Milling tools are used for milling wood and sometimes even metal. They are handy if you need to profile edges or create decorative elements and grooves. The individual models vary depending on their intended usage, power consumption and speed.
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What to focus on when choosing a milling tool
Usage
- Routers – enable you to profile grooves, crop, profile and shape edges.
- Slotters – designed for cutting grooves of variable depth. Suitable for wiring works.
Motor performance
The rule of thumb is that the more powerful the motor, the easier it is to work with the material.
- 600 W - enough for occasional less demanding work.
- over 600 W - suitable for everyday milling; a strong motor doesn’t risk “choking”.
Cage stroke
Ranges mostly between 50 and 70 mm, and indicates the range of movement for the milling cage—i.e. how deep can a machine go when working on some material. A milling tool with a low cage stroke doesn’t allow deep processing.
Speed control
Speed must be adjusted to match the type of material and tool used. 25,000 RPM is considered optimal, but you really do need the option to control the machine speed. Remember, high speeds are not always better.
- Too slow - poor performance when cutting hard materials.
- Too fast - milled material may start burning.
Other useful milling tool features
- Tool-less instrument exchange - you can change tools without needing a screwdriver or anything else.
- Dust extraction attachment - allows you to vacuum dust and material debris into a connected vacuum cleaner.
- Built-in lighting - easier orientation around the profiled area.
- Smooth start - eliminates small movements that may destabilise the milling tool.
