Any products made of natural wood are highly valued due to their environmental friendliness and uniqueness. To create real masterpieces from such a natural material with your own hands, you need to have a manual milling cutter and possess the necessary skills to use it.

In addition, additional devices for the milling cutter are also important, allowing you to produce parts of any complexity exactly as they were intended by the author. Home-made fixtures for such a wood tool are fairly simple designs, the execution of which does not require special skills or material resources, the main thing is to have a desire. But thanks to their use, the processing of various parts will become much easier.

Tool table

Milling table with stops

The very first necessary device that makes it possible to work comfortably with such a hand tool is a milling table.

The simplest design of the table consists of a tabletop, which can be a sheet of chipboard or other similar material with holes for installing tools, as well as a guide that is attached to the table with clamps.

Having made ordinary legs, we get the main fixture for our hand tool - a table on which any other fixtures can be installed.

Parallel stop

A similar device for a manual wood milling machine often comes with equipment. But there is always the opportunity to do it yourself. What is it for? The fence itself makes it possible to cut the material in a straight line. But it often happens that the incision needs to be made not straight, but, for example, arcuate.

In this case, it is advisable to make a milling stop, one of the sides of which will be straight, and the other will repeat the shape of the part. In this case, it will be possible to cut wood in different ways. Each master creates templates for such stops with his own hands “for himself”, depending on the purpose of using the milling machine.

Router guides

One of the main components of a manual wood carving machine is its guides. You can make them yourself from ordinary bars.

In the case of using one guide, it must be tightly attached to the base on which all the necessary work will be carried out. To make the whole structure more reliable, at the same time eliminating the possibility of template displacement, it can be additionally fixed with side stops.

If you use such a device for a manual machine, which we made with our own hands, you can always make additional grooves in several products.

Homemade guides are:

• T-shaped;
• On hinges, can be folded like a book;
• L-shaped.

Quite convenient to use are guides that look like skis. You can use them with any type of manual router, making work with a wooden blank as accurate and clean as possible.

Devices for processing bodies of revolution

If, when working with such a machine, you have to process certain bodies of rotation, for example, balusters, poles, and the like, then in this case the process of processing them with a manual milling cutter will become much easier when using another device. It consists of:

• corps;
• a movable carriage on which the tool itself is installed;
• disks with which you can set the desired angle of rotation;
• screws that securely fasten the workpieces.

Using such a device, the products will rotate slowly, which will make the processing process more convenient. Thus, you can make a device with your own hands that will become a complete replacement for a lathe.

Compasses for milling cutter

Such devices for a manual milling machine ensure its movement along the required circle. The design of a do-it-yourself compass is very simple, it consists of the main part - a rod, which is attached at one end to the base of the tool, and a secondary one - a screw that is inserted into the hole of the hand router.

A compass with two rods is distinguished by a higher efficiency in use. Having made it from some transparent material, for example, plexiglass, a metric scale can be applied to the surface of the device, which will make its use even more convenient.

Using an angular lever with a scale, copying is carried out on the workpiece being processed. In this case, it will be possible to center the ring along the cutter with your own hands in the process of work. Angle arm with support plate ensures accurate workpiece edges. The design of such a device for working with hand tools consists of a set of probes, a base plate, as well as chip protection.

Small extras

Usually, in the kit for the hand tool itself, there are some minor devices that make it easy and convenient to work with non-standard-shaped parts. You can always make such devices with your own hands or slightly improve the existing ones to suit your needs and requirements.

Copy rings. Such accessories are ordinary round plates that determine the movement of the device along the workpiece, which is installed on a table or other base. The diameter of such rings is selected depending on the diameter of the cutters.

The diameter of the template will also depend on the selected ring. They are selected in inverse proportion - if the diameter of the cutter is larger than the diameter of the ring, then the template is smaller than the finished product, and vice versa.

Devices for working with a manual machine on narrow surfaces will not allow the router to move to the sides, passing exactly in the center of the products.

Devices for creating spikes. Such accessories are most often used in the manufacture of furniture to create connecting spikes on the details.

How to make do-it-yourself tools for a wood router?

Device - parallel stop

This device, as a rule, is already sold with a router. Therefore, there is no need for its independent development and creation. For a reliable stop of the processed material, this element is used. With it, the movement of the cutter becomes rectilinear relative to the base surface, which can be a table guide, rails or straight edge detail .

Such a device makes it possible to quickly mill a variety of grooves and edge processing, holding the material firmly.

Guide bar

If you need to make a straight cut with a router, then you can not do without this device. To make it, you need any flat board, for example, you can use a piece of chipboard .

First you need to find out the distance from the edge of the milling base to the center of rotation, and it is always the same. To do this, screw a guide to the unnecessary part of the material and make a trial cut. Then you should measure the gap from the edge of the cut to the tire, to which the radius of the cutter is added. As a result, it will be possible to obtain the required value. For example, it is 59 mm, and the diameter of the groove cutter is 14 mm, that is , its radius is 7 mm .

Then you should draw a line under the cut, from which we retreat a distance of 52 mm (59-7), and draw another one. On it we fix the guide and carry out the cut.

Circle milling

For such purposes, use compasses. With their help, the milling cutter can move in a circle. The simplest of these is a device consisting of a rod, one end of which is equipped with a screw with a pin, and the other is fastened to the base of the tool. Of course, it is better to use a compass equipped with two rods.

In general, there are many branded and even home-made devices for cutting circles for a router, which differ from each other in ease of use and dimensions. Quite often, compasses have a mechanism changing the radius of the circle. As a rule, it is a screw with a pin at the end, moving along the groove of the router.

When it is necessary to mill a small circle, the pin should be located under the base of the tool. In these cases, other devices are also used, which are fixed down to the base of the device.

But for cutting circles, it is not necessary to buy a milling compass. Instead, you can use a parallel stop. To do this, the device is attached to the groove on the sole. A screw is screwed into it, which is recommended to be equipped with a sleeve so that its diameter matches the size of the hole. That's all the compass is made. The radius can be adjusted with a stop.

