How to make a plate on a milling table. DIY wood milling machine: step-by-step manufacturing technology

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

To make yourself a table for a router, you first need to decide what it will be. The operation of a milling machine may vary depending on a number of factors, including the size of the machine itself.

Working on a table for a CNC milling machine begins with the fact that you choose which drawing will become the basis for manufacturing. Not infrequently, work is carried out without drawings. But then you must draw the parameters of the future table yourself, cut its elements using a circular saw. The components that will be required to make a homemade table should be selected based on its main elements.

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

All the necessary elements can be cut with a circular saw. Making a homemade table is not a problem. The tabletop, stop, guides, fasteners are clearly indicated in size if you use standard drawings. Taking the finished drawing, you can adapt the homemade table for the CNC machine to your own needs. Do what is best for you. Finding the drawings themselves is not difficult, and you probably have a circular saw in your arsenal of power tools, since you are going to make a table for a CNC machine.

Do it yourself

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

When choosing a drawing for a future design for a milling machine, be sure to focus on the dimensions of your machine, as well as the dimensions of the space available for placing equipment. Making a large table for a small CNC machine does not make sense, just like vice versa.

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

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

The desktop and side racks are recommended to be made of laminated plywood. The material must be thick enough to withstand the loads. The approximate dimensions of the countertop will be 40 by 60 millimeters. Not taking into account the corner stop, the height will be 35 cm. The corner stop itself has a height of 10 cm. Instead of plywood, a metal or plastic plate can be used. The plate made of such materials is more durable and less prone to wear. But the metal plate will add weight, making the table not so mobile and light.
On the surface of the tabletop, make three grooves that will serve to install the rails. Auxiliary components of the future work surface can be installed here, which you may need to operate milling machines or a circular milling machine.
To increase the stability of the leg mounting structure, reinforce with chipboard or MDF sheets No. 22. The legs of the table must be set at some distance so that there is room for fixing templates and clamps with clamps.
You can close the mechanism of the machine by covering the bottom of the front panel with a sheet of plywood or other similar material.
Under the side stop, grooves must be made along which it can move. At the required place, the stop is fixed with bolts and nuts. And it is better to use wing nuts. In this case, you can easily remove the stop and put another unit in its place.
The stop is connected to a branch pipe, which is necessary to remove dust and chips during processing. To remove waste, use ordinary corrugated hoses, which are widely used in the organization of sewage. Through the clamp, you can connect a home vacuum cleaner.
If you have a desktop machine, it is better to provide a toggle switch to turn the machine on and off. If you do not have a desktop, but a simple manual milling cutter, such a toggle switch is not required.
The stop includes two elements that can move or move apart depending on the size of the working tool. To fix the sash, use the wing nuts. This design will allow you to easily remove the milling device from the bed and change the cutters as needed.
What material to use for the mounting surface under the CNC router, decide for yourself. Experts advise taking textolite or plexiglass.

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

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

With the help of a milling table, you can perform professional woodworking. Connections, end profiling, door and window frames, skirting boards, photo and picture frames are made neatly and conveniently on the table. A factory-made table can fly into a pretty penny with dubious quality. Why not make it yourself? Moreover, the design is not at all complicated, further drawings will be disassembled in detail.

The main parts of the milling table

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

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

Table type

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

stationary;
portable;
aggregate.

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

Cover material

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

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

Homemade countertops made of plastic sheets are very good. They are smooth, even and easy to work with. Such a machine can be used in any conditions.

Metal countertops are harder to make, they are heavy. And aluminum sheets must be additionally clad - covered with a layer that prevents contamination of parts.

Stop groove

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

Fixing the router

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

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

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

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

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

Longitudinal stop

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

Homemade table

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

Small milling table

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Examples of milling table designs and their drawings

Design 1

The presence of a home-made or purchased milling table for homework, construction is the most necessary unit in the garage. This is a universal machine for processing modern building materials, if there is a wide range of cutters of different diameters.

It is important to know that if you have a manual router of any brand, you do not need to spend money on a branded machine. It is not difficult to assemble a milling table with your own hands.

Milling table design

It is customary to take strong sheet material as the basis for the design. It could be:

MDF board;
thick plywood;
shield from a board of any thickness.

