are used in the work:

• scheme using a ready-made hand mill;
• diagram with the assembly of the milling unit from individual elements.

Both the one and the other scheme provides for the use of a table as the basis for a milling machine. They mount it on the table, connect it and stabilize it. This allows you to use fairly cheap hand cutters in your work.

Note that the first type of self-made unit assembly is more preferable for beginners. Indeed, in fact, all you need to do is assemble a special table-stand for the mechanism, and also equip it with several additional elements.

Assembling a milling unit from available tools is already a much more complicated process. Here you need to separately get a powerful asynchronous motor, combine its shaft with adapters and create something like a homemade spindle.

The engine itself will need to be assembled in a separate structure, connected to a power supply, stabilizers, etc. Moreover, most of these parts will still have to be bought, although their cost in any case will be lower than the cost of the finished cutter.

But it's up to you to decide. We only note that the complete assembly of a milling unit from available tools requires not only basic carpentry skills (which will completely satisfy you in the first case), but also an understanding of electrical engineering, the ability to work with mechanisms and equipment.

2.1 General principles of the design of a homemade machine

It is actually very easy to describe the general design of a homemade milling unit.

It consists of several simple elements:

• table;
• coasters;
• fasteners;
• working mechanism (in our case, a manual vertical cheap mini milling machine);
• bars for regulating the working movement;
• element for manipulating the cutter;
• additional parts, consumables, etc.

The table is made of wood. You can use ready-made solutions, only adapt them to work, or you can assemble yourself from plywood, fiberboard and boards. Stands, mounts, etc. are assembled in the same way.

From this article you can learn how to make a do-it-yourself wood milling machine at home to perform basic operations with workpieces. The text outlines a step-by-step technology for creating a tool: an analysis of the design features of the device and all the components necessary for its installation, dimensional drawings and detailed descriptions that will help create each of these elements and put them together.

Wood milling machines can have various purposes. Some devices are designed for just one operation, others are multifunctional. Buying a professional tool is an expensive pleasure, so many craftsmen resort to making a wood machine with their own hands. Most often, such a router is used in small furniture workshops.

Routers are usually used for processing wood along a straight or curved contour. The knife head acts as a working element in the structure, which carries out rotational movements. In most cases, this part is positioned vertically. There are many varieties of routers, each with its own design features.

The most popular types of devices:

• standard single-spindle (vertical spindle);
• single-spindle designs, where the spindle or homemade milling table tilts;
• copy milling cutters with a top spindle;
• copying structures with a spindle having a horizontal placement (the tool is designed for processing wood propellers).

Note! In all of the above structures, except for the last one, the material is fed manually.

Milling machine device: single-spindle structures

The design of the single-spindle machine includes a horizontal table with a pair of tongue-and-groove nests for fixing the guide rulers. It is mounted on a cast iron bed. Under the table there are sleds that move along the guides. They have a spindle on a thrust bearing and a pair of bearings. In the upper part of this element there is another spindle - a plug-in. It is designed for mounting cutting parts.

The spindle slide can be lifted if necessary. For this, a bevel gear with a handwheel or a screw is used. The belt drive allows the spindle to be driven. Moreover, for this, a counter drive, a motor or a motor shaft can be used.

To make such a wood router with your own hands, you need to take into account some of the nuances. In some cases, additional spindle reinforcement is indispensable. Such a need arises when it is required to process workpieces of great height or the part is subjected to serious loads. To do this, you need to install and fix the upper stop on the machine table. This element is fixed to the bracket. To control the movement of the workpiece during milling, it is advisable to use a guide ring or ruler.

Machines in which the spindle or table tilts allow you to do a wider range of DIY woodwork. In addition to standard operations, such designs allow obtaining a higher quality of processing, obtaining a clean and uniform surface. This result can be achieved by cutting the wood at an angle using cutters with a very small diameter. A tilting spindle device is much safer and more comfortable.

The device of a self-made copying machine for wood with an upper spindle

These devices are used to perform copying works. This does not require high power. Such designs allow for milling and drilling to create openwork products.