Devices for replication and copying

To create a series of identical products use:

• Angle lever;
• Copy sticks.

There is a scale on the angle lever, the division value of which is 1/10 mm. It allows you to center the stop ring under the cutter, which helps to accurately reproduce the shape of the part on the workpiece during copying. It is often equipped with a chip guard and a support plate for the best edge finish.

Using copy templates and rings

Copy rings - a round plate with a protruding rim that slides along the base surface along the template. Such a device provides an accurate path for the movement of the cutter. Basically, this element is installed to the sole of the workbench. At the same time, there is several ways to mount it:

• Installation of special antennae in the holes on the sole;
• Screwing the ring into a threaded recess.

The use of a template also allows you to achieve more efficient and accurate work. It is attached directly to the workpiece with double-sided tape, and then both parts of the fixture are pressed to the machine with clamps. Moreover, experienced millers are advised to check how tightly the ring is pressed against the edge of the template.

In addition, with such a device, it is possible to process not the entire edge, but only the corners. Hence, pattern processing procedure- an excellent option for cutting grooves for the product.

Dust extractors

Professional craftsmen, in order to ensure dust removal, specially buy a technical vacuum cleaner, which is connected via an adapter with a hose to the router. Moreover, it does not interfere with the control of the tool, and the marking and the place of processing of the product are always open for visual inspection.

It is very difficult to work without a suction unit. But not everyone decides on such a purchase, since it is too burdensome in terms of money, and besides, it is not always justified. True, there is another solution, you can get rid of dust with a household vacuum cleaner.

Between the milling machine and the vacuum cleaner are installed sealed tank. He will capture the bulk of the dust. It is equipped with an additional hose, and a fabric mesh is inserted inside. Moreover, these designs can be purchased ready-made or do it yourself. By the way, a home-made device will help to collect even large construction debris and wood dust with a household vacuum cleaner.

Slot milling device

Such a device is used for processing longitudinal grooves on poles, balusters and other bodies of revolution. The principle of its work is the following. A baluster is installed in the body and fixed. With the help of a locking screw and a disk, the workpiece is fixed in a strictly defined position.

After that, the carriage is set in motion, and the milling a groove along the length of the product. Then the part is unlocked, rotated to the required angle, locked and the next groove is created.

Woodcarving instructions with a milling cutter

For novice craftsmen, working with a hand tool may seem difficult, since the process of controlling it seems difficult. That is why, before you start milling, you need to familiarize yourself with the principle of its operation.

Router Assembly

The first step is to check the place of attachment of the cutter in the machine, as a rule, a collet chuck is used for this. First you need to select the desired cutter that matches the size of the cartridge. If necessary, you can replace it.

But when deep machining is required, a version with an extended shank is used, which is inserted into the chuck hole and secured with a key. This must be done carefully without applying force, otherwise you will pinch, which is not the norm for the router to work correctly. Although it is worth trying to reach a good stop so that the cutter does not stagger. It remains only to clamp the spindle lock and you can proceed to work.

After that, the router turns on, you need to get used to the sound and feel the start. Often, it is because of surprise that many begin to make a marriage.

Depth Selection

In addition, you will need to install a milling depth limiter. First, the machine is applied to the product from the edge, while the cutter should not come into contact with the material. It will have to be pressed until it reaches the required depth, after which position is fixed .

For a more accurate value, a stepwise limiter is used. You can find out its step in the manual for the router. In this case, the knob turns to the desired number of degrees.

First of all, the required speed is determined. This is done according to the table in the instructions, based on the diameter of the cutter and the material being processed.

If you have never worked with a router before, then it is better to try your hand at a draft version. In addition, it will help to set the desired parameters. directly in processing mode .

It is also desirable to compare the results after the tool has moved clockwise and counterclockwise, towards itself and away from itself. When milling a product around, the correct direction is counterclockwise, and on its flat side, on the contrary, away from you. Then you can already start carving the main workpiece.

Homemade fixtures for a manual milling cutter. Learn how to work with a hand router

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Milling fixtures

For full-fledged work with a manual router, in addition to the tool itself, the material and the corresponding set of cutters, you must have one more component - fixtures. In order for the cutter to shape the workpiece in accordance with the master's intent - cutting the material exactly where it is required - it must be in a strictly defined position relative to the workpiece at any given time. To ensure this, numerous devices for a manual milling cutter serve. Some of them - the most necessary ones - are included in the tool kit. Other milling devices are purchased or made by hand. At the same time, home-made devices are so simple that for their manufacture you can do without drawings, using only their drawings.

Parallel stop

The most used device, which comes with the kit for almost every router, is a parallel stop, which ensures the rectilinear movement of the cutter relative to the base surface. The latter can be a straight edge of a workpiece, a table or a guide rail. The parallel stop can be used both for milling various grooves located on the face of the workpiece, and for processing edges.

Parallel stop for a manual router: 1 - stop, 2 - rod, 3 - router base, 4 - rod stop screw, 5 - fine adjustment screw, 6 - movable carriage, 7 - movable carriage stop screw, 8 - pads, 9 - screw stop stop.

Edge milling with rip fence

To set the device in working position, it is necessary to push the rods 2 into the holes of the frame 3, providing the necessary distance between the support surface of the stop and the axis of the cutter, and fix them with the locking screw 4. For precise positioning of the cutter, you need to release the locking screw 9 and turn the fine adjustment screw 5 set the cutter to the desired position. For some models of the stop, the dimensions of the supporting surface can be changed by shifting or expanding the support pads 8.

If one simple part is added to the parallel stop, then with its help it is possible to mill not only straight, but also curved grooves, for example, to process a round workpiece. Moreover, the inner surface of the bar located between the stop and the workpiece does not have to have a rounded shape, repeating the edge of the workpiece. It can also be given a simpler form (figure "a"). In this case, the trajectory of the cutter will not change.

