What is milling (routing)?
Milling is a machining process in which a rotating cutter with several cutting edges removes material from a workpiece. The combination of the spinning cutter and the movement of the material or the machine produces grooves, rebates, profiles or flat surfaces with high accuracy.
Milling wood (routing)
In carpentry and furniture making, milling is usually done with a router or a spindle moulder. Depending on the cutter chosen, you can produce:
- Rebates along the edges of boards.
- Grooves for joints or panels.
- Decorative mouldings and rounded edges.
- Recesses for hinges and locks.
The shape of the cutter determines the shape of the material removed.
Milling in construction
Milling is not limited to wood. On site, other materials are milled too:
- Concrete and asphalt milling: removing a top layer of roads or floors.
- Chasing (slot cutting): a wall chaser cuts straight slots into masonry and concrete for pipes and cables.
- Metal milling: in workshops for precise machining.
Milling delivers clean, dimensionally accurate recesses, which makes it suitable for both finishing work and installation work.
Related terms
- Groove
- Rebate
- Profile
- Router
- Chase
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