For each type of table, a material is selected that is convenient for processing. But it is logical to assume that the working part itself (the lid) or the plane receives the most load. Therefore, it must be made of metal. Stainless steel is ideal.

Important! The working planes of the structure should not absorb moisture, raw wood resin.

A classic workbench is used for the installation of a manual milling cutter, or a separate structure is assembled. The latter must be as stable as possible, since vibration during operation is guaranteed.

The tool itself is installed from the bottom of the table or workbench, so it was easy to take it off and put it back on the router. After all, it is stationary milling machines that are increasingly used for woodworking not on an industrial scale. In theory, nothing complicated: they assemble a rack, mount a power tool (drill, far from a new router). If you try, then such an installation will not yield to the commercial version, because the master is preparing a device for himself.

The main parts of the milling table

We mean the set of elements from which it is not difficult to assemble the installation on your own:

Aluminum guides.
Steel plate for working area. It's a mounting plate. They attach a milling cutter to her.
Plywood sheet.
For the basis of the MDF panel.

On this kind of tables, it is desirable to put the buttons necessary to turn on and quickly stop (emergency gang). Upper clamping devices are included in the assembly plan in case of working with large parts.

Table type

There are only three of them. Milling tables are:

Aggregate. It is possible to expand the saw plane.
Portable. Small size, easy to carry weight.
Stationary. Weighty design, it is very difficult to move on your own.

Cover material

The base, cover or work plane must be glued with plastic (if we are talking about an MDF panel). But such a table can become saturated with moisture, the quality of processing by the router will suffer from this, plus the grooves in the swollen panel lose their normal mobility.
Phenolic plastic. Optimal for the machine, but more expensive than MDF panels.
Steel. Aluminium, stainless or rolled sheet. Sometimes cast iron is also installed. But the issue of corrosion is solved with the help of paint.

Stop groove

This is just a recess for a movable longitudinal stop or a built-in carriage. The groove is an ideal element of the table design, due to which additional devices are used. The analogue of the groove is a movable sled. They are perpendicular to the longitudinal stop, plus they are also movable.

Fixing the router

The hand tool is installed on a rigid plate made of steel, stainless steel, aluminum, textolite, etc. The plate itself is mounted with a sample so that it can be drowned in a level with a cover.

To attach the sole of the hand router, you need to prepare countersunk format screw connections.

Longitudinal stop

Attached to the table. Its purpose is to properly feed the workpiece. Longitudinal stops are fixed. This is convenient for processing the same type of material.

Sliding stops are ideal for milling various elements according to their dimensions. It is from the longitudinal stop, its stability and smoothness that the quality of the entire machine depends.

Preparation for work

Before assembly, we study the design in parts. If there is nothing to choose from, then we buy the necessary materials for sequential assembly.

What materials to use?

It is not forbidden to assemble the structure from the available materials with your own hands. Everything goes into action:

Plywood of any thickness.
Boards or shields from them. Any trousers.
Chipboard, fiberboard.
Rolled steel and aluminium.
Pipe rolling.

Required accessories

It is necessary to buy additional components if a CNC milling table is conceived. But a classic stationary machine is not difficult to make from:

Any manual cutter.
Drills.

Tools for the job

We prepare for work:

Joiner's glue.
Nuts, screws and bolts of the right size.
Cover material (MDF or plywood).
Power tools (jigsaw, miter saw, etc.).
Sandpaper.
Markup tool.

Stages of making a table

Before starting the purchase of material, they are determined with a place in the workshop for future installation. When the future design will be used occasionally, then portable tables are chosen. But if there is a lot of space in the carpentry workshop, then a wide milling table, convenient for processing boards or panels of 2 meters, is productive.

Manufacturing of the bed and countertop

Under the bed, they mean a frame with a support, but which the tabletop itself is placed on. It is customary to assemble the bed from what is not a pity. There are no special preferences. You need to achieve rigidity and stability.

Before assembling the frame, it is desirable to take care of the convenience of the operator. Usually the lower part of the bed is deepened by 10-20 cm from the cover itself. It's more comfortable and therefore safer.