The copier can replace three tools at once:

1. Fraser.
2. Drilling machine.
3. Jigsaw.

Wood processing is carried out using cutting mills. The spindle develops a large number of revolutions, due to which the machined surface is very clean.

A homemade woodworking machine can be used for various purposes:

• calibration of bosses;
• production of openwork frames;
• study of the walls of the ribs, etc.

A base made of cast iron is used as the basis for this design. Its upper part is curved in the shape of a sickle. This area is used for mounting an electric motor.

Note! The bed serves as a connecting link on which all the elements of a homemade wood milling machine are installed. The stronger and more reliable its design, the better.

The motor is mounted on rails. Due to the system of levers, it can move along these elements down and up. This section is set in motion by pressing the pedal, which is equipped with a special stopper. The rotor shaft of the motor is connected to the spindle, where the chuck with the tool is fixed. This cartridge can be self-centering or American.

In the lower area of ​​the bed, a table is mounted on a movable arm. This design can move vertically along the guides using a handwheel. There are other options for making a home-made wood milling machine with your own hands, a drawing of such a design assumes vertical movement of the table even in the process of work by pressing the pedal. In these models, the electric motor and spindle remain stationary.

How to make a wood lathe with your own hands: drawings and technology

The easiest way to make a tool with your own hands at home is to construct a lathe or milling cutter from a drill or an electric motor removed from another tool. This process is not so difficult, so every master is able to cope with its implementation. This will require an electric motor, the power of which does not exceed 500 W, and materials at hand. A drill can also be used as a drive. Of course, it will take some skill to make a lathe.

For the construction of the machine, the following elements are required:

• metal bed;
• electric motor;
• handyman;
• tailstock.

It will not hurt to acquire a drawing that will help you navigate in size and correctly make all the structural elements for its subsequent assembly.

How to make a homemade drilling machine with your own hands with a motor

First you need to prepare the motor shaft. To do this, a faceplate is installed on it, and a steel center with a thread will do. Installation of the second center is carried out in the tailstock tube. To make the bed, you will need a pair of corners measuring 5x3 cm, their length is 15 cm. A motor is attached to the bed using a bolted connection.

Note! The central part of the tailstock must necessarily coincide with the middle of the motor shaft.

At the next stage of making a homemade machine with your own hands, the headstock is assembled. This element is formed from a pair of horizontal and a pair of vertical corners. A pipe for the spindle is attached to it. You need to insert a bolt into it, the diameter of which is 1.2 cm. Previously, its head is sharpened at a right angle. Thus, the center of the spindle is designated. After that, the headstock is installed on the bed. On the upper rack, which is connected to the horizontal corners, it is necessary to fix the tube by welding.

To make a handcuff, you need to take a steel rod with a chamfer. Also, this element must have a hole that will be used to secure the reference ruler. It is necessary to weld the tube vertically with the locking screw to the long elbow. Then the rod of the handyman is inserted into it.

The rotor of the motor, on which the faceplate is fixed, will be used as the spindle of the headstock. Several holes need to be made in it. A plug will be inserted in the central part. The holes in the edges are for fixing the part with screws.

How to make a wood lathe with your own hands from a drill

With a workbench on hand with a solid and level work surface, you can build a lathe without having to build a bed. An electric drill in this case will perform the function of a rotary drive and a headstock. According to the simplest drawing of the machine, it is enough to fix this tool on the surface of the workbench through the neck. Clamps and a clamp are suitable for fixing.

This element is mounted opposite the drill. To create it, you can take two blocks of wood and an adjusting screw, sharpened at one end under a taper. If it is supposed to use the machine for processing massive wooden blanks, then it is advisable to fix the emphasis on the table using clamps.

For making a tool with your own hands, inexpensive materials are enough. A drill-based lathe can be used to grind various parts:

• door handles;
• structural details of the stairs;
• decorative items, etc.

Note! The machine with a wooden clamp is only suitable for processing wood blanks. It is not allowed to use such a tool for working with metal.

