I am from Australia and think your the bomb I have made a table off your design it cost me $22.68 to make from scraps and bits the dearest thing was the mat. Once again thankyou from your fan from down under
I've looked at a lot of DIY Miller table videos and I always seem to come back to re-watch yours. Amazing piece of equipment you've got there. Time to stop procrastinating and build one for myself. Great work.
Hi Troy and thanks for watching. These are a very handy tool for separating the gold from the other material. I think you would really like one. My latest build is the cutting board Miller Table that you can put together in just a couple of hours. The drying time on the spar varnish takes some extra time though. With the 12 inch model you can process quite a bit of material in a very short time. The smaller one I made for indoors in the winter. ua-cam.com/video/BPJfg2MWcjA/v-deo.html
Thank you so much for your videos. I built the Hobbico Miller table using a lot of guidance from your instructions. I was not sure if I would use the built-in gold bottle, or a snuffer bottle, so I built it with the bottle completely in place, but did not drill a hole through the mat. I figured I could drill that out later if I did not like snuffing it. If you don't want a gold bottle you can skip the can of primer, which for me did not adhere very well to melamine. I used a 245 gph pond pump that was lying around in the garage and piped it through 1/2" clear tubing -- it works perfectly without any sort of valve controls if it is throttled back all the way at the pump (pump has a rotating wheel on front to adjust the flow). I drilled holes all the way to the ends of the water tube, and also into the tee so there is virtually no area that does not get an equal amount of water. I am easily recovering down to 100 mesh, which is fine with me; I don't have the patience for finer. Thanks again -- I am already looking at your "gold sucker" videos as I need one of those, too :)... PS Some of the naysayers on here need to build some stuff as nice as yours, and spend as much time as you have doing it, and then complain.
+Blam Downright Hi and thank you so much for watching and the compliments. It sounds like you have a nice table working for you. The idea behind these videos is to give people the basic idea on how to make them and then they can take and modify them to fit their needs. Yes, these tables will easily allow you to recover the -100 and smaller gold. Just for fun I have recovered -200 gold. Most of the gold we have here is flour gold and so that is why I started making these tables years ago. I think you will really like making and using one of the “Gold Suckers”. My 2” is all that I use now for getting material out of streams. I really recommend using the pump leather cup that I show in my updated video on the Hand Dredge. It makes a much smoother operating Dredge. You have to soak it in water for about 10 minutes before you use it but once it swells out to fit it really makes for a smoother operation.
Sounds good. I hope you were able to understand my directions. If not let me know. I think you will really enjoy one of these tables. It is one of the most used tools I have. Thanks.
I wanted to take a moment and compliment you on your great table! I've been busy gathering the needed items to build my own and will be using some of your ideas. Thanks!
Thank you very much.I think you will be surprised at how well these things work. If you have cons left over from whatever you have used before, be sure to run them on your table and I'll bet you will recover more gold from them. I did. Good luck with it.
I agree with table size, made mine 8 inches wide x 12 inches long and it really works great.found the narrow width runs well with a small aquarium pump can run forever on a charge .I am not able to pack my high banker and pump much now and for the fine Fraser river goldl l am after l classify by fine kitchen strainer 100 mesh i guess and run it all .figure l save a lot of effort over all the best part is you ca n accurately quantify every bucket and location wishing you best of luck and keep posting thanks
+bob mccutcheon Thanks for stopping by Bob. I have made about 30 of these so far to test different materials for the top and I really enjoy them. I just made an 8" version as well for my indoor table top set up so I can still run dirt inside during the winter. Yep, it works well. I used the table in the video for 6 months as my only gold processing piece of equipment and it did a great job for me. For that Fraser gold you may want to try making something like my fine gold mini sluice. It's a match for your miller table and will catch gold down to 400 mesh and only leave you with 1 1/2 oz of concentrates to run on the miller. I made a miller table insert for it so I have both in one unit.
Thank You for the great video and information. Did I understand you correctly that you used a piece of chalkboard and it worked just fine? Again Thank You.
Hi Phillip. Thanks for watching. You can use a chalkboard if you can find one and it works well. However I use Chalkboard paint on all of mine. You can buy it at pretty much any hardware or big box store. I now use a piece of pine lumber for mine. Whatever you use, be sure to waterproof it well because the main problem people have with these is the water leaking in the cracks and causing the wood to swell. In my latest Miller Table video I go through how to water proof it better than I did here. Had more practice since then. You also might want to check out my Cutting board Miller Table as well. That is a quick and easy one.
@@utahavalanch Hi I have a small scale gold concession in Nigeria and perhaps I could use your table.please can you ship to Nigeria?then email quotes thanks ugarambunde@gmail.com
Hi ugarambunde, Thank You for watching. I'm sorry I don't sell these. I only make these videos to show others how to make and run them. I have several other videos on these, maybe you can find one of these that you can make. They aren't all that difficult to build.
I used to know Mr. Miller. He made tables up to 16' long for commercial mines. He used a patented slate mix for the surface. His grand uncle invented the table up in Montana in the late 19th century.
+David Howard I must say that he came up with a really great invention for prospecting. I would love to see one of his original tables. I have used these tables for a number of years and love them. Sadly it's getting hard to come up with good slate that's affordable any more. That's why I use the Hobbico mat.
Hi, Kb2, and thanks for stopping by. The brush I really like the best is the first one you see with the black handle and white bristles. It is a basting brush used in cooking. The bristles are a synthetic plastic and the gold doesn't stick to them and they are waterproof. You can find these in your grocery store on the cooking accessories rack. The 3 Walmart stores in my area also carry these on the accessories rack by the measuring cups and strainers. You can also buy small synthetic bristle brushes at hobby stores for working the very fine gold.
