How to make a plate on a milling table. Do-it-yourself 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 people think that it is better to purchase a finished product. Others are confident that a homemade table allows you to accurately adapt the work site to your needs, the nuances of a CNC machine or a conventional hand router. What to choose is up to you.

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

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

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

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

Do it yourself

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With the milling table, you can perform professional woodworking. Joints, profiling of ends, door and window frames, skirting boards, frames for pictures and paintings are made neatly and conveniently on the table. A factory-made table can cost a pretty penny if the quality is dubious. Why not do it yourself? Moreover, the design is not at all complicated, further the drawings will be disassembled in detail.

The main parts of the milling table

There are many options for milling tables. As a rule, craftsmen create unique drawings according to 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, a table top and supports from plywood No. 27, legs of a workbench are welded from a steel corner.

The main elements of the table for a hand router, the quality and design of which will depend on the convenience 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. For constant work in the workshop, a reliable and powerful stationary table will be convenient. It can be installed on casters and moved around the room. And for a small workshop, the modular version is good, it is an extension of the tabletop of the sawing 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! To prevent them from swelling, all edges will have to be carefully processed and compacted.

Homemade plastic sheet countertops are very good. They are smooth, even, easy to process. Such a machine can be used in any conditions.

Metal countertops are harder to make and 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 to machine longitudinal edges. To be able to process the transverse ends, when creating a homemade machine, you need to provide a movable stop that moves in the groove. The built-in groove is also used for fixing the pressure devices.

Fixing the router

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

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

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

frees up to 1 cm of the depth of the part;
the router is easier to remove to replace the cutters.

Therefore, we recommend tinkering a little longer and equipping the mounting plate. It must be flush with the surface of the countertop, otherwise the workpiece will touch the projections. Even more convenience is provided by the cutter lift, the design of which will be discussed in detail below.

Longitudinal stop

It serves as a guide for the part, so it should be flat. You can make a stop with a T-slot, into which pressure devices and other devices are inserted to facilitate work.

Homemade table

The most primitive drawing of a homemade router table is an MDF tabletop, in which a hole is made for the router to pass and a guide ruler is attached - an evenly planed board. This 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 a rotary one.

Small milling table

A tabletop model for a hand router that 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 working surface and side posts are made of thick film faced plywood No. 15. The size of the table top is 40 x 60 cm, the height without corner stop is 35 cm, the height of the stop is 10 cm. Three grooves are selected in the surface of the work table for installing rails. Various auxiliary devices are installed here and moved along the tabletop.
To make the structure stable, the legs are made of chipboard or MDF No. 22. The legs are placed with a slight indentation, leaving a little space for attaching templates, clamps using clamps.
To cover the mechanism, a front panel made of plywood or chipboard is installed from below.
The side stop has grooves along which it moves. Locks in place with wing nuts. The stop can be dismantled and installed on the vacant space with any convenient device.
A branch pipe is connected to the stop for removing chips, which are released in abundance during operation. The shavings of the router and the table are connected through plastic corrugations from the sewer siphons 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 chip removal system, it practically does not fly around the room.
Since the machine is designed for a hand router, a special on / off switch is not required.
The stop consists of two parts, which are brought closer or moved apart depending on the diameter of the working body. A wing nut is provided for fastening the sash. The offered model is good in that the tool is easily removed from the bed to replace the cutters.
The mounting platform for the router is made of PCB or plexiglass. The plastic platform from the router kit is preliminarily dismantled. The recesses for the mounting platform 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 make the workpiece move smoothly, movement stops are installed on the side stop. Clamps are also attached to the side stop, which hold the part near the cutter during operation. Additional convenience is provided by a slide, along which the workpiece moves at a right angle. And to make the work safe, pushers are made.

The table is ready to use, its disadvantage is the lack of adjustment of the working depth. This is done manually by applying pressure to the tool. It is impossible to "get" to the required depth the first time. Therefore, we recommend equipping the table with an elevator.

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

Some craftsmen adapt it to 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 rotating, the router smoothly moves up and down with a step of 2 mm.

