Drywall is a very practical material that is one of the most common options for decorating rooms. This is due to a wide range of applications: in the construction of partitions, leveling walls and ceilings.
Features of the
Drywall consists of two layers of paper and plasterboard between them, so that it can be cut at any angle and cut to any shape. The only and main disadvantage of gypsum plasterboard is its increased fragility, which does not allow the construction of objects with relief. Drywall is milled. This process has a number of features that you need to pay attention to before starting work.
Milling is used in cases when it is necessary to create some kind of structure with sharp corners from a drywall sheet.
For example, thanks to the work with cutters, the process of making boxes for additional decoration, stiffening ribs and other similar structures becomes much easier and faster.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of milling are as follows:
- the open ends become smaller, which greatly simplifies the finishing, and makes the design more accurate;
- the construction of boxes and corners becomes many times faster and easier;
- there are no restrictions on the complexity of the structures, the main thing is to make the correct grooves and accurately apply the markings;
- no need to reinforce all the bends with corners, which makes the project cheaper and speeds up the puttying process;
- no frame needed. A box or corner ledge will easily hold without it, if no load is applied. Of the shortcomings, the main one is spending on a router and a milling cutter. And in addition to spending, the use of such equipment still needs to be mastered, which will not be difficult if you strictly and carefully follow all the instructions. As with any technique, you need to get used to the router.
How to choose?
To create the desired grooves, you need special equipment - a router and cutters. Speaking of milling cutters, you should immediately understand that it is not necessary to buy an expensive model if the work will not be associated with large volumes of processed material and is done only for personal needs. You can rent a router or buy a not very expensive one, especially since there are not so many requirements for its quality:
- The power of the device must be within 1500 W.
- There should be an additional dust removal device so that the area around is not instantly filled with gypsum dust.
It is also important to determine which type of work will prevail in order to choose a suitable milling cutter from two types:
- Disk - so named because of the presence of a disc, due to which there will be no chips and notches on the cut. It is not suitable for products with an intricate design, it is intended for cutting exclusively along straight straight lines. Such models work faster than shaped ones.
- Shaped Is the main tool for milling, allowing you to cut complex structures and holes of different shapes, for example, round. And also allow you to process the edge of the sheet.
Using
It is necessary to equip the work area. A simple table can also play its role. The main thing is that the surface is flat and smooth. On one edge, a stop is needed so that the sheet does not slip. It can be made from a board by screwing it to the outside of the table. You need to work with a router strictly according to the instructions and it is better not to start large jobs right away, to practice with small details.
Be sure to take care of dust removal. To protect your eyes from it, you need to purchase special glasses.
Varieties of cutters
In order for routers to perform all those types of tasks that are described above, they need to have special attachments with different cutting blades - cutters.
They can perform the following tasks:
- fillet V-groove cutters - the most popular and needed to bend the sheet into an even corner;
- groove fillet cutters with U-shape cutters - to create rounded blanks and holes;
- straight groove cutters - for grooves and holes at an angle of 90 degrees to the plane of the gypsum board;
- grooved T-shaped cutters are also used for grooves and holes, but they can also be used to cut holes with a large diameter;
- edging cutters - for cutting beveled edges.
When choosing cutters, you need to be careful and pay attention to the diameter of the shank so that it fits under the router.
When a person wants to form a box or partition, then he uses several elements. They are attached to a metal base to form a right angle. If you use a V-shaped cutter, but it is not at all necessary to cut the sheet. You just need to make the appropriate cut and glue its edges together with polyurethane foam, boldly bending the sheet.
Thus, a structure without joints is obtained, and the assembly itself is many times faster, as well as for wood.
Process technology
The milling process itself is quite simple and is divided into three conventional stages. Here's how to work on the formation of right angles on a sheet of drywall using a V-cutter.
- Markup - applied directly along the fold lines. An accurate calculation of the number of cuts and their location on the sides of the sheet is important here. Do not forget that the sheet must be well fixed at this point, so that all marking lines are absolutely clear. One blot can ruin all the material. If joints are expected, then the edge must be removed immediately.
- Training - in the process of this stage, various templates and measurements are created to obtain even fold lines. Usually they are created from scrap materials: plywood or metal. The templates are fixed directly on the drywall with self-tapping screws and, resting on the template, the router will give an even cut. At this stage, a rail is usually cut out - its width is equal to the width from the edge of the router to the center of the router. It is a necessary part for the most accurate positioning of equipment.
Milling - this part is one of the easiest compared to the first two, because it is done the fastest
This stage includes the following steps:
- you need to place the sheet on the work surface, set the rule and place an emphasis on it or the level;
- attach and fix all templates, measurements and rules - this must be done on the left side of the router;
- fix a suitable cutter - in this case a V-shaped cutter;
- the router must be resting on the left edge and going along the entire plane of the sheet, abutting it against the rule. It should be remembered that the cutter leads to the left (because the cutter turns to the right), and try to make the movement smooth, without jerking. Drywall is a soft material, so there should be no problems with this;
- so that the cut is clean and the edge of the sheet is leveled, it is necessary to cut in the opposite direction along the same line;
- if milling occurs on both sides, you need to carefully turn the sheet over so as not to damage it;
- you should definitely check right away if all the folds are smooth.
Further work is the very formation of any product and its processing, built according to a simple plan:
- The remnants of cardboard must be removed with a knife or a bar with sandpaper.
- Remove plaster dust thoroughly.
- Prime with a semi-dry brush. Regardless of how the structure will be used in the future, all grooves must be covered with a reinforcing primer. This stage is very important because it is designed to remove dust from the grooves and prevent it from spreading in the air of the room. And here it is important to mention that drywall can get wet when priming, so you should immediately get a moisture-resistant one.
- Apply polyurethane foam to the joints (you can also use gypsum adhesive mixture, PVA glue, polyurethane glue and others), form all the corners and give the product the desired shape. It is definitely worth checking if all the corners are fastened together as they should. You can use a regular construction square.
- It is best to additionally secure the model in this position with masking tape for a while and let it dry by placing it on the end. The tape can be removed in about an hour.
- The grooves made with a U-shaped cutter are subject to mandatory putty, but the V-shaped grooves are already simply desirable, although this will definitely make the structure stronger.
Milling drywall, thanks to all its advantages, made the process of working with gypsum boards easier, more pleasant, more practical and more economical.
With the help of this process, the sheet can be given any desired shape without any frames and assembled one-piece, ready-to-use object in a short time and at the same time be sure that it is no less reliable than the assembled "old-fashioned".
For how to mill drywall, see the next video
