Do-it-yourself Milling Cutter From A Drill: How To Make A Milling Cutter? Features Of Homemade Designs

2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 05:33

The very high price of factory equipment is replenished by craftsmen through the creation of homemade equipment. An example of this is a wood milling device made from an electric drill with your own hands, which will cost almost nothing. You just need to purchase a set of cutters for the machine.

Structure and purpose

In simple words, the structure of the milling apparatus can be described as follows: the electric motor of the unit imparts rotation to the shaft on which the milling cutter is located (a specialized nozzle).

When installing a manual device, the cutter is placed in a special chuck, cam or collet

The key task of the fixture is the processing of plastic, iron, wood, glass, ceramics or organic glass.

An example is the preparation of technological holes for a door lock in a wooden sheet.

In addition, it can be processing the edges of parts or cutting threads, milling cavities and grooves.

Rotation is provided by an electric motor operating from an alternating electric current network . A wide variety of nozzles can be used based on the material that needs to be processed.

The simplest material for milling is wood, therefore, in general, milling cutters for processing it will be especially common and inexpensive. For metals of different levels of strength and toughness, nozzles should be used that differ in their properties depending on the characteristics of the material being milled.

Of course, cutters for metals or wood are not suitable for processing ceramics or glass; for such materials, you need to choose a cutting tool with different parameters.

Materials and tools

To assemble the fixture, you will need the following materials and tools:

• a motor operating from the mains;
• electric jigsaw (for lack of a hand hacksaw);
• drill;
• screws, locknuts, self-tapping screws, clamp;
• cutter;

• cartridge;
• 4 blocks of wood;
• quick-clamping clamps;
• Chipboard - for the base of the unit.

You don't need to be a specialist to operate these tools. Pre-check the performance of electrical tools and worry about compliance with safety regulations.

Putting the base together

The first step is to think about the structure of the desktop and the layout of the router on it. You can not get hung up on the lid, but buy it in a special store, only it is relatively expensive. To make it yourself, use the blueprints. A good-quality table guarantees comfort and makes it possible to speed up the process of working with a milling cutter. The basis is a plate of strong plastic or chipboard with a thickness of at least 12 centimeters. Plastic is not afraid of dampness, however, it is easier and faster to make a lid from chipboard.

The cover fits on the guides . Provide the ability to adjust them to adjust the position of the table to suit you. Also keep in mind that the area around the work area must be fenced off. This is of great importance when working with a hand router. In addition, a clamping device is required for the workpieces.

How to create an adjusting lift and mount a drill

Cut a small panel out of the chipboard and make 4 support bars for it. The materials used must be of high quality and strong. Cut a semicircular hole on the table top with an electric chop or a jigsaw. Make slots for the thrust sheet and retainers. Attach the panel to the motor using bolts or special fasteners. The router must be fixed to the table using bearing assemblies . In order to increase the quality of fixing the electric drill in a vertical position, you need to add a block of wood to the top of the rack. He will play the role of a stop for an electric drill. At the final stage of creating a router, sand all its wooden surfaces with sandpaper. The work area must be on a solid and durable foundation.

Device operation

Making a milling cutter from an electric drill is simple; nevertheless, you need to understand the principle of the functioning of such equipment. I must say that it is quite simple. The basic component is a motor that, as it rotates, imparts this rotation to a shaft made of a tough material. A nozzle is put on this element - a cutter. It processes the parts placed on the machine bed. It should be noted that when it comes to a manual device, the workpiece will be fixed not to the shaft, but in the chuck. Based on the material being processed, the cutter also changes. Especially when brass needs to be processed. To work with glass, you will need to buy a first-class carbide cutter.

Application features

Of course, just mounting a router from an electric drill is not enough - you need to properly care for it in order for it to function for a long time. The experts give several recommendations as follows.

• All wood surfaces need not only be thoroughly emered, but also treated with a protective coating in order to increase the ability to resist various adverse influences from the outside.
• The control system of the device should be carefully worked out so that it is extremely comfortable.
• Certain additions can be made, such as a system for cleaning the working area from chips. For example, install a small nozzle that you can attach to a hose from a simple vacuum cleaner.

Advantages and imperfections of an electric drill cutter

A self-made design has obvious advantages, key among which are the following:

• a home-made machine will cost an order of magnitude cheaper than a factory one;
• a milling cutter from an electric drill makes it possible to work with surfaces of various types;
• assembling the device is quite easy to do, not counting the moment the electrical wiring is connected;
• ease of use;
• ease of maintenance.

There are few significant flaws in homemade equipment. The main shortcomings include the following points.

• A manual router made from scrap materials is not durable.
• The part speed is too slow.
• The resources of an electric motor taken from an old household device are not enough to function with difficult materials and surfaces, in particular, with metal. This defect can be eliminated. For this, it is advisable to take a high-speed electric motor from a hammer drill. This will allow you to adjust the number of revolutions for different materials.

So, following simple tips, you can mount a router from an ordinary electric drill. Adjust the elements thoroughly and use only high quality materials. Do not seek to profit from electric drills, remember: when the device loses its relevance, you can dismantle the machine and use it for its real purpose. Take your time to throw out the table and elevator - they can also be dismantled and compactly stowed in a drawer until next time.