To expand the functionality of the tool, its design can be supplemented with attachments and other devices that can improve the quality of work.

These improvements include:

• winding on transformers;
• applying a coloring composition over a rotating part to create patterns;
• application of spiral notches to the workpiece, etc.

Installing a special attachment in the form of a copier will allow you to use the machine to create a whole series of identical parts or products according to a template.

How to make a wood milling machine with your own hands: drawings, videos, instructions

1. Decide on the type of construction, and what tasks the tool will perform.
2. Decide on the materials that will be used for the construction of each element, and methods of fixation.
3. Calculate the technical and operational parameters necessary for full-fledged functioning.
4. Pick up drawings with the dimensions of all parts for a do-it-yourself CNC milling machine for wood.

To work with complex elements, you will need a router with a high level of power and a large number of revolutions. Experts recommend giving preference to devices that have manual spindle adjustment and automatic stabilization. Functions such as quick stop and soft start will be useful. Ideal designs do not require disassembly of the tool body to replace motor brushes.

The router design consists of the following elements:

• countertops;
• bed;
• spindle;
• parallel stop;
• feed slide;
• vacuum cleaner.

Helpful advice! The recommended motor power for the machine is 2 kW or more. A tool with less performance will not be able to process hardwood blanks.

Selection of materials for making a woodworking machine with your own hands

In order for the bed to be able to withstand high dynamic loads, it is desirable to use metal as the material for its manufacture. The most suitable option is a pipe with a square or rectangular section. The use of a massive metal corner is allowed.

The choice of such materials allows you to create a structure without using a welding machine. All elements are connected by bolts. The design is collapsible, which makes it easier to carry and transport. In addition, using the corresponding drawing of the milling table, you can create adjustable legs with your own hands. Movable supports allow you to adjust the machine horizontally.

For the manufacture of countertops, the following materials are suitable:

• multilayer plywood sheets;
• planed board;
• MDF, OSB or chipboard.

The table top must have a smooth surface. Any irregularities will affect the quality of work. In addition, it is necessary to exclude all factors that can cause scratches during the processing of workpieces.

When making a table for a router with your own hands, a flat surface can be achieved in several ways:

• finishing with plastic;
• careful fitting and grinding of planed boards;
• metal finishing.

To make a router with your own hands, you can use an asynchronous or collector motor. The first option is quite unpretentious in operation and does not impose restrictions on the size of the cutters used. Among the disadvantages is the high noise level. The brushed motor is more affordable, but its brushes wear out faster.

How to make accessories for a router with your own hands

Homemade wood cutters are capable of efficiently processing wood, however, when in contact with hard materials, the cutting elements quickly become dull. Therefore, the range of application of such parts is significantly limited.

To make a wood cutter with your own hands, you need to take a cylindrical blank and cut off half of its diameter in the area where the cutting zone will be located. After that, it is necessary to smooth out the resulting transition. Another 1/4 of the diameter must be removed from the cut part of the workpiece and a similar operation must be performed. Then you should give the processed section of the cutter a rectangular shape. To do this, you need to cut off its lower part. The thickness of the resulting working area should be 2-5 mm.

Helpful advice! To cut a metal workpiece for a cutter, you can use a drill or grinder, adapting this tool for this task. The cutting edge can be produced using a sharpening machine.

1. It is advisable to sharpen the cutting part at an angle of 7-10 °. A sharper edge will cut much worse and will lose sharpening quickly.
2. With the help of an angle grinder, complete with discs for metal, you can give the cutting part of the cutter the desired configuration. For these purposes, diamond-coated needle files are also suitable.
3. If the cutter has a complex configuration, you can flatten or bend it.

How to make a DIY milling machine

The simplest milling machine can be made according to the same principle as the turning tool described earlier. There are several ways to design the leading center of a structure.

In the first case, a thin-walled steel tube is pushed onto the shaft. This method is considered the simplest, but it is not without its drawbacks. The operator will not be able to process workpieces whose diameter is less than the inner section of the pipe. In addition, such a structure cannot be quickly dismantled if the need arises.