Hi Vance and thanks for watching. I have tried 3 or 4 different spray glues but they usually come off after awhile and they have to be re-glued on. I found that Contact Cement is waterproof and really holds well. You have to apply the glue to both surfaces you are gluing and then let them dry. Then place about 4 - 1/4" dowels across the shelf board and suspend the mat over it on those dowels. Then starting at one end remove 1 dowel and let the two surfaces touch. Then remove the next and so forth and work on down the board until you have the mat glued down. Anywhere the two surfaces meet they will stick together and are very hard to get apart. Alternatively you can use Rustoleum Chalkboard paint which works very well. You can buy it in a pint can at most any store that carries paint and roll it on with a 3" roller. I have a newer video on making the Miller Table here that shows how to waterproof the board better. ua-cam.com/video/1EsOYqSWrk0/v-deo.html Be sure to really seal the shelf board with at least 4 - 6 coats of Rustoleum Bonding Primer and another 4 - 6 coats of another type of paint. I use the Chalkboard paint for that. I am currently trying out some new materials for making these and hope to have a new video out on that in the near future.
Thank You very much. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have mine. Your right. Aside from the mat they are very cheap to make and I think they are one of the most useful tools you can have. They can take a little getting used to but once you get the hang of them I think they are great. Best of luck and I hope you find lots of color on it.
Hi Brian and thanks for watching. Are you referring to the Hobbico mat or the Miller Table? That would be over priced for either. There is a replacement for the Hobbico Mat and this Miller Table. Check out my Deep Well Miller Table videos.
How much height is the board in front of the pvc that's above the mat? Or how much space should I leave above the mat with that board that is running across the mat?
Quinton Carroll Hi Quinton, thank you for watching. The space under the water bar is about 1/8" or 5mm. I stack 2 quarters on top of each other and use those to measure the distance.
Did you have to prep the back of the habbico board before using it or did you just use it as is? another builder I saw mentioned something about sanding it to score it a little bit
Hi Marven, nope, you don't have to do anything at all to the mat. It works beautifully just by it's self. People who have to sand or score it are running the water too fast or have too much angle. I usually set the table at an angle of 3 degrees and then drop some black sand on the table. Then slowly turn on your water and increase the flow until the black sand starts to move down the table. That is your starting point. You want the black sand to slowly move down the table. At that point the gold should hit the mat and stay. If your material is screened to the same size then everything will move off the table and leave the gold sitting there.
Hi Rick, Thanks for stopping by. Yes, I do. I have made about a dozen or so of these in all different sizes and surfaces so you can make these just about any size you like. If the water flow and angle is set properly, all the gold will be caught in the top 3 - 6 inches of the table. So these don't need to be very long. Usually 12" is long enough This table was specifically made to fit the 12" x 18" Hobbico self healing mat and I decided to leave the table that long. They also have a 9" x 12" mat that works well for a smaller more compact table. For higher production rate, it is better to go wider than longer. You can also use Chalkboard paint, Rustoleum Truck Bed Paint and a number of others which also work well. I prefer the Hobbico mat. It's also the most durable. The paints need to be repainted after awhile. I have another video showing how I made this that will give you an idea of how all this comes together. It also shows how to drill the hole for the gold vial to dump the clean gold into if you wish to have one. Its called: "Hobbico Mat Miller Table Build" Usually in the list at the right of your screen. ua-cam.com/video/HVr_TrBjsBs/v-deo.html Materials: 1 - ea 3/4" x 12" x 24" white Melamine shelf you can get from HD big box store. Cut to 18" long or to fit the Hobbico Mat. 1- ea Hobbico 12" x 18" self healing mat. Can get on Amazon. I have heard some other brands don't work very well but I don't know which ones. I have heard that Office Mxx works but I can't verify. 1 - 1 pint can of Chalkboard Paint or other latex exterior waterproof paint. Matt surface. You can get from big box store while your there. 1 - 3" mini roller set to apply paint to the Melamine board and can be used to spread the glue evenly on the mat when you glue it down. 1 - Can Minwax Helmsman spray spar varnish. to waterproof bare wood. 3 coats. 1 - Bottle of Titebond 3 glue or a glue of your choice to glue the mat down. Put heavy weight on it to hold it flat and allow 24 hours to cure. 1 - Tube of silicone to seal the corners. I use GE silicone in a small tube. It goes on very smooth and evenly. 2 - 18 1/2" x 2 1/2" sides. I use 5/8" Cedar fence board or 3/4" pine. 1 - 12" x 3" or 4" high for esthetics for end board for water bar. 1 - 1/4" x 12 1/4" 1 1/2" Cross bar for smoothing water flow. You can cut notches in the sides to hold it or cut to the inside length and just wedge it in. Set to 1/8" space or 2 quarters stacked space underneath to set water depth. 1 - 1/4" x 12" x 1" board glued across the front bottom of sluice. New mod on the new tables. So the water runs off the end of the table and down the front of this board into the tub. This will force the water to go straight down into the catch container and not allow it to work its self back under the bottom of the table and dump the material where it isn't wanted. Like where the pump is. 1 - 3/4"x 2" x 12 3/4" to go across width on bottom for the height adjustment bolt. 1 - 1/4" x 3" bolt for height adjustment 2 - 1/4" nuts WATER BAR: 1/2" or 3/4"dia. PVC pipe. Can use copper as well. 1- Length of PVC pipe Cut 2 pieces about 4 3/4" or so that the 2 pieces inserted into the "T" with the end caps span the width of the board. Drill spray holes 1/8" dia, 1/2" apart facing toward the back wall. Don't glue, so it can be taken apart and cleaned when some of the holes get plugged. Some folks put a piece of 1/2" thick Scotch Brite scouring pad underneath to smooth the water flow. 2 - PVC Caps 1 - PVC "T" 1 - PVC pipe to garden hose connector These are the measurements of my table. You will need to tweak these to make the best fit on your table. You can use whatever materials you like to make the side and back boards . I use plain 5/8" cedar fence boards for the sides, back etc. because it is cheap, light, and easy to work with. I like my sides a little narrower. I just take a palm sander and sand it down smooth. You can leave it rough for that rustic old prospecting look. :-) I use the Chalkboard paint to waterproof the Melamine Board. This board is very flat and stable will not warp like other woods and is coated with a thin plastic to give it a very hard, level and smooth surface which is necessary for these tables. It is not waterproof so you will need to give it at least 3 coats of the Chalkboard paint or whatever paint you choose. Matt surface please. The glue for the Hobbico Mat doesn't stick well to the melamine board. and the matt surface of the Chalkboard paint allows the glue to soak in and give a better bond. You can even try the Chalkboard paint or some of the others before you glue down the Hobbico Mat to see if you like them better or as well. The last minute of this video with the black sands is the Chalkboard surface to show how well it works. The pump used is a 200 GPH fountain pump from Harbor Freixht. The "Y" valve is used to fine tune the water flow. Run the hose from one side of the Y to the table. Turn on the pump. Open both valves wide open. The water flow to the table should drop to almost nothing. Then slowly turn the valve NOT connected to the hose toward the OFF position. Keep turning it to off until the water flow to the table is at the rate you want. This method allows for a very fine tuning of the water flow which is critical for these tables. The water coming out of the non connected valve will help blow the sand away from the pump and extend its life. If you put a valve at the table like so many do it can pressurize the water like when you put your thumb over the end of a garden hose and make it very difficult to control the water. You can also install a gate valve in line but install it so there is several feet of hose from it to the table to allow for any turbulence to settle down. Smooth water flow is very necessary with these tables. Sorry these videos are not better. They were made in a hurry and put up here to show another person how to make these and how they work and I wasn't expecting the number of people who have been interested in this. I have another video I'll be putting up showing how to make a Chalkboard Miller Table and I will be going into more detail on how I make these. Thanks for watching. If you have any more questions I will be happy to try to answer them for you. Hope you'll try one of these. You will love it.