Stop for milling rounded surfaces

Of course, the usual parallel stop, thanks to the recess in the center, will allow you to orient the router along the rounded edge, however, the position of the router may not be stable enough.

Guide bar

The guide bar is similar in function to the rip fence. Like the latter, it provides a strictly rectilinear movement of the router. The main difference between them is that the bar can be set at any angle to the edge of the workpiece or table, thus providing any direction of movement of the router in the horizontal plane. In addition, the tire may have elements that simplify the performance of certain operations, for example, milling holes located at the same distance from each other (with a certain step), etc.

The guide rail is attached to the table or workpiece with clamps or special clamps. The tire can be equipped with an adapter (shoe), which is connected to the base of the router with two rods. Sliding along the profile of the tire, the adapter sets the rectilinear movement of the cutter.

Sometimes (if the distance of the tire from the router is too close), the bearing surfaces of the tire and the router may be in different planes in height. To align them, some routers are equipped with retractable support legs that change the position of the router in height.

Such a device is easy to do with your own hands. The simplest option is a long bar fixed to the workpiece with clamps. The design can be supplemented with side stops.

By placing a bar on two or more aligned blanks at once, they can be grooved in one pass.

Milling grooves on two workpieces at once

When using a bar as a stop, it is inconvenient to place the bar at a certain distance from the line of the future groove. This inconvenience is devoid of the following two devices. The first is made from boards and plywood fastened together. In this case, the distance from the edge of the stop (board) to the edge of the base (plywood) is equal to the distance from the cutter to the edge of the router base. But this condition is met only for a cutter of the same diameter.. Thanks to this, the device quickly aligns with the edge of the future groove.

The following fixture can be used with cutters of different diameters, plus when milling, the router rests with its entire sole, and not half, as in the previous fixture.

Slot Milling Attachment

The stop is aligned along the edge of the hinged board and the center line of the groove. After fixing the stop, the folding board leans back, making room for the router. The width of the folding board, together with the gap between it and the stop (if any), must be equal to the distance from the center of the cutter to the edge of the router base. If you focus on the edge of the cutter and the edge of the future groove, then the device will work with only one cutter diameter.

When milling grooves across the fibers, at the exit from the workpiece, when milling an open groove, cases of wood scuffing are not uncommon. The following devices will help minimize scuffing, which press the fibers at the exit of the cutter, preventing them from chipping off the workpiece.

Two boards, strictly perpendicular, are connected with screws. Different cutters are used on different sides of the stop so that the width of the groove in the fixture matches the width of the groove of the part to be milled.

The other open slot milling fixture can be pressed tighter against the workpiece to further minimize tearing, but it only fits a single diameter cutter. It consists of two L-shaped parts connected on the workpiece with clamps.

Slot Milling Attachment

Slot Milling Attachment

Copy rings and templates

A copy ring is a round plate with a protruding collar that slides along the template and provides the necessary trajectory for the cutter. The copy ring is attached to the sole of the router in various ways: it is screwed into a threaded hole (such rings are in the photo below), the antennae of the ring are inserted into special holes on the sole or screwed.

Installing the copy ring

The diameter of the copy ring should be as close to the diameter of the cutter as possible, but the ring should not touch the cutting parts of the cutter. If the ring diameter is larger than the cutter diameter, then the template must be smaller than the finished parts to compensate for the difference between the cutter diameter and the copy ring diameter.

Edge milling using a template and copy ring

The template is fixed on the workpiece with double-sided tape, then both parts are pressed with clamps to the workbench. When you have finished milling, check that the ring is pressed against the edge of the template during the entire operation.

You can make a template for processing not the entire edge, but only for rounding the corners. In this case, using the template shown below, it is possible to make roundings of four different radii.

First you need to cut the corner

In the figure above, a cutter with a bearing is used, but the template can also be used with a ring, only either the ring must exactly match the diameter of the cutter, or the stops should make it possible to move the template away from the edge by the difference in the radius of the cutter and the ring. This also applies to the simpler version shown below.

Corner template

Rounding a corner using a template

Templates are used not only for milling edges, but also for grooves on the plate.

Slot milling with a template

The pattern can be adjustable.

Do-it-yourself tools for the router, or buy ready-made ones?

We will try to answer this question in our article.
For those who make wooden products on their own, a milling cutter (especially a manual one) is an indispensable tool. By itself, a power tool, even equipped with an excellent set of cutters, is completely useless without additional devices. It is impossible to hold a working milling cutter within a given trajectory with your hands.

The rotating cutter will move randomly, reacting to tool vibrations and the structure of the material being processed. Even the owner of steel muscles and a hawk's eye will not be able to work with this tool without the use of guides and fixing devices.

This is what a wood cutter looks like

Elementary devices are usually included in the power tool kit, but with their help you can perform only simple tasks. More complex guides and templates have to be purchased for extra money, and many of them can be made by hand.

The main thing is to have an idea of ​​how this device looks and works. There is no need to look for ready-made drawings and complex technical calculations. Any master himself knows better how to make this or that device. In this case, the efficiency and convenience of work will be higher, not to mention the savings.

Mechanical assistants for a manual router

The most common fixture that is included in the basic kit.

Parallel stop

Accessory - rip fence

The design is so simple that it is not difficult to make it yourself. Relative to the line of passage of the cutter, a guide plane is selected (in some cases it can be a flat edge of the workpiece itself), along which the cutter moves. Any flat elongated object connected to the tool by a fixed bar can be used as a stop. For reliability, there can be two rods.

The surface of the guide must be smooth, for free sliding. The stop needs to be calibrated.

To do this, a control groove is cut in the workpiece, the distance to it is measured relative to the edge of the workpiece, and the zero mark is fixed. By moving the stop along the bar, you can set any distance with high accuracy.

IMPORTANT! When using two rods, it is necessary to ensure their simultaneous fixation.