In the second case, the workpiece will be attached to the faceplate. To do this, you can use screws for which you first need to make holes. This method also has disadvantages. The diameter of the workpieces to be processed is limited by the size of the faceplate. To simplify this process, a special cartridge can be made, although in this case some limitations cannot be avoided.

The back center, which will be used for fixing long workpieces, must be installed on the tailstock. The electric motor is mounted on the frame. In general, the simplest designs of turning and milling tools are similar in many ways. If you want to get a more functional device, you can make a CNC milling machine yourself, but this will require additional technical knowledge.

Do-it-yourself table making technology for a router with drawings

There are several design options that can be used to mount a desktop CNC router. Tables can be stationary or portable. In addition, there is also an aggregate variety. This design allows you to expand the surface of the table to use the router.

Most often, craftsmen prefer stationary structures with a metal frame. Dutch plywood is suitable as a material for the countertop.

Note! When making a table for a hand router with your own hands, it is imperative to take into account the height of the person who will work behind it.

The list of required tools and materials includes:

• metal parts for the frame (pipe or corner);
• aluminum guides;
• axles for fixing the router;
• putty, as well as priming and coloring compositions;
• self-tapping screws;
• furniture bolts (60x6 mm);
• hex adjusting bolts with nuts (4 pcs.);
• Finnish film faced plywood with moisture resistant properties (sheet thickness 1.8 cm);
• material for the manufacture of a parallel stop (plywood or boards);
• drill and drill set;
• screwdriver and electric jigsaw;
• welding machine;
• auxiliary devices (brushes, rags, spatula).

Having everything you need, you can easily make the design of a milling table with your own hands, video reviews of the technology, of which there are many on the network, will help you visually familiarize yourself with this process.

DIY CNC machine manufacturing technology: drawings and assembly

A CNC router differs from a conventional tool in the presence of a program that controls its operation. In many videos, self-made machines are made on the basis of a rectangular beam, which is fixed on guides. The CNC router is no exception. During the installation of the supporting structure, it is advisable not to use welded joints; it is better to fix it with bolts.

The fact is that the welded seams are vulnerable to vibration, which will cause the frame to gradually deteriorate over time. As a result of a change in geometric dimensions, the equipment will lose its accuracy and quality of processing. It is desirable that the drawing of the table provides for the ability to move the tool vertically. A helical gear is suitable for these purposes. The rotational motion will be transmitted by the toothed belt.

The vertical axis is the most important structural element. For its manufacture, you can use an aluminum plate. In this case, it is very important that the dimensional parameters of the axis correspond to the dimensions of the future machine.

Helpful advice! Using a muffle furnace, the vertical axis can be cast from aluminum, taking into account the dimensions shown in the drawing.

The assembly of the machine should begin with the installation of two electric motors of the stepping type. They are installed behind the vertical axis directly on the body. One motor will control the horizontal movement of the milling head, the other vertically. Then you need to proceed to the installation of the remaining structural units.

The rotational motion will be transmitted to the nodal elements of the tool by means of belt drives. Before connecting the software control to the finished mill, it is imperative to check its operability and, if there are any deficiencies, eliminate them. Many craftsmen use video reviews to assemble the machine with their own hands, where this process is discussed in detail.

Do-it-yourself equipment for creating a CNC milling machine for wood

To create a CNC milling machine at home, it is imperative to use stepper motors. They provide the ability to move the tool in 3 planes. To create a homemade machine tool, the electric motors present in a dot matrix printer are ideal. Make sure that the motors have sufficient power. In addition to motors, steel rods are required.

A dot matrix printer has only a couple of motors, and it takes three to create a router. Therefore, several old printing devices will be required. It is desirable that the motors have 5 control wires. This increases the functionality of the tool.

Other engine parameters are also important:

• degree of rotation in one step;
• winding resistance;
• voltage level.

