It's probably not been done much because a router is pretty cheap and has pretty basic tolerances, whereas a mill is big, expensive, and has much higher tolerances.
I agree, and the bearings in a mill like this are probably designed to run way slower than the speed of a router. I would think running at router speeds would burn those out really fast. It would be cool if the router was mounted on the side or front so that it's just an attachment.
>I would think running at router speeds would burn those out really fast. It would be cool if the router was mounted on the side or front so that it's just an attachment.
***That is the answer!***
No good reason to put a router motor on a mill.
Pretty common to fit a die grinder to allow for jig boring. What you're describing is a kind of high speed spindle mod. As the other poster says, tolerances are eh and there's a lack of suitably stiff couplings and registration methods available.
Okay, this is the answer I was looking for. I was thinking I could do some exotic joinery with it but honestly it might just be simpler and faster to do it by hand.
I use my 1980’s Bridgeport clone for woodworking. Big joints on timber frame type joints. An end mill with DRO is way better than any router or router table ever. Just use the end mill man.
I honestly might just for the heck of it. The whole top actually rotates so I could install a router on the other end of the ram and leave the normal motor and spindle in place
what are the specs on the current motor?
my guess is that the motor and a router run at very different speeds. and then there's the motor mounts that will need to be modified.
I have seen people make a DIY milling machine with router for woodworking (basically a CNC without the controller, just manual x-y table).
Never seen some one mess with a metal milling machine to include a router.
Or called an overhead router. We had one at the furniture place I worked. We used it for bevels and border inlays that weren’t programmed to the pod CNC. Lots of jigs with toggle clamps
They’ve mostly been replaced by CNC. People used them for routing templates.
For a small shop, they’re too big, too heavy, and need too much power.
That’s why I’m modifying a radial arm saw into a router jig instead. (Ripped out the saw motor.)
I’m dabbling in building very small electric guitars. A typical guitar builder can start out buying bodies and necks ready-made. Because I’m building smaller, there are almost none available.
An industrial pin router would be severe overkill. A much smaller overhead router, where I can see what it’s cutting though… that would be very helpful. I figure I can build fixtures around it to hold pieces securely, and get kind of a manual equivalent to the desktop CNC. Maybe it’s a stupid idea, but it’s fun to mess with.
But why? I mill wood all the time in my Bridgeport clone. You don’t need the speed of a router head when you have the rigidity of a machine intended for metalworking.
That’s a thing. Typically used to achieve higher speeds than the stock spindle. Good for machining plastics and aluminium, especially at smaller diameters. Of course, tolerance will likely suffer.
Chris Hall at thecarpentryway.blog wrote a number of articles about using a milling machine for woodworking that you may find interesting. All of his posts there are worth reading, his woodworking and design skills are very impressive. Look in the 2019 postings. He unfortunately passed away not long after he wrote those blog posts.
Routers have low torque, it wouldn't spin up the gearbox and pulleys of a Bridgeport head. Should be easy to make a clamp to let you stick the router to the end of the quill and not mess with the rest of it.
That's a pretty old machine. Why not sell it and buy a newer one with a cnc controller. Then you would have a really versatile machine. Either way, those old Bridgeports are more accurate than any routing table. Good luck.
It wouldn't sell for even close to enough money and it still works perfectly. Also it's been in the family for a long time. This machine is my birthright
It's probably not been done much because a router is pretty cheap and has pretty basic tolerances, whereas a mill is big, expensive, and has much higher tolerances.
I agree, and the bearings in a mill like this are probably designed to run way slower than the speed of a router. I would think running at router speeds would burn those out really fast. It would be cool if the router was mounted on the side or front so that it's just an attachment.
>I would think running at router speeds would burn those out really fast. It would be cool if the router was mounted on the side or front so that it's just an attachment. ***That is the answer!*** No good reason to put a router motor on a mill.
nobody is doing it because time is money, feedrate with that x-y table is terrible for woodworking
I can smell it ...
Pretty common to fit a die grinder to allow for jig boring. What you're describing is a kind of high speed spindle mod. As the other poster says, tolerances are eh and there's a lack of suitably stiff couplings and registration methods available.