The parallel stop is used for milling grooves and processing the edges of the product, including the selection of a quarter. It is also possible to cut blanks of the same width. Compared to an electric jigsaw, the cut obtained with a milling cutter is more even and of high quality. Only the cutter should be of small diameter, to save material.
The device can be used when processing rounded surfaces. To do this, a gasket with a cutout in the form of an obtuse angle is installed between the stop and the rounded end of the workpiece.

Guide bar

This device does not differ in its function from a parallel stop, and is designed to ensure directional movement of the cutter along a given path.

A useful assistant when working with a router - a guide bar

The main difference is the ability to choose the angle of movement of the router. To do this, the guide is fixed on the surface to be treated using clamps or suction cups. You can make such a device yourself from a profile or a corner of a suitable size. It is good to use an old curtain rod. The main thing is to ensure the free movement of the carriage along the guide. For a more stable fixation, it is better to use not one, but two rods. If the width of the workpiece being processed is greater than the length of the parallel stop bar, a guide bar is indispensable.

Using such a device, you can mill grooves along a broken line or cut the edge of a product along a complex path. To do this, the router stops at the break point, the guide is attached, which rotates at a given angle relative to the previous direction. In this case, the cutter remains in the workpiece, acting as the axis of rotation. The guide is then fixed again and milling continues in the new direction.

More advanced models have the ability to change the angle of inclination of the router relative to the vertical. This allows you to significantly expand the possibilities of using power tools.

Compasses for milling cutter

The purpose of this device is clear from the name. It is used for milling grooves in a circle or cutting circles.

Want to make a perfect circle? Need a compass for a milling cutter

The principle of operation is simple. As a leg of the compass, a guide rod with a groove or a plate with calibrated holes is used, which allows cutting circles of any diameter. In the center of the proposed circle, a hairpin is fixed, around which the entire structure moves. But the other end of the guide is a milling cutter.
Factory compasses for a milling cutter can have a variety of designs. Rod with support platform and hinge (double rod design is more stable), slotted plate or calibrated holes.

Template for cutting circles

The main thing is to ensure reliable fixation of the central stud, otherwise the structure may move due to vibration and the workpiece will be damaged.
You can make such a device yourself from any durable and even material, for example, textolite.

Homemade tool for cutting circles

A carriage with a fixing device moves in the propylene groove; holes are provided for fastening the router.
There are also more complex devices for forming ovals. It is based on the same design as in the compass, but instead of the axis of rotation, a support with a cross groove system is used. Moving along them, the virtual axis is constantly shifting, as a result of which a regular oval is formed.

Device for cutting oval holes with a router

With this tool, you can make oval cuts both around the nozzle and next to it. The possibilities for choosing the trajectory of the cutter are practically unlimited.

Copy sleeve

Sometimes it becomes necessary to mill a complex pattern or replicate the same cutouts. For convenience and increase the speed of work, pre-made templates are used. For example, a template is often used - a tenon cutter.

Copy sleeve or copy ring

Or it becomes necessary to cut several identical recesses for the door hinges.
To move the router along the contour of the template, copying rings are used. The sleeve rests on the template, and the cutter exactly copies its profile.

IMPORTANT! The diameter of the copy sleeve is larger than the working diameter of the cutter.

Therefore, when manufacturing a template, an allowance is made for the difference in radius ( Radius, not diameter!)
When the cutter moves inside the template, the cutout will be smaller. When moving outside the template - correspondingly more.

Standard copy rings are included with the router. However, it often becomes necessary to make such a fixture for a specific cutter diameter or original template. Such work does not present great difficulties. It is necessary to draw a drawing, and order the product to a turner. In this case, it is imperative to ensure the free passage of the cutter through the bushing.

IMPORTANT! When installing the copy sleeve on the supporting surface of the router, it must be centered. For this, special centering cones are used.

Installing the copy sleeve on the router

Router Templates

These fixtures are rarely made for milling a single part. The exception is the restoration of a rare product or the restoration of a complex structure, a replacement for which cannot be found. In most cases, templates for the router are used for mass work of the same type:

• cutting recesses for door locks and hinges
• production of paneled door surfaces
• production of figured architraves
• cutting studs for joining wooden products
• production of identical blanks in the production of furniture

Sample templates of various shapes

With repeated use, the template wears out quickly, and the accuracy of manufacturing parts decreases. Therefore, the template material must be durable and resistant to abrasion. Multilayer plywood and textolite have proven themselves well. More responsible templates are made of metal.
Self-made templates are used everywhere. The main thing is to accurately determine the difference in the dimensions of the template and the finished part after processing.

IMPORTANT! There are no universal templates. Each matrix is ​​made for a specific router, copy sleeve and the cutter itself.

Wood nozzles

The processing of wooden surfaces and blanks gives the widest creative possibilities for using the router. Professional carpenters and joiners use stationary machines, but you can literally work wonders with a manual router. To do this, there are nozzles for wood, specially designed for high-quality processing of various types of material.

Various milling cutters (nozzles for wood) for wood processing

With the help of such nozzles, you can give any shape to the end surface of the workpiece, cut out an imitation of a panel on the door plane, make skirting boards, cornices, door frames, glazing beads and much more. Moreover, the same nozzle allows you to perform different curly cuts, depending on the angle of application.

An example of the different shapes that can be made with nozzles

An experienced craftsman often makes cutters for each type of work on his own. To do this, according to the template, it is necessary to sharpen each cutting edge of the cutter at the same angle. It is painstaking work, but you will get a completely exclusive tool that meets your requirements.
However, industrially made wood nozzles offer a fairly wide selection of shapes that satisfy the needs of most carpentry masters.

Special kits

Separately, there are kits for performing special work - for example, a device for tapping loops. The device is a custom-made or customized template for this type of milling, equipped with specially designed fasteners that fix the tool on the end of the door leaf.