You will need a stud and nut to assemble the drive. The size of these parts is selected taking into account the drawing. To secure the motor shaft and stud, you can use a thick rubber wrap from the electrical cable. A nylon bushing will work as a retainer and a screw must be inserted into it. A drill and file can be used as an auxiliary tool.

The tool will be controlled by software. An indispensable element of the machine is the LPT port, which provides connection of the control system to the milling cutter through electric motors. The quality of the components used to assemble the machine determines its service life and the quality of the technological operations performed. Therefore, the choice of parts should be approached thoroughly. When all the electronic components of the machine are installed and connected, all that remains is to download the drivers and software.

How much will it cost to buy a CNC milling machine: tool prices

If almost any craftsman can handle the manufacture of a hand router and a stationary table, then the assembly of a CNC machine for many will seem an impossible task. Moreover, homemade designs do not have the capabilities that a factory-made tool can offer.

Helpful advice! If you intend to use a router to perform complex woodwork, it is better to give preference to factory designs that are precisely calibrated and have many functions.

The prices for them vary depending on the functionality, table size, power, manufacturer and other parameters.

Average prices for factory-made CNC milling machines:

Assembling a machine tool with software is a rather complicated process that requires certain skills and knowledge. This work cannot be done without a suitable drawing and the necessary parts. Items such as signal loops, stepper motors, and microprocessor boards can be removed from legacy equipment or purchased online. Many online stores offer ready-made kits for assembling milling machines for home workshops.

Making a wood milling machine with your own hands: video instruction

How to make a wood router? To make various wood or metal products at home, to surprise your friends and acquaintances with your skill, you should make a universal wood milling machine with your own hands.

Why make a machine if it's easier to buy a ready-made one in a store? The thing is that a milling machine with many functions is expensive, and some of them will not be needed on the farm.

Made by yourself will include all the nuances and connections at your personal request. And for the manufacture of suitable materials at hand, the machine will come out inexpensively.

First of all, it is necessary to decide for what purposes the equipment will be used. The ideal solution is to prepare a drawing in advance.

On the diagram, it is necessary to notice the location of the switches, indicate where the shaft and additional devices will be located. This is done so that during the work there is already a ready-made scheme of step-by-step actions.

And also thanks to the drawing, the builder will see where it is better to fix all the components so that it is convenient and functional.

All materials must be prepared in advance:

• the engine, if it comes in handy during the manufacture;
• boards;
• plywood;
• nuts;
• bolts.

Then all the work will take a little time, but in the near future the craftsmen can use the mini-machine for its intended purpose.

Drill machine

The simplest form, but it has its own nuances. A homemade milling machine for metal or wood from a conventional drill does not allow you to accurately adhere to the required processing.

The mechanism of working with the machine:

• first, you should prepare a workpiece, it will hold the future mini-machine in one position;
• you need to install a drill cutter;
• clamp the head.
• a clamp must be prepared from the board, it is attached to the limiter. If you rest against the stop, the router will move along one line, which will determine the location of the groove.

Do-it-yourself vertical-horizontal milling machine

Stationary device

A stationary homemade do-it-yourself wood milling machine for assembly is no different from the factory configuration. For assembly you will need:

• - the size of the table for the milling machine is selected by the owner, depending on his needs. Fasteners should be installed on it, which indicates the dimensions of the cutter movement.
• The bed is the main part of the equipment, where the tabletop, the cutter is fixed. Reliable and durable materials are selected.
• Milling cutter - improvised materials are suitable, for example, the same drill, and you can also make it yourself from an electric motor and a spindle.

Before assembling a wood milling machine, they decide in which plane you will process the wood: vertically or horizontally. The installation of all spare parts depends on this, it should be considered using the example of vertical processing:

• There is no need for a drawing to prepare the bed. But preference should be given to a frame with metal corners, it must be fixed with chipboard bolts.
• It is necessary to determine the place where the shaft of the milling equipment will come out. Prepare a hole, but the shaft must be smaller than the hole.
• It is necessary to secure the grinder using clamps, they must be secured with a bolt in advance.
• It is necessary to select cutters - they must resemble a disk when installed on a shaft. Secure with a nut.
• If key cutters are used for milling, an adapter should be prepared.