If you study the drawings and design features, then it is not difficult to fit a convenient carpentry workbench under the old milling cutter. Remember that vibration comes from the operation of the machine, so we consider this option if the workbench is strong.

It is customary for homemade products to use a reliable, stable, fixed frame, and it is desirable to cook it from the profile, since the entire load is transferred to the base. Fits:

Steel pipe.
Corner (trimming).
Channel.

Already then a wooden bar and chipboard.

It is inexpensive to assemble a milling table for periodic use from a 25x25 or 40x20 profile pipe. Using the angle grinder, the profile is cut into 4 legs, a rectangle (frame) and the lower connecting parts. All of these are true to size.

Then the profile is welded into a frame, complementing the structure with a pipe. The latter is necessary for the parallel stop. 4-6 legs must be framed with a profile or corner. But this is after installing the table top itself. Plus, the metal frame makes it possible to pre-weld the limiter for electrical equipment.

The mounting plate must be wider than the diameter of the cutter if you plan to work with several cutting attachments. It is more profitable or more budgetary to form this element from 20 mm birch plywood.

But it is more practical to work on a homemade machine with cast polycarbonate as a mounting plate. The essence of the work is this:

Remove the sole from the power tool, having previously laid the mounting plate “face” up.
Temporarily connect the plate and the sole with double-sided tape.
The drills are selected for the diameter of the factory fasteners, the correct holes for fastening are drilled on the plate.
Next, they connect the home-made plate with a milling cutter, set it on a table for adjustment.
An 8 mm drill is placed in the collet, the engine is lowered. It is necessary to touch the plate with a drill, mark the center.
Next, along the mark, make a hole of the desired diameter.

Milling table assembly

Start with a countertop or lid:

For processing the material, the canvas itself is conveniently placed.
We saw plywood, MDF-panel with plastic on the work surface, the base of the stop and the wall, a scarf (4 pcs), a side bar, connecting straps (4 pcs).
We assemble the table itself on fasteners that are easy to use. Self-tapping screws and bolts are used.

Having a complete structure, you can apply paint and varnish compositions, if necessary.

We measure 20-30 cm from the edge, put an aluminum guide or leave a groove for the carriage. Full length sample.
A notch for the sole is being prepared on the tabletop. We circle the last one, cut it out with a jigsaw and remember the necessary groove so that the table and the installed tool have the same plane. We position the recess under the sole so that it is convenient for the operator to work.
Now, with a manual milling cutter, we make a semicircular groove under the sole itself, setting the desired size in advance. You also need holes in the groove to fix the tool.
It is desirable to hide or drown the fasteners in the table; for this, recesses are made for clamping hex bolts.
We have fasteners that can be adjusted to the plane of the milling platform.

Parallel stop:

We take plywood, organize a groove in it. Also, to mount the parallel stop, 3-4 strips of the same size are needed, plus a stiffener for each.
The easiest way to fix the parallel stop with clamps.

If the table is on a metal frame, then a pipe is provided in it, it is necessary just for mounting the parallel stop.

Making the top clamp

With your own hands, the easiest way is to make one or more pressure combs. Here dry strong wood is used. For a large stationary table, a 450x50 mm comb is suitable.

To make it, you will need a saw, a jigsaw or a band saw. With this tool, bevels pass, an angle of 30 degrees is enough, cuts of 50 mm. It is advisable to make bevels on both sides of the clamp.

Then these elements must be fixed by drilling holes for mounting. The finished “comb” must be polished. Clamps are most conveniently equipped with threaded fasteners. So, the auxiliary tool will lend itself to quick reconfiguration. It is better to do this on the stop, where a groove will be machined in advance for the movement of the combs themselves.

Drive for homemade milling machine

Power is the most important parameter for a drive. Manual assembly implies a motor from Soviet or Russian technology, with a minimum parameter of 500 watts.

If you manage to set the drive more powerfully on a home-made machine, by 1-2 kilowatts, then it’s easy to work with any type of cutter. It is important that the motor has reinforced bearings. Then a long-term resistance to a large load that occurs on the transverse or longitudinal axis of rotation is guaranteed.

Assembly subtleties

Any type of this kind of homemade work will be more convenient if there is a metal ruler. It will help in setting the parallel stop, keep the size and angle.