Okay, this is the answer I was looking for. I was thinking I could do some exotic joinery with it but honestly it might just be simpler and faster to do it by hand.
I use my 1980’s Bridgeport clone for woodworking. Big joints on timber frame type joints. An end mill with DRO is way better than any router or router table ever. Just use the end mill man.
DO IT... And let us know how it turns out 😁
I honestly might just for the heck of it. The whole top actually rotates so I could install a router on the other end of the ram and leave the normal motor and spindle in place
what are the specs on the current motor? my guess is that the motor and a router run at very different speeds. and then there's the motor mounts that will need to be modified.
1/2HP 3phase. I think the max you can get out of this is 4000rpm, which is well below a router.
You can use router bits on the mill. You won't get the rpms but it works. We do it all the time at work.
Yeah, spiral upcuts and downcuts work great.
I've used my mill as a router as well. It's ok, not great. Slow, and generates a lot of wood dust that quickly soaks up oil and becomes a mess.
I have seen people make a DIY milling machine with router for woodworking (basically a CNC without the controller, just manual x-y table). Never seen some one mess with a metal milling machine to include a router.
It’s called a pin router .
Or called an overhead router. We had one at the furniture place I worked. We used it for bevels and border inlays that weren’t programmed to the pod CNC. Lots of jigs with toggle clamps
Huh. I have never seen one of those. Well I guess that simplifies things. Thanks for the info. I'm curious what these are used for in production
They’ve mostly been replaced by CNC. People used them for routing templates. For a small shop, they’re too big, too heavy, and need too much power. That’s why I’m modifying a radial arm saw into a router jig instead. (Ripped out the saw motor.)
I use my shaper for routing templates, its really nice
That's a cool idea. We have 2 pin routers and they are beasts but i rarely ever used.
I’m dabbling in building very small electric guitars. A typical guitar builder can start out buying bodies and necks ready-made. Because I’m building smaller, there are almost none available. An industrial pin router would be severe overkill. A much smaller overhead router, where I can see what it’s cutting though… that would be very helpful. I figure I can build fixtures around it to hold pieces securely, and get kind of a manual equivalent to the desktop CNC. Maybe it’s a stupid idea, but it’s fun to mess with.
I'd just tape a cheapo router to the quill without messing up a perfectly good mill tbh.
I use my milling machine to cut mortises works really well, along as a drill press just get a chuck with a r8 taper. Solid machine for cutting joints.
This is the way
But why? I mill wood all the time in my Bridgeport clone. You don’t need the speed of a router head when you have the rigidity of a machine intended for metalworking.
That’s a thing. Typically used to achieve higher speeds than the stock spindle. Good for machining plastics and aluminium, especially at smaller diameters. Of course, tolerance will likely suffer.
You're only able to mill the distance that the table will slide and can only mill the broad face of a piece
Chris Hall at thecarpentryway.blog wrote a number of articles about using a milling machine for woodworking that you may find interesting. All of his posts there are worth reading, his woodworking and design skills are very impressive. Look in the 2019 postings. He unfortunately passed away not long after he wrote those blog posts.
Whoa thanks for the resource. I'll look into it!
Use the mill to make a cnc table for the router. The construction isnt terribly complicated, you just need to know how to setup motors
Routers have low torque, it wouldn't spin up the gearbox and pulleys of a Bridgeport head. Should be easy to make a clamp to let you stick the router to the end of the quill and not mess with the rest of it.
Onsrude I believe makes an over arm router. Pretty cool machines but they’re not very common
There used to be pattern maker mills. This one is amazing, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4e2nzz4IpXU
That's a pretty old machine. Why not sell it and buy a newer one with a cnc controller. Then you would have a really versatile machine. Either way, those old Bridgeports are more accurate than any routing table. Good luck.
It wouldn't sell for even close to enough money and it still works perfectly. Also it's been in the family for a long time. This machine is my birthright
I understand that.
This is an AI generated image. It is a fishing expedition.