Installation of guide elements on the table remains an important condition. The workpiece will move along them; for convenience, the guides are made of wood. This material allows you to create a different direction, these products can be easily removed by craftsmen, but during work they should be fixed with bolts.

If we compare a stationary apparatus with a machine from a drill, then the first option wins significantly, since the accuracy of the work process is at the highest level. But it is more difficult to build it with your own hands from scrap materials.

But after the installation of all the equipment, the craftsmen can say with accuracy that the machine made by themselves will serve diligently for several years.

An apparatus made from a drill also has the advantage of being simple to make, but its long-term use cannot be accurately predicted.

Metal processing

For your own purposes, it is easy to make a do-it-yourself metal milling machine. Adhering to the assembly rules, specialists can quickly build high-quality equipment, it will be beautiful in appearance, high-quality and will last a long time. You should consider the assembly instructions:

• A cover should be made for the future machine. Plywood should be preferred as the material of manufacture. To prepare the lid, it is necessary to cut out several sections of certain sizes from plywood, they will fit the future equipment. The final stage: fastening the workpieces together.
• Installation of fasteners, installation of the router itself and additional parts of the machine - all work must be done carefully. Haste will not benefit anyone.
• Assembling the table and attaching the mounting plate to it - for this, a small depression is made on the prepared table. The contours must fully match the plate. The mounting plate is secured using tape.
• Spacers - they are installed along the contour of the plate, it is necessary to press them. Suitable for these purposes.
• Copy router - it must be installed in the bearing units.
• Holes will be needed on the desktop; they are made with an ordinary drill.
• Collecting the base - everything is done with precision according to the prepared drawing.

The structure of the milling machine

rules

In order for a homemade wood milling machine to last a long time and have a perfect look, you must follow several rules when assembling:

• Homemade wood products must be thoroughly sanded and treated with a special oil impregnation. This will prevent the finished equipment from rotting and external factors.
• All switches and the system of setting are made in an accessible place, this is done for personal convenience.
• Particular attention must be paid to the nozzle, it is responsible for collecting small chips during the operation of the cutter.
• Do-it-yourself milling machine must be assembled, carefully following the instructions.

If you follow the simple rules, a homemade milling machine for wood with your own hands or for metal will last a long time.

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

The milling table greatly improves the productivity and efficiency of working with a hand router. It is often unprofitable to purchase a serial model of such a table for your home. It is much more economical to make a milling table with your own hands. It will not take long and will require very little financial costs. Any home craftsman can cope with such a task, if desired.

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

The device of a factory-made milling table can be found in the video below. We will try to do not worse, but in some ways even better and, which is very important, cheaper.

A homemade milling table, which you equip your home machine with, will give you the opportunity to process not only wooden blanks, but also products that are made of chipboard, MDF, plastic, etc. tongue and groove elements, chamfer and decorative profiles.

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

Milling table drawings: option number 1

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

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

Part Dimensions Sectional Table Double Layer Table Top Cutout in the First Layer of the Table
Marking the cut of the second layer of the table Gluing both layers Sawing the cut according to the markings of the second layer Drawing of the rip fence
End plate of the stop Dust extraction pipe Plexiglass safety guard Comb clamp and locking block

Milling table design

If you wish, you can make a homemade milling table from an ordinary workbench, but it is better to make a special design. This is explained by the fact that a machine with a cutter creates strong vibration during operation, therefore, the bed used to fix the cutter must be highly stable and reliable. It should also be borne in mind that the milling device itself is attached to the bottom of the table top for the milling table, so there must be enough free space under it.

When attaching the device to the tabletop of a home-made table for a hand router, a mounting plate is used, which must have high strength and rigidity, or special clamps for a milling machine. Such a plate can be made of metal sheet, PCB or durable plywood. The soles of most router models already have threaded holes, and they are needed to connect such a device to the tabletop and mounting plate. If there are no such holes, you can drill them yourself and cut threads in them, or use special clamps for a milling machine.