utahavalanch I tried to tell ya these video's are the bee's knee's.. 8) If you're in Utah county, lemme know, I have a small gift for ya. Stealing your materials list! 8p
Hi Michael and congratulations. About 3 degrees is a good starting point. Turn the water on and rub the top of the table down with your hands to get rid of air bubbles. Then take a pinch of black sand that is the same screened mesh size as your gold and sprinkle it on the table. Adjust the water flow until the black sand just starts to slowly move down the table. Apply your first spoonful of material and spread it out over the table with a 1 inch wide, nylon bristle brush. Or I like a Taklon bristle brush you can get at Wallmart. Your lighter materials should wash on down the table and the black sands should just start to move down slowly. The gold should stay where it was dropped. Spread the material out evenly with your brush and let it work on down the table. You can gently tap the black sands with your brush to break them up and make them move a little faster. Hope this helps. Enjoy the table. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Michael Johnson One thing you will want if you are working with very small gold is a valve on your waterline to reduce the flow. Home Depot sells a 3/4" gas valve that works perfect. They also sell the nylon hose barbs for it. In my video "Introduction to The Deep Well Miller Table", at about 7:50 you can see the valve and the best way to set it up. You need to have about a foot of hose after the valve to reduce the turbulence the valve will create when you try to reduce the flow.
Do you manage to get full width water coverage all the way to the bottom end of your table? I built one from aluminum and a cutting mat and I seem to get dry edges starting about half way down my table. The surface seems to be pretty straight, not bowed up at the edges or anything.
+sutluc1 Hi and thanks for watching. Yes, the water should cover wall to wall all the way to the bottom. I have found 2 things that can cause the problem you are having. 1. is that there is a slight bow in the center of the table, which it sounds like you have checked and the other is the type of mat you are using. 2. Not all mats are made from the same type of material and some will not work as well and will leave large dry spots unless flooded with deeper water which totally defeats the purpose of the mat. The Hobbico mat is one that I have found that works very well and I have stayed with it. I usually buy it on Amazon. I have heard that the Staples mats work as well. You can try scrubbing the mat with dish soap and a rag or sponge. if that doesn't work try a scotch brite pad and scrub it lightly. If the problem is to the point that you can't live with it, you can use brush on Chalkboard paint and put about 4 - 6 good coats of it on the mat. This is almost as good as the Hobbico mat and will hold up quite well. If at some point you wish to try something other than aluminum you can try making a table like I do now and just use the chalkboard paint to test it out. If things work out to your satisfaction and you decide to use a Cutting mat you can just glue it onto the top of that. You can find my latest build video Here: ua-cam.com/video/1EsOYqSWrk0/v-deo.html If I can be of any further assistance just let me know.
Thanks for the suggestions.. I'm actually using a staples mat. I used aluminum because I'm really comfortable working with metal, wood I have to pay a lot more attention to what I'm doing and I don't have much in the way of woodworking tools. The table works okay, albeit slow, but slow is part of the process I think. The only problem with the dry edges is that if your edges are dry there is more water flow in the middle, so if any gold works it's way down to that area it tends to get gone right quick!
+sutluc1 Well, we have to work with the medium that we are most comfortable with for sure. Yes, a miller table is a bit of a slow process but one that will get you all the gold if you learn how to use them well. A miller table should be run almost flat with only about a 2 or 3 degree angle and to start out with, a very slow water flow. I put a little fine black sand on the table and adjust the water flow to the point where the sand just starts to move down. I usually make 3 runs. 1 with a higher water flow for the larger gold and then I screen the tailings to -30 mesh and reduce the water flow considerably and run those. Then Screen the tailings one more time to -100 and run the table almost flat and really cut down on the water flow and you will be surprised at how much of that fine gold you can recover.
+utahavalanch I'm still playing with it, think I may have discovered the problem. Looking at yours you used 1/2" pvc. I'm using 1/2" cpvc which is about the size of 1/2" copper line, a fair bit smaller that 1/2" pvc. I think I just don't have enough water volume to keep the surface covered when I get a bit of slope on it. I was messing with it today and found that at 1/4" fall over 18" (the length of the table) I had perfect coverage, but at 1/2" I began to get dry edges in the bottom half of the length. 1/4" fall is not enough, 1/2" seems about right. I'll keep working on it!
