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Miller table contstruction

Posted by Doug BGG on January 10, 2012 at 12:27am in DIY plans

Good day gold getters.

I am building a Miller table and in need of some advice.  I will be using a piece of aluminum plate 1/8 thick, the piece is 24 x 30 inches and i can cut to any size.  What size would you recommend?  I found a craft strore that carries the chalk board paint, they have the spray and the liqued type, which is better?  what color is better the green or the black?  How many coats will i need to put on bed?  if more than one coat, do i need to sand in between coats?  Thanks for your tips and advice.

Doug

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Replies

  • 2an4abpbch1tu May 30, 2014 at 10:09pm

    I have an old keen from 70s it is still the best...inprovements ,put deep v mat in top sluice , small chunck of miners moss in first riffle, works great.. take cons home take out riffels ,everthing else. I sprayed in side of sluice with chalk board paint ready to go miller table

  • John Green January 23, 2014 at 2:56pm

    The table I saw at Mr. Miller's house was made out of plywood.

    He painted it with a black rubberized paint.

    He painted it with a brush with brush marks going across the table. Fine gold was caught in the brush marks.

    The width depends on you because you will be adjusting the water flow with valves.

    If you are going to use aluminum be sure what ever you use for paint will adhere to aluminum.

    The advantage with green is you will be able to see black sand better than if you use black.

    Personally I would use a bristle brush.

    Also at the end of his table he had what I would describe as stair stepped plywood with expanded metal over maybe some kind of carpet.

    I'm straining my brain because this was a long time ago.

    • Burrell Nellums > John Green April 1, 2014 at 5:46am

      Vermont Slate             They will cut to order. Made my table with thier slate (chaulk board thickness) and it catches really tiny stuff. Its pricey but got quality slate and cut to the size i wanted. Just thought i would add this for others who may be interested in slate tables

  • Bob MCcoy January 22, 2014 at 9:20pm

    primer paint then atleast 4 coats of paint no sanding between coats i used a sponge roller and it made a nice ruff surface

  • Maurice Austin AKA2centsgoldless April 5, 2012 at 10:01am

    What should be the proper angle for a miller table? Is it the typical 1" per foot?

     

    Thank you

    • John Winter > Maurice Austin AKA2centsgoldless July 8, 2012 at 12:02pm

      In order for a miller table to work correctly, the pitch needs to be adjustable. The smaller the material the flatter the pitch. I have 20/15 vision and wear 3x reading glasses while running my material. I get peices so small I have to use a 20x microscope to verify it is gold. They are the size of a point of an accupuncture needle.  And of course I classify my material and adjust the pitch of the table accordingly.

  • 1jpk80vc3uydd February 26, 2012 at 7:00pm

    Have you seen this type of Miller Table, Black Magic Fine Gold Recovery System... I love mine!  Picked it up for $125.

    http://youtu.be/--ZDhbS7uCM

  • John Green January 14, 2012 at 6:32pm

    About 20 years ago  I took some black sands to Mr. Miller and he ran them over his table for me.

    His table was made from plywood. He used a special paint that was black and brushed on with the brush strokes going across the table. About 2/3 down the table and on the center line was a hole that he used a squeegee to guide the gold through the hole and in to a bottle that was fastened underneath. At the lower end of the table was 3 or 4 stairsteps that were cover with expanded metal over fabric, you could use miner's moss I guess.

    Mr. Miller told me that he designed the table for bank run material, not a clean up system although it did a fantastic job cleaning up.

    If you were to use plywood I would cut it so the grain of the plywood is running across the table.

    If you stick with aluminum you will probably need to paint with (zinc chromate) I think, before you use another paint.

    There may be paints now where you don't ned the zinc chromate.

  • Mudbucket January 11, 2012 at 11:04am

    Hi Doug, Heres a video link to youtube that showes a 7" by 42" slate miller table i have been running for a year and half , I built this one as an experiment, I found the slate at a yard sale it was 7 x 42  and only set me back 5 bucks so thats where the size came from no sicence there, here's what I learned that I will put in to use on my new miller table. I plan on 14x24 as it wll give a good production rate, the serface should be the same bottom and sides my table having a slate bottom and wood sides with sealent between causes drag along the sides and a pressue wave, a tank at the head of the table allowing water to rise up and flow over the serfice works much beter than the spray bar over the top, smoother water flow and no bubbles, for my old eyes I like green over black things stands out more, paint nice and thick use differant grits of sand paper till you find what works best for the material in your area.

    http://youtu.be/e6R4rG0OBS8

    • John Green > Mudbucket January 14, 2012 at 6:36pm

      Nice table, I like your video too

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