The clamps for the milling machine or the mounting plate must be flush with the worktop, for this, a selection of the corresponding dimensions is made in the latter. Several holes must be drilled in the plate, some of which are necessary to connect it to the table top using self-tapping screws, and others so that such a plate can be fixed on the router base. The screws and self-tapping screws that you will use must be countersunk.

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

Before you start designing a do-it-yourself milling coordinate table, you need to determine the place where it will be located, as well as decide what type of milling equipment you want to make. So, you can make an aggregate milling cutter with your own hands (the table will be located on the side of the sawing equipment, serve as its extension), a compact desktop machine, free-standing stationary equipment.

You can opt for compact desktop equipment for working with wood and other materials if you use it irregularly or often use it outside your workshop. Such an installation, which is distinguished by its small size, takes up very little space, and if desired, it can be hung on the wall.

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

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

The simplest milling table or drilling machine table can be made very quickly. For the manufacture of such a structure, which is easily located on a regular desktop, you will need a chipboard sheet, on which the guiding elements are fixed. As such a guide, which can be used as a parallel stop for a milling table, a regular board of small thickness is suitable, which is attached to the tabletop using bolted connections. If necessary, you can attach a second such board in parallel, which will serve as a limit stop.

In order to insert the router into the table, it will be necessary to make a hole in the chipboard sheet in order to place it, and it will be fixed on the tabletop using two clamps. After that, the manufacture of the milling table can be considered complete. To make the use of such a design more convenient, you can place the simplest clamps for a milling machine on the tabletop.

Bed and table top manufacturing

The bed of a home-made milling machine must be highly stable and reliable, since it will bear the main loads. Structurally, it is a frame with supports, on which the table top is fixed. As a material for the manufacture of the frame of the bed, you can use welded metal profiles, chipboard, MDF, wood. It is advisable to first prepare drawings of such a device. On them it is necessary to designate all structural elements and their sizes, depending on the dimensions of the parts that are planned to be processed on such milling equipment.

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

One of the significant characteristics of the bed for a homemade milling machine is its height, on which the convenience of working on such equipment depends. According to ergonomic requirements, the most suitable height for equipment to be used while standing is 850–900 mm. It is desirable to make the lower parts of the bed supports adjustable. This will make it possible not only to compensate for unevenness in the floor, but also, if necessary, to change the height of the milling table. To make a turntable with your own hands, it is enough to fix special wheels on its legs.

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

You can make a milling table, characterized by a low price, high reliability, from the tabletop of an old kitchen table. Such countertops are usually made of a 26 or 36 mm thick chipboard sheet covered with wear-resistant plastic. Their surface provides good sliding of the workpiece, and the chipboard base perfectly dampens vibrations arising during the operation of the equipment. If you make a working table for the machine with your own hands, then plates made of MDF and chipboard (laminated chipboard) with a thickness of 16 mm or more are suitable for these purposes.

Milling table drawings: option number 2

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

Table of table parts and their sizes Frame Top corner of frame Bottom corner of frame
Sliding guide for drawers Sliding guide
Large drawer Small drawer Front of small drawer Table side panels

How to make a mounting plate

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

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

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

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

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

Assembling the milling table

Universal milling table or start assembling from the tabletop attachment to the finished bed. The mounting plate is applied to the place of the tabletop where it should be placed according to the drawing, its outline is drawn with a pencil. This is necessary in order to select a recess for the plate along the indicated contour, for which a hand-held milling cutter with a tool with a diameter of 6–10 mm is used. The size of this recess must be such that the plate fits into it flush with the surface of the countertop.

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

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

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

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

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

Milling table drawings: option No. 3

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

Computer model Assembled exterior Back view Front view
The cutter is raised, the sashes are open The cutter is down, the sashes are moved Hand router Hose from the vacuum cleaner for removing dust and shavings
Milling cutter attachment and chip evacuation Adjusting the cutter lift The cutter is lifted by turning the screw.
Adjusting the cutter overhang Plexiglass platform before installing the router

Making the upper clamp

Asking the question of how to make a homemade machine safer in operation and to ensure the convenience of processing large workpieces on it, you can equip such equipment with an upper clamp. Drawings must also be prepared to create this roller-based fixture.