+sutluc1 Yes, I think you are right. Miller Tables run best at almost flat. I just measured mine and I am running it at almost 1/2" per 18". That is a good place to start. I usually screen my material so it is all the same size. I then remove some of the black sand with my black sand magnet. I sprinkle some of that on the table and then adjust my water flow so that the black sand starts moving on down the table. Anything heavier than that will stay on the table. When you get gold showing on the table, then you can start slowly increasing the water flow until the gold starts to move and then reduce the flow a little bit so it will stay in place. The Miller Table that I used all last year had a 1/2" cpvc water bar that I was trying out and it worked well for me. I was using a shutoff valve on it like you use under a bathroom sink and it worked quite well. I have my holes drilled 1/2" apart and angled so the water is shooting back toward the crack where the floor of the table and back wall meet. These take a little time to get the hang of but when you do, you will be surprised at how fine the gold is that you can recover. This table in the video was the only thing I used for my prospecting for a whole year because it worked so well and I loved using it.
Good afternoon! I am from Russia. Excellent video and a good description. Please tell me what the distance between the pad and strap (for water). Thank U.
Good afternoon and thank you. I appreciate your stopping buy to watch. I usually make the bar so it is a tight fit and stack 2 American quarters on top of each other under each end of the bar to get the spacing. This makes a gap of 1/8" or 5mm. I hope this helps. If I can be of any further help, just let me know. Good luck.
TheSamchilders Hi Sam. Thanks for stopping by. It is a Hobbico self healing cutting mat. It is used by hobbyists to cut paper, cloth patterns, balsa wood, etc on. When you cut it, it heals its self from the cut. It has a smooth slightly rubbery type finish on it that gold sticks to and the sand doesn't. The sand will slide right off the mat and leave the gold. You can buy these up on Amazon and Staples office products.
Hi Richie and thanks for watching. I am unable to make a table out of aluminum as I don’t have a metal bender to form the sides. The closest I can come is my video on making a table out of a cutting board but with it I used wood for the side rails and header bar..
You can make them any size that works best for you. I have them in sizes 6, 7, 9, and 10 inches. A good size is about 8 or 9 inches wide x 21 inches long. If you make one, I suggest my Deep Well Table as it is by far the best design. I have a video on how to make it. It only requires 5 pieces of wood to make it. Home Depot has a Hefty 10 gallon tote that works very well for one of these. 21 inch long table is just about right for this tote.
I am trying to design one of these that don't need a pump. Something I can just use near a creek and just use the water from the creek without the pump. Any ideas from anyone would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for stopping by and watching. Well, unlike a sluice or rocker box that you can pour water in from a bucket to get to work, these need a very smooth, steady, constant flow of water to work. I use mine with a cheap battery operated bilge pump out on the creek. The only way that I could see using one of these without the pump would be to make a small 6 or 8 inch wide one that didn't require a lot of water flow. You could use chalkboard paint if you would like instead of the pad. Use 1/2 inch pvc for the water bar with 1/8" holes spaced 1/2" apart. You can get a garden hose connector to put on the water supply end. You don't need to glue any of the joints. You will need a 5 gallon bucket and a 15 foot 5/8" garden hose. You need a way to connect the hose to the side of the bucket near the bottom. There are many different ways to do this and I don't know which one would work best for you. You will also need a small garden hose valve to control the water installed on the hose. The bucket will need to be at least a foot or two above the miller table to get enough flow. You then fill the bucket with water and adjust the valve for the best flow to the table. This will only give you a few minutes of water supply so you will have to constantly fill the bucket and run a spoonful of material or have someone else filling the bucket for you. Perhaps someone else has a better solution. Good luck.
utahavalanch If you had a TALL water box, with a single slit in the bottom, wouldn't the pressure of the water regulate the flow based on what the slit allows through? So you'd be left with experimenting with the proper flow. Could probably test how much water a pump puts out in a given timeframe, and make a waterbox that holds enough water to maintain the pressure. So! Then you "long tom" some water to your table with a piece of house gutter or pvc or similar, that feeds your "tall" waterbox.
I have been working on different ways of running this without a pump but so far the bucket and hose has been the closest I have been able to come to get it to work well. Still working on it. :-)
Well, ok, extending this a bit..mentally..old defunct water heater..treat inside of tank with copious amounts of straight strong vinegar, repeatedly until no white junk comes out.. then repurpose to gravity cylinder..??
Maybe begin using a catylst like baking soda too, OUTSIDE, so the vapor can vent safely.. workflow: drain tank, baking soda, vinegar, soda, vingear, vinegar vinegar, water water vinegar, soda, vinegar water water..
Hi Chevy, and thanks for watching. Always adjust the table angle and water flow for the smallest gold you want to catch. You can always brush the larger material down the table. I usually set the table angle to about 3 degrees and then adjust the water flow for the size material I'm running. HOWEVER, the best way is to classify all of your material to the same size and adjust the water to work the best with that classification. If all the material is the same size then the gold will be the heaviest. You adjust the water flow so that the black sand just moves down the table and the gold sticks to it. You can classify to -20 mesh (large kitchen screen) and run everything at once (like in the video) and you will catch the largest amount of gold that way, but if you classify those tailings down to -30, and -100 and reduce the water flow way down and run them again you will get more of the very finer gold of which there is more of. You can buy small 6" screens on Ebay which make it easy to rescreen to the smaller sizes. If you screen material out in the field to 1/4" to bring home, then you can screen that material through a 1/8" screen and 20 mesh screen and run those larger rocks separately with an increased water flow to check for any nuggets. If you are interested in building one of these, I have a newer video out here: ua-cam.com/video/1EsOYqSWrk0/v-deo.html and I will have another one coming out you can build a little easier shortly.
Hi, mymuseofme, thank you for watching. The name of the mat is Hobbico and they come in different sizes. You can buy them on Amazon. I tried a different brand mat from one of the hobby stores here and it didn't work for me. I have heard that the mats from the big office stores work also but I haven't verified it as of yet because the Hobbico's work and they cost about the same. If money is tight, chalkboard paint works almost as well. I also use it to paint the entire melamine board to be sure it is waterproof and to give the glue something to bond to when I glue the mat down. I found that some glues won't stick to the melamine board very well. I use Titebond III waterproof glue and apply it with a small 3 inch foam paint roller. I then put some heavy weights on it to hold the mat down while the glue dries. I use the roller to apply the chalkboard paint as well.
hola Jose y gracias por vernos. el tapete es un tapete de corte Hobbico pero descubrí que la pintura Rustoleum Chalkboard funciona mucho mejor. vea mis otros videos para una Mesa Miller más nueva y mejor.