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

Examples of designs of milling tables and their drawings

Construction 1

The presence of a home-made or purchased milling table for household work, construction site 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 milling cutters of different diameters.

It is important to know that if you have a hand mill 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. This could be:

MDF plate;
thick plywood;
board made of boards 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 (cover) 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, resin of raw wood.

A classic workbench is used for the installation of a hand router, 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 they provide for such a position so that it was easy to remove, put back the hand router. After all, it is stationary mills that are increasingly used for woodworking on a non-industrial scale. In theory, nothing complicated: they assemble the rack, mount the power tool (drill, not a new mill). If you try, then such an installation will not yield to the commercial version, because the master prepares the device for himself.

The main parts of the milling table

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

Aluminum guides.
Steel plate for working area. She's also a mounting plate. A router is attached to it.
Plywood sheet.
For the base MDF panel.

On such tables, it is advisable to put the buttons necessary for turning on and quickly stopping (emergency gang). Upper hold-down 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. There is a possibility to expand the saw plane.
Portable. Small size, easy to carry weight.
Stationary. A weighty structure, it is very difficult to move it on your own.

Cover material

The base, cover or work surface must be glued with plastic (if we are talking about MDF panels). But such a table can become saturated with moisture, the quality of the milling process 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. Aluminum, stainless steel or rolled sheet. Sometimes cast iron is also used. But the problem of corrosion is solved with 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 structure, due to which additional devices are used. The analogue of the groove is a movable slide. They are perpendicular to the longitudinal stop, plus they are also movable.

Fixing the router

The hand tool is mounted on a rigid plate made of steel, stainless steel, aluminum, PCB, etc. The plate itself is mounted with a recess so that it can be sunk into the level with the cover.

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

Longitudinal stop

Fixed on the table. Its purpose is the correct feeding of the workpiece. Longitudinal stops are fixed. This is convenient for processing the same type of material.

Sliding stops are ideal for milling different size elements. The quality of the entire machine depends on the longitudinal stop, its stability and smoothness.

Preparation for work

Before assembly, we study the structure in parts. If there is nothing to choose from, then we will buy the necessary materials for one-by-one assembly.

What materials to use?

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

Plywood of any thickness.
Boards or boards made of them. Any bars.
Chipboard, fiberboard.
Rolled steel and aluminum.
Tube rolling.

Necessary components

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 hand router.
Drills.

Tools for work

We prepare for work:

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

Stages of making a table

Before starting the purchase of the material, they are determined with a place in the workshop for future installation. When the future design will be used occasionally, it is the portable tables that 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.

Bed and table top manufacturing

Under the bed, we mean a frame with a support, but which is the tabletop itself. It is customary to assemble the bed from what is not a pity. There is no particular preference. It is necessary to achieve rigidity and stability.

Before assembling the frame, it is advisable to take care of the operator's comfort. Usually the lower part of the bed goes 10-20 cm from the cover itself. This is more comfortable and therefore safer.

If you study the drawings and design features, it is not difficult to fit a convenient joiner's workbench under the old router. Remember that vibration comes from the work of the machine, so we consider this option if the workbench is firmly in place.

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

Steel pipe.
Corner (trim).
Channel.

Only then a wooden beam and chipboard.

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

Then the profile is welded into the 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 cutter diameter if you are planning to work with multiple 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 molded polycarbonate as a mounting plate. The essence of the work is as follows:

Remove the sole from the power tool, after placing the plate for mounting "face" up.
Temporarily connect the plate and sole with double-sided tape.
Drills are selected for the diameter of the factory fasteners, the correct holes for fastening are drilled on the plate.
Then they connect the homemade plate with the router, set it on the table for adjustment.
An 8 mm drill is placed in the collet, the engine is lowered. You need to touch the plate with a drill, mark the center.
Further along the mark, a hole of the required diameter is made.

Assembling the milling table

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 working surface, the base of the stop and the wall, the kerchief (4 pcs), the side bar, connecting strips (4 pcs).
We assemble the table itself for easy-to-use fasteners. Self-tapping screws, bolts are used.

