How to Use a Milling Machine for Wood
- 1). Use compressed air to remove all metal chips from the milling machine table. Metal chips caught between the fixture or vise and the wood will damage the wood, possibly affecting the aesthetics of the finished product. Clamping wood down with metal chips on the clamping surfaces can cause impressions in the wood.
- 2). Set the vise or clamping bolts you will use to hold the wood while it is being cut. Use moderate pressure when using holding devices made for metal because they can crush wood very easily. Check the straightness of the wood with a dial indicator if you are holding the wood down with clamps. If you are using a vice instead of clamps, use the dial indicator to check the straightness of the vice.
- 3). Place the end mill or cutter you will be using into the spindle of the milling machine. Slide it into the collet and tighten the large bolt at the top of the spindle head. This will tighten the spindle onto the shaft of the tool and hold it in place while you cut. Be sure to use a collet that is slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft of the tool.
- 4). Run the spindle at a high rate of speed to prevent splintering of the wood when you cut it. Using a two-flute end mill at 1,000 RPM or more will also help prevent splintering when you cut wood on a milling machine. Use a center cutting tool for plunging or a non-center cutting tool for profiling.
- 5). Blow the wood chips off of both the tooling and the wood itself to prevent wood chips from building up in the flutes of the cutter. A buildup of wood chips can result in a bad finish on the wood and possible tool breakage because the wood chips can hinder the cutting edge of the tool from doing its job.
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