On the reverse side, a recess is very useful for mounting the casing of a vacuum cleaner or cyclone. This additional equipment is desirable to sum up after studying the drawings.

Safety when working on a homemade milling table

A manual milling cutter or a stationary one is a class of high-risk power tools. The operating rules are as follows:

In the process of working on the machine, concentration must not be lost, the workpiece must be fed with the help of an auxiliary tool, as on a circular saw.
Protective gloves and goggles are required.
The presence of strangers in the room, children or assistants is not correct. When the device is running, all must be removed.
If the cutter or the power tool itself malfunctions, changes the pace of work, or rejects products, then it must be turned off as soon as possible from the network. If possible, make repairs, only then continue work.

Results

The assembly of the milling table implies the presence of auxiliary tools, good fasteners and the right amount of material. Such a machine is the dream of a private master. It is necessary to treat the assembly as carefully as possible even at the drawing stage, determining the nature of the future machine, its main working element.

It is more convenient and efficient to work with a manual router on a special table. Therefore, the owners of the instrument sooner or later think about buying a table or making it with their own hands.

Homemade design has a number of advantages, which you will learn about below.

Purpose of the milling table

example of a homemade milling table

A router is one of the essential tools for woodworking. With it, you can:

cut the spike fastening;
select a groove or groove;
grind the edges.

Some processes are inconvenient to do with a hand tool, because you need to hold the workpiece and the cutter at the same time. The table is a reliable support and fastener for a manual router, on which you can produce accurate and high-quality products that are not inferior to factory ones. Making a stand according to ready-made drawings is easy.

Advantages of a homemade table for a manual router

Compliance of the price and quality of finished devices, as a rule, is unsatisfactory. The buyer is faced with a choice: a cheap wobbly Chinese workbench or a branded product at a fabulous price.
The dimensions of the homemade design will be optimal for a home workshop.
The functionality of the milling table and the number of additional devices depend only on the desire of the master.
Homemade design is easy to modify and improve.

Features of a homemade design

The type of table is the first thing you need to decide before making drawings and making a table with your own hands. The choice is between three options:

stationary: if the work is done in the workshop and the area allows it, this is the strongest and most reliable type of stand. Once set, the settings can not be changed for a long time. To move around the workshop, attach the wheels;
desktop: convenient for field and one-time work. A small table will fit in the pantry or on a shelf;
aggregate: attached to the side of a workbench or carpentry table.

Cutter fixture. The most convenient is to use a mounting plate installed in the countertop. The tool is attached to the plate from the underside and can be easily removed for replacement or repair of the cutter. You can make a mounting plate with your own hands from a small piece of sheet steel.

Materials. Many convenient and functional homemade products are made from scraps and waste: plywood, boards, timber, chipboard. As a material for the countertop, you can take thick plywood or chipboard, many choose MDF. Laminated is especially convenient - the surface is smooth, workpieces slide easily over it. Good for countertops are thick plastic, aluminum sheet.

Whatever material the countertop is made of, it should not bend during operation! If the table surface is large, consider additional stiffeners in the drawing.

Small cutting table

If the master uses a manual router infrequently, a compact table is suitable for him, which is rigidly fixed on the workbench. It is made with a side stop and an outlet for connecting a vacuum cleaner.

Materials required for work:

plywood No. 21;
PVA glue;
bars 50x50;
threaded pins - 2 pcs.;
wing nuts - 2 pcs.;
screws.

Instruments:

hacksaw;
hammer;
screwdriver;
drill;
chisel;
clamps.

Work progress:

We make a table box with our own hands from plywood or a bar. You will have to tinker with plywood: it is glued in two layers for strength: the cut parts are coated with PVA and fastened with clamps until completely dry. You need to prepare 4 such blanks.
In one of the bars of the base we cut out grooves for fastening to the workbench. There should be two.
Cut out a square of plywood according to the size of the future countertop. We mark the places of attachment and exit of the cutter.
We drill holes with a drill, countersink the holes for the screws to hide the heads.
On the screws with our own hands we assemble the construction of the box.
We make a mount for the side stop: these are two threaded pins on which the wing nuts will be screwed.
Let's make a side emphasis: two plywood rectangles that will be fastened with screws and a pair of stiffeners. We drill and countersink holes for screws, drill circles for the cutter and grooves for clamping.
We make a small box for connecting a vacuum cleaner, insert a pipe into it and attach it to the stop.
Now we press the emphasis on the lambs with our own hands to the tabletop and you can start milling.