With the assembled structure, paint and varnish compositions can be used, if necessary.

We measure 20-30 cm from the edge, put an aluminum guide or leave a groove for the carriage. Full length sampling.
A groove for the sole is being prepared on the table top. 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. Position the recess for the sole so that it is convenient for the operator to work.
Now we make a semicircular groove for the sole itself with a hand router, setting the desired size in advance. Holes are also needed in the groove to fix the tool.
It is desirable to hide the fasteners or drown them in the table; for this, recesses are made for clamping hex bolts.
We have fasteners that lend themselves to adjusting the plane of the milling platform.

Parallel stop:

We take plywood, arrange a groove in it. Also, to attach the parallel stop, 3-4 strips of the same size are needed, plus a stiffener for each.
The easiest way is 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 the installation of the parallel stop.

Making the upper clamp

It is easiest to make one or more pressure combs with your own hands. Dry strong wood is used here. For a large stationary table, a comb 450x50 mm is suitable.

To make it, you will need a saw, jigsaw or 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 need to be fixed by drilling holes for mounting. The finished "comb" must be polished. The clamps are most conveniently equipped with threaded fasteners. So, the auxiliary tool lends itself to quick readjustment. It is better to do this on a stop, where a groove will be cut in advance for the movement of the combs themselves.

Drive for a homemade milling machine

The most important parameter for a drive is power. Manual assembly means a motor from Soviet or Russian technology, with a minimum parameter of 500 watts.

If it is possible to set the drive more powerful on a homemade machine, by 1-2 kilowatts, then work simply with any type of cutter. It is important that the motor has reinforced bearings. Then a long-term resistance to the large load arising on the transverse or longitudinal axis of rotation is guaranteed.

Assembly subtleties

Any type of this kind of homemade product will be more convenient if there is a metal ruler. It will help you to adjust the parallel fence, observe the size and angle.

On the reverse side, a recess is very useful for mounting the casing of a vacuum cleaner or cyclone. It is advisable to supply this additional equipment after studying the drawings.

Safety when working on a homemade milling table

Manual milling cutter or stationary - this is a class of high-risk power tools. The working rules are as follows:

In the process of working on the machine, concentration must not be lost, the workpiece must be fed using an auxiliary tool, like 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 from the network as soon as possible. If possible, make repairs, only then continue to work.

Outcome

Assembling a milling table means having an auxiliary tool, good fasteners and the right amount of material. Such a machine is the dream of a private craftsman. It is necessary to treat the assembly as carefully as possible even at the drawing stage, being determined with the nature of the future machine, its main working element.

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

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

Purpose of the milling table

example of a homemade milling table

The router is one of the basic tools for woodworking. With it you can:

cut out the spike mount;
choose a groove or groove;
pierce the edges.

Some processes are inconvenient to do with a hand tool, because it is necessary to hold the workpiece and the cutter at the same time. The table provides reliable support and fasteners for a hand router, on which you can make precise and high-quality products that are not inferior to the factory ones. It is not difficult to make a stand according to ready-made drawings.

The advantages of a homemade table for a hand router

The price-quality ratio of finished fixtures is usually unsatisfactory. The buyer has a choice: a cheap wobbly Chinese workbench or a branded product at a fabulous price.
The dimensions of a 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 wishes of the master.
Homemade design is easy to modify and improve.

Homemade design features

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

stationary: if the work is carried out in the workshop and the area allows it, this is the strongest and most reliable type of stand. Once set, the settings can be left unchanged for a long time. Attach the wheels to move around the workshop;
desktop: convenient for field and one-time work. A small table will fit in a closet or on a shelf;
modular: attached to the side of a workbench or joiner's table.

Milling cutter fasteners. The most convenient way is to use a mounting plate installed in the worktop. The tool is attached to the blade from the bottom and can be easily removed for replacement or repair of the cutter. You can make a do-it-yourself mounting plate from a small piece of sheet steel.

