Face Milling

Definition and Explanation of Face Planing in Woodworking
Face planing is a technique you can use to mill a workpiece to a desired thickness. For beautiful, high-quality wood products, precise angles and uniform surfaces are essential. Raw timber from the sawmill isn't directly suitable for decorative purposes; it first needs to be dried and processed. Face planing helps you create a smooth and even surface.

In this article, you'll learn how face milling differs from other techniques, what materials you can process with it, and what other possibilities a router offers you.

Surfacing a wooden plank with a router

Table of Contents

• Definition
• Technical Basics of Face Milling
  • Machine
  • Tool
  • Milling Fixture
  • Work surface
• Which face milling cutters are used for face milling?
• Which materials are used in face milling?
• Applications of face milling
  • Creating a flat surface
  • Face milling unevenness and overhangs
  • Pockets, recesses, and cutouts in surfaces
  • Face milling protruding edges
  • Face milling of wood slices or end-grain cutting boards

Definition: What is face milling?

When surfacing, you remove material from a wavy surface of a solid workpiece to make it as smooth and flat as possible. It's a secondary process that directly follows sawing. Professional woodworkers usually use planing machines (jointers and thickness planers) to quickly and efficiently 'plane' wood pieces. However, their width is limited, and they only process rectangular cross-sections. A surfacing router is slower, but offers more options – it can process solid wood parts or wood-based materials of almost any size, which is especially interesting for wood slices or epoxy-filled wood slabs.

Technical Basics of Face Milling

A typical face mill consists of these elements:

• Router
• Suitable interchangeable tool (face mill)
• Work table with clamping devices
• Milling device with XY guidance and plunge mechanism

Everything from simple hobby solutions (disassemblable router sled with a handheld router) to CNC-controlled professional machines is available on the market. The router itself allows you to clamp various router bits, for example, insert router bits. Thanks to XY guidance, you can guide the machine in two axes and lock it at the desired positions.

Machine

A handheld router with a compatible guide system is the foundation. Pay attention to suitable shank sizes (8, 10, 12 mm) and an adjustable speed range – excessively high speeds can cause burn marks in soft wood or quickly dull the tool.

Tool

In the router, you use bits that have the largest possible cutting width for surfacing (typically 30 mm diameter). Insert-knife bits are beneficial because you can rotate or replace the insert when it wears out. Finger bits with fixed cutting edges are also an option, but you should go for wear-resistant carbide versions.

Milling pockets, recesses, and cutouts in the surface

Milling Fixture

It consists of rails (XY guidance) on which a carriage with a plunge mechanism for the router runs. This allows you to move the machine controllably in both axes or lock one axis, for example, to 'format' a workpiece. More advanced systems are precisely manufactured, disassemblable, and can be stored compactly.

SlabMatrix milling device on the lifting table

Work surface

A sturdy, level workbench provides a stable base so your workpiece rests securely. A sufficiently large perforated plate with the appropriate clamping system is a good choice. Professional workbenches are often height-adjustable come with a wide range of accessories (clamps, stops, etc.).

Surfacing on a large panel with sawhorses

Tip: The router table (a portable table router) combines the advantages of a sturdy worktable with the flexibility of a router.

Which face milling cutters are used for face milling?

In most cases, face mills with anshank a diameter of about 30 mm are sufficient. Two or three cutting edges are standard. Popular brands include Titmann and ENT. It is important that the milling cutter is sturdy enough to withstand the high stress involved in face milling.

Which materials are used in face milling?

Face milling is primarily for leveling uneven surfaces, especially on solid woods. Wood-based materials like particle board, glulam, or plywood are usually quite smooth, so sanding often does the trick. Still, you can also work with material mixes (wood and acrylic or epoxy resin) using face milling cutters. Just make sure there are no metallic inclusions that could damage your cutter.

Face milling a solid wood tree slice

Applications of face milling

You can use a face milling cutter in many scenarios:

• Creating a flat surface: Prepare solid wood boards, beams, and blocks into semi-finished products.
• Face milling unevenness and overhangs: For example, milling uneven joints smooth after gluing.
• Pockets, recesses, and cutouts: Mill rows of holes, or recesses for glass panels or lights into the surface.
• Face milling overhanging edges: Precisely dimension workpieces or add profiles.
• Face milling wood slices or end-grain cutting boards: End grain is tough to plane, but you can smooth it nicely with a router.

You might also find these milling techniques interesting:

If you want to learn more about other milling techniques in woodworking, check our lexicon for information on CNC milling, profile milling, groove milling, and more.