Is it a mill tray or mill caddy?
I’ve been asked quite a few times over the years to make something that mills could sit in and catch the fine dust that escapes from the bottom of them when they aren’t in use. So about a year ago I came up with what I call a mill tray. My question to you is what would you call my mill tray? When I go on-line I can see items similar to them called mill trays or mill caddies. Personally I think of a caddy as having handles on it but my thinking is sometimes off the mark.
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This is my third design attempt at making the trays. In the first two designs the shape was different and neither design was what I was after. This last design is more straight forward and I like it much better. I also added cork in the two areas that the mills are going to sit in, giving it a more polished look
I bought my cnc router to be able to do jobs just like this and to be able to be more creative in what I can offer. Although I have to keep an eye on the cnc while it’s running I don’t have to be tied right to it. I can be a few feet away prepping or finishing work while it’s running. Although it can be mesmerizing to just sit and watch the cnc do it’s thing.
In the pictures above you can see the progression of the mill trays being made. To make these I only use three router bits. A 1/4″ end mill to carve out the tray, an 1/8″ end mill to carve out the cork and a round over bit to cut the decorative bead around the top of the tray. The decorative bead is currently done on my router table and not on the cnc. I’ll list all of the bits below for you.
In the last picture you can see my experimentation cutting down a cork coaster to get the insert for the trays. It’s being held in place with a strip of double sided tape and not just sitting on the waste board. This is a tedious process of doing one at a time, so I’ve bought sheet stock of cork to try next. That should allow me to get numerous cork inserts from each sheet.
After everything is done and sanded, I spray the trays with polyurethane and add four clear feet to the bottom. The inserts go in and they are ready to be shipped to their new homes.
Now for the good stuff:
1/4 inch shank 1/4 inch downcut end mill https://amzn.to/3w4ETA6
1/4 inch shank 1/8 inch downcut end mill https://amzn.to/3fn6XIh
1/4 inch shank 3/16 inch radius round over-beading bit https://amzn.to/2Qp5HvE
Minwax Satin Spray Polyurethane https://amzn.to/3oom3RO
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