Stationary table for router

Such a milling table is in no way inferior to factory models. To make it yourself, you need materials:

plywood;
chipboard cuttings;
bar 5x5 cm;
fasteners (self-tapping screws, bolts, hinges);
metal profile;
jack;
aluminum guides;
steel plate 6 mm;
saw carriage (guide).

Having picked up everything you need, we proceed to assemble the table with our own hands. First, we make the basis of the structure from scraps of boards, chipboard and plywood. The stand needs to be made rigid, so we cut out additional spacers from plywood. In the right sidewall we make a hole for the toggle switch, it will connect to the router.

The tabletop is made of chipboard, it is installed on hinges on one side and additionally rests on two racks, between which a manual milling cutter will be fixed. We cut the racks out of plywood, attach them to the tabletop with corners on the screws.
We make an emphasis-carriage for moving the part along the working surface. To do this, we cut a groove for metal guides and install them. The carriage will be a guide removed from a broken saw.
From chipboard we assemble a longitudinal stop so that you can set gaps around the tool, the stop must be mobile. Therefore, on top of the stop, we cut the grooves perpendicular to each other and attach the structure to the surface of the table. In the center we make a shallow recess to remove sawdust.
We collect boxes for connecting a vacuum cleaner, attach it behind the stop.
We prepare a platform for placing blanks: we select the top layer of chipboard equal to the thickness of the steel plate. We fasten the plate onto the screws. We countersink the holes for the screws so that the heads do not protrude. The plate must lie flush with the surface of the table, otherwise it will be inconvenient to work. A milling cutter will be attached to it from below.
We attach the hand mill to the bolts from the bottom of the steel plate.
We make an elevator for a manual router from a jack (automobile), which makes it possible to accurately change the height of the working router. We dismantle the handles of the router and replace them with aluminum guides, which we fix on the jack. The table is done and ready to use.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Milling table drawings: option number 1

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

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

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

Milling table design

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

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

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

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

Before you start building 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 router with your own hands (the table will be located on the side of the sawing equipment, serve as its extension), a compact desktop machine, and freestanding stationary equipment.

Opt for compact benchtop equipment for woodworking and other materials if you access it infrequently or often use it outside your workshop. Such 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 table for a drilling machine can be made very quickly. To make such a design, which is easily located on a regular desktop, you will need a chipboard sheet on which the guide elements are fixed. As such a guide, which can be used as a parallel stop for a milling table, an ordinary board of small thickness, which is attached to the table top with bolts, is suitable. If necessary, a second such board can be attached in parallel, which will serve as a limiting stop.

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

Manufacturing of the bed and countertop

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

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

One of the significant characteristics of the bed for a homemade milling machine is its height, on which the convenience of working on such equipment depends. According to ergonomic requirements, the most suitable height of equipment for which people work while standing is 850–900 mm. It is desirable to make the lower parts of the bed supports adjustable. This will make it possible not only to compensate for uneven floors, but also, if necessary, to change the height of the milling table. 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, which is notable for its low price, high reliability, from the countertop of an old kitchen table. Such countertops are usually made of 26 or 36 mm chipboard sheet, covered with wear-resistant plastic. Their surface ensures good sliding of the workpiece, and the chipboard base perfectly dampens the vibrations that occur during the operation of the equipment. If you make a desktop for the machine with your own hands, then MDF and chipboard (LDSP) plates with a thickness of 16 mm or more are suitable for these purposes.

Milling table drawings: option number 2

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

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

How to make a mounting plate

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

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

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

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

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

Milling table assembly

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

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

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

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

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

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

Milling table drawings: option number 3

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

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

Making the top clamp

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

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

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

Drive for homemade milling machine

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

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

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

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

Milling table drawings: option No. 4

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

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

Safety when working on a homemade milling table

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

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