Routing in Woodworking
Definition and Explanation of Machining Technology
Milling involves removing material to create any desired contour on a stationary workpiece. It's a chip-removing machining process and is used as a broaching method for shaping.
Chamfering onrouter table
Milling is a versatile machining process. In this article, you'll learn how milling works and what you need for it. We'll also show you the most important technical principles and methods used for milling wood.
Table of Contents
- Definition: Milling explained simply
- What types of milling are there in woodworking?
- Technical Principles of Milling
- Milling Tools for Wood Milling
- Materials Used for Milling
- Milling in Woodworking Professions
- Practical Application: What Can You Mill?
- Historical Background of Milling
Definition: Milling explained simply
Milling is a machining and shaping process that allows you to work with nearly all solid materials. Especially when milling wood, you benefit from relatively simple, easy-to-use equipment—in contrast to the more complex process of metal milling. During milling, you remove material from a workpiece to create any desired contours, such as circumferential edges or slots, steps, pockets, or hole patterns. Even uneven or cracked surfaces can be face-milled. This process is correspondingly versatile.
What types of milling are there in woodworking?
There are numerous types of milling, for example, by direction of cut, material, or the desired shape. A key point is always the question of climb milling or conventional milling.
Milling Processes Overview
When it comes to milling, we distinguish between manual and CNC processes:
- Manual Milling: You move the workpiece or the cutter by hand. This can be freehand milling (for example, with a plunge router) or working with a special milling jig.
- CNC Milling: Here, the workpiece is clamped into a machine and guided by an automated system. For hobbyists and private users, manual milling is usually more relevant.
For manual milling, you can also differentiate between:
- Freehand Milling: Using a router or spindle moulder without a fixed template.
- Jig Milling: You use a milling jig (for example, for face, form, profile, 3D, or CNC milling).
Milling Processes by Direction of Cut
Conventional Milling: The cutter rotates against the feed direction. This makes material removal fast and relatively easy to control, but edges can tear out more easily.
Climb Milling: The cutter's rotation direction and the feed direction align, which often creates smoother edges but is harder to control. The cutter "pulls" the workpiece and can snatch it from your hands. Therefore, it's less recommended for inexperienced users.
RUWI 3D Unit with Rounding Cutter
Technical Principles of Milling
To mill wood, you need a milling machine. In woodworking, this is often a router, which you can also convert into a router table a milling jig. Factors such as speed, feed rate, and cutter diameter are important.
Cutting Width
If you're milling through the material (for example, a slot), the cutter diameter determines the cutting width.
Feed Motion
The feed rate indicates how quickly you guide the cutter into the wood. Harder materials or larger cutter diameters require a lower feed rate.
Cutting Speed
The cutting speed depends on the material's hardness, cutter diameter, RPM, torque, and feed rate. If you're unsure, choose slower settings to avoid damage.
Milling Tools for Wood Milling
The cutter head is the most important part. There are hundreds of different designs and types, for example:
- Profile cutters
- Chamfer cutters
- Rounding cutter
- flush trim bit
- Groove cutters
- V-groove cutters
- Lettering cutters
- Finishing or roughing cutters
- Slotting cutters
- Rabbeting cutters
- Finger cutters
- Drill mills
- Router bits with replaceable inserts or cutting edges
For each work step, choose the right tool so you get clean results and don't damage either the operator or the tool.
Materials Used for Milling
Woodworking machines are designed for wood and certain plastics. Metal or mineral materials require specialized equipment. As a DIYer, you can typically mill the following materials reliably:
- Wood (solid wood, hardwood, softwood)
- Wood-based materials (MDF, plywood, particleboard)
- Plastics (depending on the machine and router bit)
- Rarely light metals (under specific conditions)
Milling in Woodworking Professions
After turning, milling is one of the most important shaping processes in woodworking. You'll find it in almost all woodworking professions, for example:
- Joiners or cabinet makers
- Carpenters
- Toy makers
- Boat builders
- Instrument makers
- Stair builders
- Interior decorators
Especially in carpentry, milling is gaining importance, for instance, for precise tenons and holes in beams. Whether you're inlaying a marquetry piece into a cabinet door or leveling a wood slab – the milling machine is versatile and valuable.
Practical Application: What Can You Mill?
Milling, especially with a milling jig, is a broad field for both amateurs and professionals. Typical milling tasks include:
- Surfacing: Leveling surfaces, for example, smoothing rough wood or log slices.
- Dimension routing: Bring a workpiece to the desired angle.
- Profile routing or profiling: For example, chamfering or rounding edges, or creating decorative profiles.
- Texture routing: Routing hole patterns, pockets, or recesses on the surface.
- Groove milling: Cutting slots grooves, for example, for slot.
A milling attachment or router table , in particular, router table you router table work precisely and safely. This way, you can quickly achieve good results, even if you don't have much experience yet.
Routing round stock with the router
Historical Background of Milling
Routing has a long tradition in woodworking. Even in the Stone Age, our ancestors used simple tools (like bone drills) and sand to work wood. With the rise of shipbuilding and the furniture industry, tools continuously evolved. Asia, especially China, India, and Japan, already demonstrated high craftsmanship in the Middle Ages. During the Industrial Revolution, the routing processes we know today became established. Later, much of this was transferred to metalworking. Today, routing is one of the most important methods for precision machining in series production – and in woodworking, it's indispensable for both professional crafts and DIY.