Homemade device for tapping loops

As a rule, such templates are made independently. Any carpenter of a narrow specialization tries to have an individual set, especially if the work is done on the territory of the customer.

Hinge cutters

There are also standard fixtures for loops, in the form of special cutters. To work with them, a template is not required.

Door hinge cutter

When doing home repairs, you can get by with simpler ways of cutting niches for hinges or grooves for a lock. It is enough to install a second parallel stop on the bars and then the router will be securely fixed at the end of the door leaf. This method is less convenient and not suitable for mass production of doors, however, for one-time work, it will save money on purchasing a special set.

Set of cutters for binding

A set of cutters specifically for a specific type of work

There are also sets of cutters, each of which cannot be used separately. In such sets, the sharpening of the tips is synchronized, and each next cutter complements the work of the previous one. Let's take a binding set as an example.

Binding made with a set of cutters

It is when using all the cutters from the set that you can get a joint without gaps.
To increase the versatility of use, type-setting cutters are available.

Universal type-setting mill

Several complementary cutting attachments are attached to the axle, the arrangement of which can be combined. At the same time, one set can perform work that requires as many mono nozzles.
Thus, using a variety of devices for a manual router, you can do complex woodwork with your own hands without using stationary milling machines. This issue is especially relevant when living in an apartment, when it is impossible to find a place to place the machine. And with the help of a manual milling cutter with a good set of nozzles and accessories, you can organize a mini-workshop on the balcony. Only when working indoors, it is necessary to ensure the removal of dust and sawdust.

Milling machines belong to the category of carpentry equipment. With their help, various wooden parts are cut out, wood blanks are processed, giving them the desired shape. Manual routers are becoming indispensable assistants for craftsmen working at home. To give the workpiece an author's shape, tools for a manual milling cutter, which are easy to make with your own hands, help.

Manufacturing process of accessories

Manufacturers of milling cutters, taking care of consumers, include in the kit a simple set of tools that facilitate the work of milling cutters. There are two ways to get the rest of the set of necessary devices:

• purchase in finished form;
• make with your own hands.

If financial possibilities allow, then there is no need to spend precious time on making tools. But most home craftsmen, nevertheless, prefer to do them on their own. Moreover, the process of their manufacture is not particularly difficult.

Homemade fixtures do not require preliminary drawing up of drawings. You can make them using the simplest drawing, understanding the principle of their action, and having a minimal set of tools available.

Difficulties can arise only in the process of making a table for a manual router. Here you will need to make every effort to make calculations and designate the dimensions of the table. Therefore, it is unlikely that it will be possible to do without a drawing.

Manual milling machine - the basics of work

Before you get started, you must do the following:

• fix the cutter in the collet;
• make sure that the fixture matches the power and speed of the hand router;
• adjust the required depth of milling;
• if edge cutters are to be used, a guide ring or bearing must be installed.

It should be remembered that the workpiece must always rest securely against any surface. The immobility of the part must be ensured even before the router motor is turned on.

Features of the manufacture of a parallel stop

Parallel stop - This is the most common fixture for a hand router. It allows the cutter to move in a straight line relative to a reference surface such as the edge of a table or a guide rail. With the help of a parallel fence, you can mill grooves located on the workpiece to be machined, or edges.

This device is almost always supplied with a hand router. But in his absence, you can cope on your own. The parallel stop has a simple design, so it will not be difficult to make it yourself.

It includes the following elements:

• rods, inserted into the milling cutter body;
• stop screw, fixing rods;
• adjusting screw allowing you to adjust the distance of the cutter from the surface to be treated;
• support pads, due to which the device rests on the surface to be treated.

First you need to choose a flat base that runs parallel to the line of motion of the cutter. As a stop, any oblong object can be used, which is connected to the router with one, and preferably two, fixed rods.

To prepare the emphasis for work, you need to insert the rods into the holes located in the base of the router and fix them with a locking screw. Next, proceed to adjust the distance between the cutter and the stop surface by using the adjusting screw.

With the help of a parallel stop, you can create not only rectilinear, but also figured cuts. To do this, the device is supplemented with another detail - a wooden bar. One side of the part should be straight, and the other rounded or angular. The bar is placed on the working surface so that its straight side rests against the stop, and the curved side rests against the base surface.

Manufacture of fixtures for processing poles and balusters

Each master can independently make devices for a manual router that will satisfy his personal needs. For example, a milling machine is used to process bodies of revolution - objects that have a rounded shape. These include poles, balusters and other wooden elements that have a similar configuration.

But in order to achieve a positive result, it is necessary to prepare a device that facilitates cutting grooves in the bodies of revolution. With it, it will be possible to perform longitudinal grooves and process along a round contour.

The design of such a device consists of the following elements:

• corps;
• mobile milling carriage;
• disk for setting the angle of rotation;
• fixing screws that ensure the immobility of the workpiece;
• stop screw.

To get started, you need to place the baluster in the body of the device, securing it with screws. Using a rotary disk, the part is placed at the desired angle and fixed with a locking screw. Further, a carriage with a milling cutter is set in motion, which cuts a groove along the entire length of the workpiece. To cut the next groove, the fixation of the product is loosened and it is again positioned at the desired angle.

All these operations are preferably performed with an assistant who will slowly rotate the workpiece. The operation of the device can be automated by supplying it with a drive from an electric drill or the most primitive screwdriver.

Spike Milling Secrets

"Thorn groove" is the most reliable way to fasten wooden parts. It is used in the construction of houses from timber, flooring and other domestic needs.

To make such an interlock connection, it is necessary to observe high precision when cutting the spikes. And the best assistant in this difficult task is a tenoning device for a manual router.

General view of the dovetail tool

Thanks to its versatility, it is possible to perform milling of various interlocks, including straight and more complex ones, which include the dovetail.

The main element of the tenoning device is a copy ring. It ensures the accuracy of the movement of the cutter, moves along the groove in a special template for the router. You can make a copy machine with your own hands. To do this, you need to select the groove patterns that will be cut using a milling machine.