A properly sized ball bearing is often used as the roller for the pressure device. Such a roller is mounted on a holding device that allows it to be fixed at any distance from the table top. With the help of this simple universal device, the workpiece of any thickness will be securely fixed while moving along the surface of the working table.

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

Drive for a homemade milling machine

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

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

In Russia, the large-scale and professional use of wood and woodworking technologies began to be applied under Peter the Great. The first professional woodworking machine was brought by him from Holland. Today, such machines are quite popular.

To make a milling table yourself, you do not need to have any special knowledge. In some cases, such tables are much more convenient than factory branded tables used for milling.

Appointment of woodworking machines

Such wood-handling units have different purposes. They can be used for one operation or for several. Such machines are mainly made at the factory, however, many make them with their own hands.

Most devices are multifunctional, they help to save space in the workshop. After minor manipulations with the machine bed, it can be easily re-profiled for a variety of operations.

A professional machine is an expensive pleasure, so many craftsmen often start making it with their own hands. It is then used most often in small furniture workshops.

No matter how professional woodworking machines are, they are able to combine only a certain amount of processing techniques. This is explained by the fact that in some devices the workpiece is stationary, while in others it carries out rotational-translational movements.

A homemade milling machine is made using a drill. The spindle of an electric drill is fixed to the steel profile, into which the workpiece is clamped. On the opposite side, a reel or rotating clamp is installed. Processing is carried out with special incisors, which should be held with the help of hands. This method allows the production of simple round-shaped parts.

Application of wood milling machines

Among the variety of milling machines, few are used for woodworking. When making furniture, milling must be used. The woodworking machine is designed to perform the following operations:

• removing a quarter;
• drilling;
• notching grooves;
• creation of depth and grooves of a given shape.

For example, to install furniture fittings you need deepening of precise shape and depth... Therefore, milling allows you to achieve the required parameters very easily and quickly, and this is very important for production facilities.

The most convenient and therefore quite common is considered surface grinding machine... It is easily made by hand. A homemade device for wood can significantly save finances when organizing a home workshop.

Milling machine design

Such a device for wood carries out the processing of the part using a router that makes rotational movements. The workpiece is either rigidly fixed or fed to the router with the required trajectory.

The milling cutter is cylindrical steel cutting tool very similar to a drill. However, unlike him, the milling cutter has the entire body. Thanks to this, it is possible to remove a tree at the same time in several planes. The router can be controlled in automatic, manual and semi-automatic modes.

The milling machine consists of the following parts:

1. Table top.
2. Parallel stop.
3. A vacuum cleaner that is used to remove chips.
4. Stanina.
5. Spindle.
6. Feed slide.

Making a homemade milling machine

The materials that are required for making the unit with your own hands can be found quite easily and they are quite inexpensive. That is why a homemade milling device costs little money. You can use such material as: film faced plywood, chipboard sheet.

The dimensions of the future table depend on how much free space will be in the workshop. Making a machine with your own hands begins with what is taken plywood sheet and cut into parts using a circular saw in accordance with the drawing. The table top and bed are considered integral parts, which is why they are made in the first place.

As the main cutting tool of the do-it-yourself milling device, it is used manual frezer... For these purposes, used devices, in which the guide stops are broken for various reasons, are great.

The hand router is fixed strictly perpendicular to the table top. The milling cutter sheet is organized using a standard device. Special attachments can also be made to help minimize the time and effort needed to change the tilt angle and depth of the unit.

The final stage in the manufacture of a homemade machine is parallel stop device... This device helps to direct the part to the cutting edge at a strictly specified angle.

It is quite easy to make a homemade milling machine, you just need to have minimal skills to easily cope with this work. The material for this unit is readily available and fairly cheap. The resulting device is used mainly for small furniture workshops.