Well, they are certainly faster than a Blue Bowl but how fast you run it depends on how fine a gold you want to catch. If you have course gold it goes quite fast because you can increase the water flow. The very fine gold does take a bit of time because you have to reduce the water flow so you don't wash it away.
M Knight 2 of my friends that I do off and on prospecting with both use the spiral wheels in the desert and Blue Bowls to clean the cons. The spiral wheel does quite well on the courser gold in the -20 range and larger but really loses it in the smaller. The Blue Bowl does fairly well on the -100 but still loses part of it due to the faster water flow. I now run all of their tailings on this at a very low angle and slow water flow to recover what their machines have lost and try to help them set up their machines to work the most efficiently. Most of our gold is very small mostly in the -50 to -100 range and that is what I try to recover. I have spend a number of years exploring all the different equipment available to find what works the best in an affordable price range. Currently this is the pick of the litter. If I find something better I will certainly move up to it. I am currently able to recover gold with this that I have to use 10x magnification glasses to see. Yep, I know it seems hardly worth it but for me it's not the value of the gold. It's the challenge of trying to extract every piece of gold I can out of a bucket of dirt no matter what the size. They say that 80% to 90% of all the gold is in the -100 range or smaller and I certainly believe it. That range and smaller is what I recover the most of. You would be surprised at how much of it is around the average yard. These tables are quite inexpensive and don't require a lot of skill to build and so you may want to build one and see how well they work for yourself. If you learn how to classify your material down to -50 and -100 and use one of these efficiently I think you will be surprised at how much gold you have been losing.
Thanks for the tips and tricks, I'm going to look in to this. 1 full shovel load has yeilded 30 micro pieces of gold here. I'm itching to take my sluice out but panning cons was always a struggle. I drove passed a creek one day with rocks that are multi colored orange blue green and white. I'm going to be paying that creek a visit later. About how long should I make the frame out to and where do I get the green mat?
M Knight If you are getting that kind of color panning the cons, I think you will find with one of these that you will be getting a little more. I have panned for years but now I only pan down to the black sand and then throw it in a bucket to run on the table. These tables are really ideal for working your sluice cons and at the end you will be left with nice clean gold. The base of the table is a cheap white melamine shelf you can buy for about $7.00 at any big box store. Home Depot, Lowe's etc. You can use Chalkboard brush on paint to water proof it. It also gives a good base for the glue to stick to if you put a mat on it. You can buy 1 quart and it will do many tables. Give it at least 4 or 5 good coats on all sides and edges to seal it. I use a small 3" foam roller to paint the board. The Chalkboard paint makes a good alternative surface for the table and you can use it to see how you like the table before buying a mat to put on it. The drawback to the paint is that it scratches easily and the sand wears it down after awhile and you have to repaint it. But it holds the gold fairly well. For the sides I just use a piece of cedar fencing and cut it down to 2 1/2" wide and sand it. You can buy 1"x3" lumber in pine, alder and several other types of wood if you want wider sides or don't want to cut down the cedar board. The spray bar is just 1/2" PVC pipe. 1/8" holes spaced 1/2" apart. All of these materials can be bought at the same store for usually about $22 - $25.00 The Mat is a Hobbico brand self healing cutting mat that you can buy on Amazon for around $10 - $15.00. Some other brands will work also but some won't. This brand works well. The two mat sizes that I use are the 9"x12" and the 12"x 18". The length of the table only needs to be about 12" long because if things are set up right the gold will stay where you drop it. I usually make the table the same length as the mat. If you process a lot of material the larger mat like in the video works the best. You spread the material horizontally across the width of the mat to work it and the wider the table the more you can put on it at once. The pump is a 200 GPH or a 264 GPH fountain pump that you can buy from Harbor Freight either on line or in the brick and mortar store. For more details on how to build it I have a short video called Hobbyco Mat Miller Table Build that should show up in the list on the right or there is a link to it up above in the description. I am currently in the process of making another couple of videos showing how to build these that I hope to get out soon. If I can answer any other questions, just let me know.
I am from Australia and think your the bomb I have made a table off your design it cost me $22.68 to make from scraps and bits the dearest thing was the mat. Once again thankyou from your fan from down under
I've looked at a lot of DIY Miller table videos and I always seem to come back to re-watch yours. Amazing piece of equipment you've got there. Time to stop procrastinating and build one for myself. Great work.
Hi Troy and thanks for watching. These are a very handy tool for separating the gold from the other material. I think you would really like one. My latest build is the cutting board Miller Table that you can put together in just a couple of hours. The drying time on the spar varnish takes some extra time though. With the 12 inch model you can process quite a bit of material in a very short time. The smaller one I made for indoors in the winter.
ua-cam.com/video/BPJfg2MWcjA/v-deo.html
Thank you so much for your videos. I built the Hobbico Miller table using a lot of guidance from your instructions. I was not sure if I would use the built-in gold bottle, or a snuffer bottle, so I built it with the bottle completely in place, but did not drill a hole through the mat. I figured I could drill that out later if I did not like snuffing it. If you don't want a gold bottle you can skip the can of primer, which for me did not adhere very well to melamine. I used a 245 gph pond pump that was lying around in the garage and piped it through 1/2" clear tubing -- it works perfectly without any sort of valve controls if it is throttled back all the way at the pump (pump has a rotating wheel on front to adjust the flow). I drilled holes all the way to the ends of the water tube, and also into the tee so there is virtually no area that does not get an equal amount of water. I am easily recovering down to 100 mesh, which is fine with me; I don't have the patience for finer. Thanks again -- I am already looking at your "gold sucker" videos as I need one of those, too :)... PS Some of the naysayers on here need to build some stuff as nice as yours, and spend as much time as you have doing it, and then complain.
+Blam Downright Hi and thank you so much for watching and the compliments.
It sounds like you have a nice table working for you. The idea behind these videos is to give people the basic idea on how to make them and then they can take and modify them to fit their needs. Yes, these tables will easily allow you to recover the -100 and smaller gold. Just for fun I have recovered -200 gold. Most of the gold we have here is flour gold and so that is why I started making these tables years ago.
