AUKTools Slab Flattening Mill

• Flattens large slabs, table tops and resin boards that cannot be passed through a planer
• 1200mm × 1000mm overall capacity with no practical restriction on workpiece length
• Heavy-duty 20mm carbon steel upper rails help maintain a consistent depth of cut
• Dust-resistant linear bearing blocks provide smooth, controlled travel with minimal play
• Universal router plate accepts router bases up to 185mm diameter

Flatten large workpieces accurately

The AUKTools Slab Flattening Mill provides a controlled way to surface workpieces that are too large, wide or awkward to pass through a planer. It is particularly well suited to live-edge slabs, table tops, wide boards and epoxy resin work, allowing a router and surfacing cutter to travel evenly across the workpiece to produce a flat, consistent surface.

The mill measures 1200mm × 1000mm overall and provides a routable width of 800mm. Workpiece length is not restricted by the frame, as the mill can be repositioned progressively along longer stock until the complete surface has been machined. This makes it practical for both one-off furniture projects and repeated flattening work in the workshop.

Rigid rails for a consistent cut

The upper and lower rails are manufactured from high-carbon steel to provide the strength and rigidity needed when supporting larger routers over a wide working area. The 20mm diameter upper rails are designed to resist bending and deflection, helping the cutter maintain a consistent height as it travels across the workpiece.

A chrome-plated finish provides corrosion resistance and creates a low-friction running surface for the slider blocks. The aluminium blocks incorporate linear ball bearings protected against dust ingress, giving smooth movement along both axes while minimising unwanted play during routing.

Universal router mounting

At the centre of the mill is a 10mm thick acrylic router mounting plate, providing a strong and stable platform for the router. The base is pre-drilled for the most common plunge routers, including DeWalt, Triton and Trend, or can be drilled to suit other routers with a maximum base diameter of 185mm. A hole placement diagram is included in the manual.

A 63mm opening in the router plate provides clearance for large-diameter surfacing cutters, making the system suitable for the wide cutters typically used when slab flattening. The distance from the top of the router base to the work surface is 66mm.

Adjustable for different workpieces

The width of the mill can be adjusted to suit smaller workpieces, keeping the system compact and controlled when the full working width is not required. Standard capacity allows stock up to 48mm thick to be accommodated, while thicker material can be handled by raising the lower rails on suitable timber battens.

Four adjustable stop collars are fitted to the rails to prevent the travelling assembly from running off the ends. Their position can also be used to restrict the available movement, allowing the mill to be used for controlled routing operations such as producing wide tenons, with the final thickness set through cutter depth.