Elevator for milling, which can be purchased in series or made with your own hands, Is a device, which allows to improve both quality, and processing accuracy, performed by hand power tools. The results of the latter strongly depend on it, how accurately and confidently the user manipulates such a device. In order to minimize the impact of human factors on the results of processing, performed by hand milling, and special devices were developed.
Homemade elevator for hand milling, made of plywood and lumber
One of them is a mechanized lifting device for milling power tools, which in full accordance with its functionality is called an elevator. As mentioned above, such a device can be purchased as standard, but it will not be cheap, therefore, many home builders successfully make it with their own hands.
Why do you need such a device
Elevator for milling, by means of which exact movement of the manual electric tool fixed on it in the vertical plane is provided, necessary in many situations. To such situations, in which the quality and accuracy of processing of wood products are not the last importance, should include decorative trim of furniture panels, execution of technological grooves and lugs on elements of furniture designs. The quality of processing in such cases will depend not on the experience of her master and the hardness of his hands, but only on the accuracy of the settings of the device and the degree of its stability.
Even in humans, having good physical training, when working with a hand-held router, the weight of which may be 5 kg and even more, tired hands. This directly affects the accuracy and quality of work. in addition, such processing accuracy, which can provide a hand-held milling machine, installed on the elevator, when manipulating, which are performed with the power tool manually, impossible to obtain.
In most cutters, standard adjustment when installing the tool on the table is simply not convenient
It is necessary to invent such a useful device, which is an elevator for milling, led you, that the variety of types of decorative finishes for wood products has expanded significantly, complicated technological methods of processing this material, and increased requirements for the accuracy of its implementation. All of the above factors require, that high manual mobility of its working body was combined in the manual milling electric equipment, as well as the accuracy of his movements. The elevator for the milling cutter fully meets such requirements, with which the power tool is used quickly rises and falls to the required height above the desktop, and is maintained at a given level for the required amount of time.
The convenience of using a milling elevator is also, that it is not necessary to install the power tool on such device each time. This helps to simplify the production process, and increase its productivity.
What is the principle of the elevator for milling
To raise or lower the hand milling machine using a milling elevator, you can use the collar, lever or any other lifting mechanism of suitable design. Such a feature, which has an elevator for milling, provided:
- fast and accurate setting of the sizes of grooves and other relief elements, cut on the surface of a wooden blank;
- the ability to quickly replace the tool in the milling chuck.
If to generalize variants of constructive execution of the most used models of milling elevators, then describe the principle of operation of such a device as follows:
- A milling support plate is mounted on a workbench or workbench, which is made of sheet metal or textolite.
- Two racks are fixed on the support plate, located in parallel.
- The manual milling cutter itself is installed on a special carriage, which has the ability to move freely up and down on the racks mounted on the support plate.
- The carriage with the milling power tool installed on it and all elevator move on necessary distance due to that, that they are affected by a special pushing device.
The use of metal parts in the construction will significantly increase the accuracy of the homemade milling elevator
Consider the basic requirements, which should be followed, going to upgrade the milling machine with their own hands using an elevator.
- The frame for placing the cutter and all other structural elements of such a device must have high rigidity. Compliance with this requirement will not only improve the accuracy of processing, but also to make the user's work safer.
- Lifting system, which is equipped with such a device, should be designed this way, that it could provide not only fast removal and installation of the used milling cutter, but also prompt replacement of milling heads on it.
- The working stroke of the milling elevator should not be too large, quite enough, if the working head of the power tool will move within 50 mm. This is enough for the quality of most technological operations.
- Developing drawings, should be anticipated, so that the working head of the used power tool can be rigidly fixed in the set spatial position.
The simplest milling elevator can be made of a jack or a tubular clamp
What you need to make a milling elevator
To make your own milling elevator, you need to prepare the following set of consumables, tools and technical devices:
- directly by hand milling, from which it is necessary to dismantle handles;
- electric drill;
- standard car jack (if the lifting mechanism of the device is of the jack type);
- sheet of metal or textolite;
- wooden bars of square cross-section;
- aluminum profile;
- sheets of plywood and particleboard;
- guides, made of metal;
- threaded rod;
- set of screwdrivers of different types and sizes, wrenches and pliers;
- drills of different diameters;
- bolts, screws, nuts and washers of different sizes;
- epoxy adhesive;
- angle, ruler, measuring tape.
From the milling machine in general it is possible to use only the engine and racks, especially if the tool does not have high accuracy on the telescopic guides
Possible design options for the device
To date, home craftsmen have developed many designs of milling elevators, but the most popular and, in accordance, noteworthy are two options for making such a device:
- elevator for manual milling, actuated by a car jack;
- adaptation, structural elements of which are the support disk, threaded stud and flywheel disc.
Option one. Elevator with jack
The principle of operation of jacking milling elevator is based on that, that the working head of a hand milling machine, mounted on the base plate, rises and falls due to the control of the built-in jack.
Milling table with a jack-based elevator
The jack milling cutter is made by own hands as follows:
- Attached to the bottom of the desktop is a box made of 15 mm plywood or particleboard, which will simultaneously perform the functions of a support device and a protective cover for the entire device.
- In the inner part of such a box, the size of which should be calculated in advance, placed as a jack, and hand milling, connected to its moving part. When placed in a box, the jack is screwed with its sole to the underside of the support housing, and the manual milling cutter connects its upper part to the inner surface of the machine tabletop via a special metal sole. At the same time in a table-top the through opening is carried out, through which the working head of the milling cutter with the tool fixed in it has to pass freely.
- As a base plate for milling installation, which under the influence of force from the jack moves in the vertical direction along two fixed racks, a sheet of textolite or metal of the appropriate size is used.
Option two. Elevator with threaded pin
Scheme of manufacturing a device using a support disk, threaded stud and flywheel is as follows:
- From a board thick 18-20 mm sawed circle, which will act as a support platform for hand milling.
- A hole with a diameter will be drilled in the central part of the support disk 10 mm, in which the threaded hairpin of the same diameter is inserted. The length of the hairpin, which is connected to the support platform by two nuts and washers, should be selected as follows, to ensure the milling runner is at least 50 mm.
- The lower part of the stud, passed through the plywood bottom, fixed between the legs of the desktop, connects to the disc flywheel. It should be borne in mind, that in the hole in the bottom, through which the lower part of the stud will be passed, the flange nut should be built in. It will ensure the efficiency of the lifting mechanism.
Scheme of the elevator for a milling cutter with use of a carving hairpin
Option of self-made elevator with a threaded pin
Using milling elevators together with mechanisms, which will additionally provide lateral movement of the power tool, you can make an even more functional device, which will turn your hand-held equipment into a full-fledged 3D milling machine.
Option three. Elevator with chain transmission
It will take much longer to make this milling elevator, but as a result you get a well-functioning system of raising and lowering the tool.
Milling elevator with chain transmission
The design of this version of the milling elevator is discussed in detail in the following video review.