I think you will really like making and using one of the “Gold Suckers”. My 2” is all that I use now for getting material out of streams. I really recommend using the pump leather cup that I show in my updated video on the Hand Dredge. It makes a much smoother operating Dredge. You have to soak it in water for about 10 minutes before you use it but once it swells out to fit it really makes for a smoother operation.
Thank You for a very fast reply and great information. I already saw your cutting board video.
That is excellent and going into build mode this week. Thanks again. Very well done.
Rick
Sounds good. I hope you were able to understand my directions. If not let me know. I think you will really enjoy one of these tables. It is one of the most used tools I have. Thanks.
Thank you for sharing your table and your knowledge. Helps us all enjoy the hobby more with the fine gold rewards.
Thank You. I hope will try one of these and see how well they work. It's a great hobby and one that I enjoy
I wanted to take a moment and compliment you on your great table! I've been busy gathering the needed items to build my own and will be using some of your ideas. Thanks!
Thank you very much.I think you will be surprised at how well these things work. If you have cons left over from whatever you have used before, be sure to run them on your table and I'll bet you will recover more gold from them. I did. Good luck with it.
I agree with table size, made mine 8 inches wide x 12 inches long and it really works great.found the narrow width runs well with a small aquarium pump can run forever on a charge .I am not able to pack my high banker and pump much now and for the fine Fraser river goldl l am after l classify by fine kitchen strainer 100 mesh i guess and run it all .figure l save a lot of effort over all the best part is you ca n accurately quantify every bucket and location wishing you best of luck and keep posting thanks
+bob mccutcheon Thanks for stopping by Bob. I have made about 30 of these so far to test different materials for the top and I really enjoy them. I just made an 8" version as well for my indoor table top set up so I can still run dirt inside during the winter. Yep, it works well. I used the table in the video for 6 months as my only gold processing piece of equipment and it did a great job for me.
For that Fraser gold you may want to try making something like my fine gold mini sluice. It's a match for your miller table and will catch gold down to 400 mesh and only leave you with 1 1/2 oz of concentrates to run on the miller. I made a miller table insert for it so I have both in one unit.
What a craftsman! Excellent work sir, I am going to try my hand at making one now :) Thanks again, and good luck to you
Thank you. I think you will really like it. They are quite simple to make. Just be sure to waterproof all parts well.
Thank You for the great video and information. Did I understand you correctly that you used a piece of chalkboard and it worked just fine? Again Thank You.
Hi Phillip. Thanks for watching. You can use a chalkboard if you can find one and it works well. However I use Chalkboard paint on all of mine. You can buy it at pretty much any hardware or big box store. I now use a piece of pine lumber for mine. Whatever you use, be sure to waterproof it well because the main problem people have with these is the water leaking in the cracks and causing the wood to swell. In my latest Miller Table video I go through how to water proof it better than I did here. Had more practice since then. You also might want to check out my Cutting board Miller Table as well. That is a quick and easy one.
@@utahavalanch Hi I have a small scale gold concession in Nigeria and perhaps I could use your table.please can you ship to Nigeria?then email quotes thanks ugarambunde@gmail.com
Hi ugarambunde, Thank You for watching. I'm sorry I don't sell these. I only make these videos to show others how to make and run them. I have several other videos on these, maybe you can find one of these that you can make. They aren't all that difficult to build.
I used to know Mr. Miller. He made tables up to 16' long for commercial mines. He used a patented slate mix for the surface. His grand uncle invented the table up in Montana in the late 19th century.
+David Howard I must say that he came up with a really great invention for prospecting. I would love to see one of his original tables. I have used these tables for a number of years and love them. Sadly it's getting hard to come up with good slate that's affordable any more. That's why I use the Hobbico mat.
Thanks for the vid utahavalanch. You used more than one brush-which did you find worked best and where did you get it, please?
Hi, Kb2, and thanks for stopping by. The brush I really like the best is the first one you see with the black handle and white bristles. It is a basting brush used in cooking. The bristles are a synthetic plastic and the gold doesn't stick to them and they are waterproof. You can find these in your grocery store on the cooking accessories rack. The 3 Walmart stores in my area also carry these on the accessories rack by the measuring cups and strainers. You can also buy small synthetic bristle brushes at hobby stores for working the very fine gold.
utahavalanch I saw some at Dollar Tree the other day too.. Can't beat a buck.
I may have missed it somewhere in the other video but what did you use to attach the mat the shelving?
Awesome little unit, & you sir are a craftsman!
Hi Vance and thanks for watching. I have tried 3 or 4 different spray glues but they usually come off after awhile and they have to be re-glued on. I found that Contact Cement is waterproof and really holds well. You have to apply the glue to both surfaces you are gluing and then let them dry. Then place about 4 - 1/4" dowels across the shelf board and suspend the mat over it on those dowels. Then starting at one end remove 1 dowel and let the two surfaces touch. Then remove the next and so forth and work on down the board until you have the mat glued down. Anywhere the two surfaces meet they will stick together and are very hard to get apart. Alternatively you can use Rustoleum Chalkboard paint which works very well. You can buy it in a pint can at most any store that carries paint and roll it on with a 3" roller.
I have a newer video on making the Miller Table here that shows how to waterproof the board better.
ua-cam.com/video/1EsOYqSWrk0/v-deo.html
Be sure to really seal the shelf board with at least 4 - 6 coats of Rustoleum Bonding Primer and another 4 - 6 coats of another type of paint. I use the Chalkboard paint for that.
I am currently trying out some new materials for making these and hope to have a new video out on that in the near future.
Thank you for sharing this with us you have made an amazing table
Thank You very much. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have mine. Your right. Aside from the mat they are very cheap to make and I think they are one of the most useful tools you can have. They can take a little getting used to but once you get the hang of them I think they are great. Best of luck and I hope you find lots of color on it.
Cheapest one I could find was over $500. After your time and efforts is this a reasonable price?
Hi Brian and thanks for watching. Are you referring to the Hobbico mat or the Miller Table? That would be over priced for either. There is a replacement for the Hobbico Mat and this Miller Table. Check out my Deep Well Miller Table videos.