Conclusion

A hand mill is a functional device, so novice craftsmen do not always understand why additional devices are needed. But the desktop version of the milling machine is non-professional equipment, and therefore it is not capable of performing all the necessary processing operations. Having made additional devices for the router, it will be possible to turn the manual device into a full-fledged processing machine.

For example, if you fix a manual milling machine on a guide, you can facilitate the process of performing work and improve their quality. In addition, such a device has such a simple design that even a novice home master can make it on his own. And if you fix a plywood triangle on the sole of the machine, you can make rounded corners.

Having made all the necessary devices with your own hands, you do not need to stop there. You need to develop your skills in the chosen direction. You can conquer the next peak if all milling operations are performed on a lathe. But first, you will have to make additional devices for it.

By expanding the capabilities of this equipment, it will be possible to process flat surfaces, cut grooves and grooves, and process parts along a round contour. The main thing is the desire to improve skills.

Any products made of natural wood are highly valued due to their environmental friendliness and uniqueness. To create real masterpieces from such a natural material with your own hands, you need to have a manual milling cutter and possess the necessary skills to use it.

In addition, additional devices for the milling cutter are also important, allowing you to produce parts of any complexity exactly as they were intended by the author. for such a tool, woodwork is a fairly simple design, the execution of which does not require special skills or material resources, the main thing is to have a desire. But thanks to their use, the processing of various parts will become much easier.

Tool table

The very first necessary device that makes it possible to work comfortably with such a hand tool is a milling table.

The simplest design of the table consists of a tabletop, which can be a sheet of chipboard or other similar material with holes for installing tools, as well as a guide that is attached to the table with clamps.

Having made ordinary legs, we get the main fixture for our hand tool - a table on which any other fixtures can be installed.

Parallel stop

A similar device for a manual wood milling machine often comes with equipment. But there is always the opportunity to do it yourself. What is it for? The fence itself makes it possible to cut the material in a straight line. But it often happens that the incision needs to be made not straight, but, for example, arcuate.

In this case, it is advisable to make a milling stop, one of the sides of which will be straight, and the other will repeat the shape of the part. In this case, it will be possible to cut wood in different ways. Each master creates templates for such stops with his own hands “for himself”, depending on the purpose of using the milling machine.

Router guides

One of the main components of a manual wood carving machine is its guides. You can make them yourself from ordinary bars.

In the case of using one guide, it must be tightly attached to the base on which all the necessary work will be carried out. To make the whole structure more reliable, at the same time eliminating the possibility of template displacement, it can be additionally fixed with side stops.

If you use such a device for a manual machine, which we made with our own hands, you can always make additional grooves in several products.

Homemade guides are:

• T-shaped;
• On hinges, can be folded like a book;
• L-shaped.

Quite convenient to use are guides that look like skis. You can use them with any type of manual router, making work with a wooden blank as accurate and clean as possible.

Devices for processing bodies of revolution

If, when working with such a machine, you have to process certain bodies of rotation, for example, balusters, poles, and the like, then in this case the process of processing them with a manual milling cutter will become much easier when using another device. It consists of:

• corps;
• a movable carriage on which the tool itself is installed;
• disks with which you can set the desired angle of rotation;
• screws that securely fasten the workpieces.

Using such a device, the products will rotate slowly, which will make the processing process more convenient. Thus, you can make a device with your own hands that will become a complete replacement for a lathe.

compasses

Such devices for a manual milling machine ensure its movement along the required circle. The design of a do-it-yourself compass is very simple, it consists of the main part - a rod, which is attached at one end to the base of the tool, and a secondary one - a screw that is inserted into the hole of the hand router.

A compass with two rods is distinguished by a higher efficiency in use. Having made it from some transparent material, for example, plexiglass, a metric scale can be applied to the surface of the device, which will make its use even more convenient.

Using an angular lever with a scale, copying is carried out on the workpiece being processed. In this case, it will be possible to center the ring along the cutter with your own hands in the process of work. Angle arm with support plate ensures accurate workpiece edges. The design of such a device for working with hand tools consists of a set of probes, a base plate, as well as chip protection.

Small extras

Usually, in the kit for the hand tool itself, there are some minor devices that make it easy and convenient to work with non-standard-shaped parts. You can always make such devices with your own hands or slightly improve the existing ones to suit your needs and requirements.

Copy rings. Such accessories are ordinary round plates that determine the movement of the device along the workpiece, which is installed on a table or other base. The diameter of such rings is selected depending on the diameter of the cutters.

The diameter of the template will also depend on the selected ring. They are selected in inverse proportion - if the diameter of the cutter is larger than the diameter of the ring, then the template is smaller than the finished product, and vice versa.

Devices for working with a manual machine on narrow surfaces will not allow the router to move to the sides, passing exactly in the center of the products.

Devices for creating spikes. Such accessories are most often used in the manufacture of furniture to create connecting spikes on the details.

For full-fledged work with a manual router, in addition to the tool itself, the material and the corresponding set of cutters, it is necessary to have one more component - fixtures. In order for the cutter to form the workpiece in accordance with the master's intent - cutting the material exactly where it is required - it must be in a strictly defined position relative to the workpiece at any given time. To ensure this, numerous devices for a manual milling cutter serve. Some of them - the most necessary ones - are included in the instrument delivery set. Other milling devices are purchased or made by hand. At the same time, home-made devices are so simple that for their manufacture you can do without drawings, using only their drawings.

Parallel stop

The most used device, which comes with the kit for almost every router, is a parallel stop, which ensures the rectilinear movement of the cutter relative to the base surface. The latter can be a straight edge of a workpiece, a table or a guide rail. The parallel stop can be used both for milling various grooves located on the face of the workpiece, and for processing edges.

Parallel stop for a manual router: 1 - stop, 2 - rod, 3 - router base, 4 - rod stop screw, 5 - fine adjustment screw, 6 - movable carriage, 7 - movable carriage stop screw, 8 - pads, 9 - screw stop stop.