Materials. Many convenient and functional homemade products are made from scraps and waste: plywood, boards, beams, chipboard. You can take thick plywood or chipboard as a material for the countertop, many people choose MDF. The laminated one is especially convenient - the surface is smooth, the workpieces easily slide on it. Thick plastic, aluminum sheet are good for countertops.

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

Small table for the router

If the master uses a hand router infrequently, a compact table, which is rigidly fixed on the workbench, will suit him. 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.

Tools:

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

Work progress:

We do the 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 base bars, we cut out the grooves for fastening to the workbench. There should be two of them.
Cut out a square from plywood to the size of the future countertop. We mark the places of attachments and the exit of the cutter.
We drill holes with a drill, countersink holes for screws to hide the heads.
We assemble the box structure using screws with our own hands.
We make a mount for the side stop: these are two threaded pins onto which the wing nuts will be screwed.
Let's make a side stop: two plywood rectangles that will be fastened with screws and a pair of stiffeners. We drill and countersink the holes for the screws, we drill the circles for the cutter and the grooves for the clamp.
We make a small box for connecting a vacuum cleaner, insert a branch pipe into it and attach it to the stop.
Now, on the lambs with our own hands, we press the emphasis to the tabletop and you can start milling.

Stationary router table

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

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

Having picked up everything we 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 the plywood. In the right sidewall we make a hole for the switch-on switch, it will connect to the router.

The tabletop is made of chipboard, it is installed on one side of the hinges and additionally rests on two racks, between which a manual router will be fixed. We cut the racks out of plywood, attach them to the tabletop with corners on the screws.
We make a stop-carriage for moving the part along the working surface. To do this, we saw through a groove for the metal guides and install them. A guide removed from a broken saw will serve as a carriage.
We assemble a longitudinal stop from chipboard 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 table surface. In the center we make a shallow notch to remove sawdust.
We collect the boxes for connecting the vacuum cleaner, attach it behind the stop.
Preparing the site for placing the workpieces: select the top layer of chipboard equal to the thickness of the steel plate. We fasten the plate to the screws. We countersink the holes for the screws so that the heads do not protrude. The plate must lie flush with the table surface, otherwise it will be inconvenient to work. A router will be attached to it from below.
We attach the hand router to the bolts from the bottom of the steel plate.
We make an elevator for a hand 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: 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 labor productivity and the 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 much time and will require very little financial costs. Any home master 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 qualitatively performed: 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. With such a homemade milling table, you can make grooves and slots, process elements of tongue-and-groove and tongue-and-groove joints, chamfering and creating 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 precisely milling tables and accessories for them, but such a device 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 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 First Layer of 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 the machine with the 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 milling table top, 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 table top, 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 saw 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 can easily be 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 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.

To insert the router into the table, it will be necessary to make a hole in the chipboard sheet to accommodate 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 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 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 work table for the machine with your own hands, then plates made of MDF and chipboard (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 lumber 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
Guide for sliding drawers Diagram of the arrangement of the guides Worktop Drawing of the stop
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 router 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 router. 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 marked contour, for which a manual router 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 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 what is 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, you also need 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 tabletop using countersunk 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.
Adjustment of the cutter overhang Plexiglass platform before installing the cutter Glass precisely fitted to the table top The cutter is screwed from the support platform

Making the upper clamp

Asking the question of how to make a home-made machine safer in operation and to ensure the convenience of processing bulky 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 uncomplicated 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 have high performance and functionality, you must equip it with an electric drive of sufficient power. If you plan on using your machine to machine shallow wood parts, a 500 W electric motor will do just fine. 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 ranging from 1–2 kW will allow you to use your homemade device like a real milling machine for processing wood products. In addition, you can use any type of cutter on this 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).

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

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 former, 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 must be fixed in the place where accidental pressing of it will be excluded.

Make sure that the treatment area is well illuminated, as it is it that is the most dangerous place in any equipment. If in the course of work you need to frequently change the cutter overhang, it is worth making a manual or automatic device for raising and lowering the tool (lift). 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.