How much height is the board in front of the pvc that's above the mat? Or how much space should I leave above the mat with that board that is running across the mat?
Quinton Carroll Hi Quinton, thank you for watching. The space under the water bar is about 1/8" or 5mm. I stack 2 quarters on top of each other and use those to measure the distance.
Did you have to prep the back of the habbico board before using it or did you just use it as is? another builder I saw mentioned something about sanding it to score it a little bit
Hi Marven, nope, you don't have to do anything at all to the mat. It works beautifully just by it's self. People who have to sand or score it are running the water too fast or have too much angle. I usually set the table at an angle of 3 degrees and then drop some black sand on the table. Then slowly turn on your water and increase the flow until the black sand starts to move down the table. That is your starting point. You want the black sand to slowly move down the table. At that point the gold should hit the mat and stay. If your material is screened to the same size then everything will move off the table and leave the gold sitting there.
Nice job! You don't by chance have list of material and dimensions do you?
Hi Rick, Thanks for stopping by.
Yes, I do. I have made about a dozen or so of these in all different sizes and surfaces so you can make these just about any size you like. If the water flow and angle is set properly, all the gold will be caught in the top 3 - 6 inches of the table. So these don't need to be very long. Usually 12" is long enough This table was specifically made to fit the 12" x 18" Hobbico self healing mat and I decided to leave the table that long. They also have a 9" x 12" mat that works well for a smaller more compact table. For higher production rate, it is better to go wider than longer. You can also use Chalkboard paint, Rustoleum Truck Bed Paint and a number of others which also work well. I prefer the Hobbico mat. It's also the most durable. The paints need to be repainted after awhile.
I have another video showing how I made this that will give you an idea of how all this comes together. It also shows how to drill the hole for the gold vial to dump the clean gold into if you wish to have one.
Its called: "Hobbico Mat Miller Table Build" Usually in the list at the right of your screen.
ua-cam.com/video/HVr_TrBjsBs/v-deo.html
Materials:
1 - ea 3/4" x 12" x 24" white Melamine shelf you can get from HD big box store. Cut
to 18" long or to fit the Hobbico Mat.
1- ea Hobbico 12" x 18" self healing mat. Can get on Amazon. I have heard some
other brands don't work very well but I don't know which ones. I have heard that
Office Mxx works but I can't verify.
1 - 1 pint can of Chalkboard Paint or other latex exterior waterproof paint. Matt
surface. You can get from big box store while your there.
1 - 3" mini roller set to apply paint to the Melamine board and can be used to spread
the glue evenly on the mat when you glue it down.
1 - Can Minwax Helmsman spray spar varnish. to waterproof bare wood. 3 coats.
1 - Bottle of Titebond 3 glue or a glue of your choice to glue the mat down. Put
heavy weight on it to hold it flat and allow 24 hours to cure.
1 - Tube of silicone to seal the corners. I use GE silicone in a small tube. It goes on
very smooth and evenly.
2 - 18 1/2" x 2 1/2" sides. I use 5/8" Cedar fence board or 3/4" pine.
1 - 12" x 3" or 4" high for esthetics for end board for water bar.
1 - 1/4" x 12 1/4" 1 1/2" Cross bar for smoothing water flow. You can cut notches in
the sides to hold it or cut to the inside length and just wedge it in. Set to 1/8"
space or 2 quarters stacked space underneath to set water depth.
1 - 1/4" x 12" x 1" board glued across the front bottom of sluice. New mod on
the new tables. So the water runs off the end of the table and down the front
of this board into the tub. This will force the water to go straight down into the
catch container and not allow it to work its self back under the bottom of the
table and dump the material where it isn't wanted. Like where the pump is.
1 - 3/4"x 2" x 12 3/4" to go across width on bottom for the height adjustment bolt.
1 - 1/4" x 3" bolt for height adjustment
2 - 1/4" nuts
WATER BAR:
1/2" or 3/4"dia. PVC pipe. Can use copper as well.
1- Length of PVC pipe Cut 2 pieces about 4 3/4" or so that the 2 pieces inserted into
the "T" with the end caps span the width of the board. Drill spray holes 1/8" dia,
1/2" apart facing toward the back wall. Don't glue, so it can be taken apart and
cleaned when some of the holes get plugged. Some folks put a piece of 1/2" thick
Scotch Brite scouring pad underneath to smooth the water flow.
2 - PVC Caps
1 - PVC "T"
1 - PVC pipe to garden hose connector
These are the measurements of my table. You will need to tweak these to make the best fit on your table.
You can use whatever materials you like to make the side and back boards . I use plain 5/8" cedar fence boards for the sides, back etc. because it is cheap, light, and easy to work with. I like my sides a little narrower. I just take a palm sander and sand it down smooth. You can leave it rough for that rustic old prospecting look. :-)
I use the Chalkboard paint to waterproof the Melamine Board. This board is very flat and stable will not warp like other woods and is coated with a thin plastic to give it a very hard, level and smooth surface which is necessary for these tables. It is not waterproof so you will need to give it at least 3 coats of the Chalkboard paint or whatever paint you choose. Matt surface please. The glue for the Hobbico Mat doesn't stick well to the melamine board. and the matt surface of the Chalkboard paint allows the glue to soak in and give a better bond. You can even try the Chalkboard paint or some of the others before you glue down the Hobbico Mat to see if you like them better or as well.
The last minute of this video with the black sands is the Chalkboard surface to show how well it works.
The pump used is a 200 GPH fountain pump from Harbor Freixht. The "Y" valve is used to fine tune the water flow. Run the hose from one side of the Y to the table. Turn on the pump. Open both valves wide open. The water flow to the table should drop to almost nothing. Then slowly turn the valve NOT connected to the hose toward the OFF position. Keep turning it to off until the water flow to the table is at the rate you want. This method allows for a very fine tuning of the water flow which is critical for these tables. The water coming out of the non connected valve will help blow the sand away from the pump and extend its life. If you put a valve at the table like so many do it can pressurize the water like when you put your thumb over the end of a garden hose and make it very difficult to control the water. You can also install a gate valve in line but install it so there is several feet of hose from it to the table to allow for any turbulence to settle down. Smooth water flow is very necessary with these tables.