To set the device in working position, it is necessary to push the rods 2 into the holes of the frame 3, providing the necessary distance between the support surface of the stop and the axis of the cutter, and fix them with the locking screw 4. For precise positioning of the cutter, you need to release the locking screw 9 and turn the fine adjustment screw 5 set the cutter to the desired position. For some models of the stop, the dimensions of the supporting surface can be changed by shifting or expanding the support pads 8.

If one simple part is added to the parallel stop, then with its help it is possible to mill not only straight, but also curved grooves, for example, to process a round workpiece. Moreover, the inner surface of the bar located between the stop and the workpiece does not have to have a rounded shape, repeating the edge of the workpiece. It can also be given a simpler form (Figure "a"). In this case, the trajectory of the cutter will not change.

Of course, the usual parallel stop, thanks to the recess in the center, will allow you to orient the router along the rounded edge, however, the position of the router may not be stable enough.

The guide bar is similar in function to the rip fence. Like the latter, it provides a strictly rectilinear movement of the router. The main difference between them is that the bar can be set at any angle to the edge of the workpiece or table, thus providing any direction of movement of the router in the horizontal plane. In addition, the tire may have elements that simplify the performance of certain operations, for example, milling holes located at the same distance from each other (with a certain step), etc.

The guide rail is attached to the table or workpiece with clamps or special clamps. The tire can be equipped with an adapter (shoe), which is connected to the base of the router with two rods. Sliding along the profile of the tire, the adapter sets the rectilinear movement of the cutter.

Sometimes (if the distance of the tire from the router is too close), the bearing surfaces of the tire and the router may be in different planes in height. To align them, some routers are equipped with retractable support legs that change the position of the router in height.

Such a device is easy to do with your own hands. The simplest option is a long bar fixed to the workpiece with clamps. The design can be supplemented with side stops.

By placing a bar on two or more aligned blanks at once, they can be grooved in one pass.

When using a bar as a stop, it is inconvenient to place the bar at a certain distance from the line of the future groove. This inconvenience is devoid of the following two devices. The first is made from boards and plywood fastened together. In this case, the distance from the edge of the stop (board) to the edge of the base (plywood) is equal to the distance from the cutter to the edge of the router base. But this condition is met only for a cutter of the same diameter.. Thanks to this, the device quickly aligns with the edge of the future groove.

The following fixture can be used with cutters of different diameters, plus when milling, the router rests with its entire sole, and not half, as in the previous fixture.

The stop is aligned along the edge of the hinged board and the center line of the groove. After fixing the stop, the folding board leans back, making room for the router. The width of the folding board, together with the gap between it and the stop (if any), must be equal to the distance from the center of the cutter to the edge of the router base. If you focus on the edge of the cutter and the edge of the future groove, then the device will work with only one cutter diameter.

When milling grooves across the fibers, at the exit from the workpiece, when milling an open groove, cases of wood scuffing are not uncommon. The following devices will help minimize scuffing, which press the fibers at the exit of the cutter, preventing them from chipping off the workpiece.

Two boards, strictly perpendicular, are connected with screws. Different cutters are used on different sides of the stop so that the width of the groove in the fixture matches the width of the groove of the part to be milled.

The other open slot milling fixture can be pressed tighter against the workpiece to further minimize tearing, but it only fits a single diameter cutter. It consists of two L-shaped parts connected on the workpiece with clamps.

Copy rings and templates

A copy ring is a round plate with a protruding collar that slides along the template and provides the necessary trajectory for the cutter. The copy ring is attached to the sole of the router in various ways: it is screwed into a threaded hole (such rings are in the photo below), the antennae of the ring are inserted into special holes on the sole or screwed.

The diameter of the copy ring should be as close to the diameter of the cutter as possible, but the ring should not touch the cutting parts of the cutter. If the ring diameter is larger than the cutter diameter, then the template must be smaller than the finished parts to compensate for the difference between the cutter diameter and the copy ring diameter.

The template is fixed on the workpiece with double-sided tape, then both parts are pressed with clamps to the workbench. When you have finished milling, check that the ring is pressed against the edge of the template during the entire operation.

You can make a template for processing not the entire edge, but only for rounding the corners. In this case, using the template shown below, it is possible to make roundings of four different radii.

In the figure above, a cutter with a bearing is used, but the template can also be used with a ring, only either the ring must exactly match the diameter of the cutter, or the stops should make it possible to move the template away from the edge by the difference in the radius of the cutter and the ring. This also applies to the simpler version shown below.

Templates are used not only for milling edges, but also for grooves on the plate.

The pattern can be adjustable.

Template milling is a great method for cutting grooves for hinges.

Devices for milling round and elliptical slots

Compasses are intended for the movement of a milling cutter on a circle. The simplest device of this type is a compass, consisting of one rod, one end of which is connected to the base of the router, and the other has a screw with a pin at the end, which is inserted into the hole that serves as the center of the circle along which the cutter moves. The radius of the circle is set by the displacement of the rod relative to the base of the router.

It is better, of course, that the compass was made of two rods.

In general, compasses are a very common device. There are a large number of branded and home-made devices for circumferential milling, differing in size and ease of use. As a rule, compasses have a mechanism that provides a change in the radius of the circle. Usually it is made in the form of a screw with a pin at the end, moving along the groove of the device. The pin is inserted into the center hole of the part.

When it is necessary to mill a circle of small diameter, the pin must be located under the base of the router, and for such cases other devices are used that are attached to the bottom of the base of the router.

Ensuring the movement of the cutter in a circle using a compass is quite simple. However, one often has to face the need to perform elliptical contours - when inserting mirrors or oval-shaped glasses, arranging arched-type windows or doors, etc. Device PE60 WEGOMA (Germany) is designed for milling ellipses and circles.

It is a base in the form of a plate, attached to the surface using vacuum suction cups 1 or screws, if the nature of the surface does not allow fixing with suction cups. Two shoes 2, moving along intersecting guides, ensure the movement of the router along an elliptical path. When milling a circle, only one shoe is used. The fixture kit includes two mounting rods and a bracket 3, with the help of which the router is connected to the plate. The grooves on the bracket allow you to install the router in such a way that its supporting surface and the base of the plate are in the same plane.

As you can see from the photos above, the milling cutter was used instead of a jigsaw or band saw, while, due to the high speed of the cutter, the quality of the machined surface is much higher. Also, in the absence of a manual circular saw, the router can replace it.

Devices for milling grooves on narrow surfaces

Grooves for locks and door hinges, in the absence of a milling cutter, are performed using a chisel and an electric drill. This operation - especially when making a groove for an internal lock - takes a lot of time. Having a milling cutter and a special device, it can be done several times faster. It is convenient to have such a fixture that allows milling slots of a wide range of sizes.

To make grooves in the end, you can make a simple fixture in the form of a flat base attached to the sole of the router. Its shape can be not only round (according to the shape of the base of the router), but also rectangular. On both sides of it, you need to fix the guide pins, which will ensure the rectilinear movement of the router. The main condition for their device is that their axes are in line with the center of the cutter. If this condition is provided, the groove will be located exactly in the center of the workpiece, regardless of its thickness. If it is necessary to move the groove to one side or another from the center, a bushing with a certain wall thickness must be put on one of the pins, as a result of which the groove will shift in the direction from which the pin with the bushing is located. When using a router with such a device, it must be driven in such a way that the pins are pressed on both sides to the side surfaces of the part.

If you attach a second parallel stop to the router, you will also get a device for milling grooves in the edge.

But you can do without special devices. For the stability of the milling cutter on a narrow surface, boards are fixed on both sides of the part, the surface of which should form a single plane with the surface to be machined. When milling, the router is positioned using the parallel stop.

You can make an improved version that increases the area of ​​\u200b\u200bsupport for the router.

Device for processing balusters, pillars and other bodies of revolution

The variety of work that is performed by a manual milling cutter sometimes dictates the need for independent manufacture of devices that facilitate the performance of certain operations. Branded devices are not able to cover the entire range of work, and they are quite expensive. Therefore, home-made fixtures for a router are very common among users who are fond of working with wood, and sometimes do-it-yourself fixtures either outperform branded counterparts or have no branded counterparts at all.

Sometimes there is a need to mill various grooves in the bodies of revolution. In this case, the device shown below may be useful.

The device is used for milling longitudinal grooves (flutes) on balusters, poles, etc. It consists of a body 2, a movable carriage with a milling cutter 1, a disk for setting the angle of rotation 3. The device works as follows. The baluster is placed in the body and fixed there with screws 4. Turning to the desired angle and fixing the workpiece in a strictly defined position is provided by disk 3 and locking screw 5. After fixing the part, the carriage with the router is set in motion (along the guide rails of the body), and milling a groove along the length of the workpiece. Then the product is unlocked, rotated to the required angle, locked and the next groove is made.

A similar fixture can be used instead of a lathe. The workpiece must be slowly rotated by an assistant or a simple drive, for example, from a drill or a screwdriver, and excess material is removed by a milling cutter moving along the guides.

Stud milling fixtures

Tenon cutters are used for milling the profile of tenon joints. In the manufacture of the latter, greater precision is required, which is almost impossible to provide manually. Tenoning devices allow you to quickly and easily profile even complex joints such as dovetails.

The figure below shows an industrial sample of a tenoning device for the manufacture of three types of connections - "dovetail" (deaf and through version) and through connection with a straight tenon. Two mating parts are installed in the fixture with a certain shift relative to each other, controlled by pins 1 and 2, then they are processed. The exact trajectory of the cutter is set by the shape of the groove in the template and the copying ring of the router, which slides along the edge of the template, repeating its shape.

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Template for a manual router installed in the "table".
More precisely, this is a homemade emphasis that can be used with a whole set of templates. The workpiece is placed in this stop along with the desired template and clamped with cam eccentrics.

How we usually use a manual router when copying parts according to a template. A template is made from durable sheet material, such as MDF. The template is attached to the workpiece with self-tapping screws and the part is passed by a milling cutter using a milling cutter with a support bearing, or a special copier ring, which is included in the standard set of fixtures and is attached to the site of the router itself.

From top to bottom, eccentric clamp, template, workpiece.

Assembled device.

Such options have their advantages, you do not need a table for a router. But with a large number of parts to be processed, twisting the template every time is annoying. This method is convenient in that the device you made can be used for a long time. And if you also make a set of the most popular templates for it, then time and labor costs will be significantly reduced. Unusual way of working.

The material for the base must be sufficiently rigid, you can probably use plywood with a thickness of 10-12 mm. , but I think a 6-8 mm thick MDF board is better. . Vertical wall and eccentrics solid wood, oak, beech, birch as a last resort.

As a matter of fact, all parts except for the base platform can be made of plywood 20 mm thick. , but I think plywood eccentrics will be worse than oak ones.

On the vertical part, holes are drilled for the bolt with which the cams are attached. The holes are made in vertical rows so that the eccentrics can be rearranged in height, depending on the thickness of the part and the template. Hole markings are in the picture. The thickness of the vertical part made of oak is 16-25 mm. .

During assembly, the parts are twisted with self-tapping screws, the joints can be smeared with glue, and the hats must be drowned. Here it must be borne in mind that during operation, the base platform may fall under the cutter, and sooner or later it will have to be changed. As for the vertical part, handles and eccentrics, they should last a long time. Cams are mounted on bolts with a diameter of 5 mm. . Instead of nuts, it is better to use lambs so that it is easy to tighten them by hand.

The handles fasten the platform and the vertical part together, in addition, you hold the device in work for them. Make such classic curly ones, or use a simpler option, it's your choice.