Sorry these videos are not better. They were made in a hurry and put up here to show another person how to make these and how they work and I wasn't expecting the number of people who have been interested in this. I have another video I'll be putting up showing how to make a Chalkboard Miller Table and I will be going into more detail on how I make these.
Thanks for watching. If you have any more questions I will be happy to try to answer them for you. Hope you'll try one of these. You will love it.
utahavalanch I tried to tell ya these video's are the bee's knee's.. 8) If you're in Utah county, lemme know, I have a small gift for ya. Stealing your materials list! 8p
Thanks, I'll have to look you up if I get down there. You are welcome to the list and if you have any questions just let me know.
Got my miller table finished this week gave it a test run and not sure what angle to set it at.
Hi Michael and congratulations. About 3 degrees is a good starting point. Turn the water on and rub the top of the table down with your hands to get rid of air bubbles.
Then take a pinch of black sand that is the same screened mesh size as your gold and sprinkle it on the table. Adjust the water flow until the black sand just starts to slowly move down the table. Apply your first spoonful of material and spread it out over the table with a 1 inch wide, nylon bristle brush. Or I like a Taklon bristle brush you can get at Wallmart. Your lighter materials should wash on down the table and the black sands should just start to move down slowly. The gold should stay where it was dropped. Spread the material out evenly with your brush and let it work on down the table. You can gently tap the black sands with your brush to break them up and make them move a little faster. Hope this helps. Enjoy the table. Let me know if you have any more questions.
@@utahavalanchOk thank you again I'll give this a try I'm using a 210 pump.
Michael Johnson
One thing you will want if you are working with very small gold is a valve on your waterline to reduce the flow. Home Depot sells a 3/4" gas valve that works perfect. They also sell the nylon hose barbs for it. In my video "Introduction to The Deep Well Miller Table", at about 7:50 you can see the valve and the best way to set it up. You need to have about a foot of hose after the valve to reduce the turbulence the valve will create when you try to reduce the flow.
@@utahavalanchGot it installed, thank you Utah
Do you manage to get full width water coverage all the way to the bottom end of your table? I built one from aluminum and a cutting mat and I seem to get dry edges starting about half way down my table. The surface seems to be pretty straight, not bowed up at the edges or anything.
+sutluc1 Hi and thanks for watching. Yes, the water should cover wall to wall all the way to the bottom. I have found 2 things that can cause the problem you are having. 1. is that there is a slight bow in the center of the table, which it sounds like you have checked and the other is the type of mat you are using. 2. Not all mats are made from the same type of material and some will not work as well and will leave large dry spots unless flooded with deeper water which totally defeats the purpose of the mat. The Hobbico mat is one that I have found that works very well and I have stayed with it. I usually buy it on Amazon. I have heard that the Staples mats work as well.
You can try scrubbing the mat with dish soap and a rag or sponge. if that doesn't work try a scotch brite pad and scrub it lightly. If the problem is to the point that you can't live with it, you can use brush on Chalkboard paint and put about 4 - 6 good coats of it on the mat. This is almost as good as the Hobbico mat and will hold up quite well.
If at some point you wish to try something other than aluminum you can try making a table like I do now and just use the chalkboard paint to test it out. If things work out to your satisfaction and you decide to use a Cutting mat you can just glue it onto the top of that.
You can find my latest build video Here:
ua-cam.com/video/1EsOYqSWrk0/v-deo.html
If I can be of any further assistance just let me know.
Thanks for the suggestions..
I'm actually using a staples mat.
I used aluminum because I'm really comfortable working with metal, wood I have to pay a lot more attention to what I'm doing and I don't have much in the way of woodworking tools.
The table works okay, albeit slow, but slow is part of the process I think. The only problem with the dry edges is that if your edges are dry there is more water flow in the middle, so if any gold works it's way down to that area it tends to get gone right quick!
+sutluc1 Well, we have to work with the medium that we are most comfortable with for sure. Yes, a miller table is a bit of a slow process but one that will get you all the gold if you learn how to use them well.
A miller table should be run almost flat with only about a 2 or 3 degree angle and to start out with, a very slow water flow. I put a little fine black sand on the table and adjust the water flow to the point where the sand just starts to move down. I usually make 3 runs. 1 with a higher water flow for the larger gold and then I screen the tailings to -30 mesh and reduce the water flow considerably and run those. Then Screen the tailings one more time to -100 and run the table almost flat and really cut down on the water flow and you will be surprised at how much of that fine gold you can recover.
+utahavalanch I'm still playing with it, think I may have discovered the problem. Looking at yours you used 1/2" pvc. I'm using 1/2" cpvc which is about the size of 1/2" copper line, a fair bit smaller that 1/2" pvc. I think I just don't have enough water volume to keep the surface covered when I get a bit of slope on it. I was messing with it today and found that at 1/4" fall over 18" (the length of the table) I had perfect coverage, but at 1/2" I began to get dry edges in the bottom half of the length. 1/4" fall is not enough, 1/2" seems about right.
I'll keep working on it!
+sutluc1 Yes, I think you are right. Miller Tables run best at almost flat. I just measured mine and I am running it at almost 1/2" per 18". That is a good place to start. I usually screen my material so it is all the same size. I then remove some of the black sand with my black sand magnet. I sprinkle some of that on the table and then adjust my water flow so that the black sand starts moving on down the table. Anything heavier than that will stay on the table. When you get gold showing on the table, then you can start slowly increasing the water flow until the gold starts to move and then reduce the flow a little bit so it will stay in place.
The Miller Table that I used all last year had a 1/2" cpvc water bar that I was trying out and it worked well for me. I was using a shutoff valve on it like you use under a bathroom sink and it worked quite well. I have my holes drilled 1/2" apart and angled so the water is shooting back toward the crack where the floor of the table and back wall meet.
These take a little time to get the hang of but when you do, you will be surprised at how fine the gold is that you can recover. This table in the video was the only thing I used for my prospecting for a whole year because it worked so well and I loved using it.
I’m very happy with my build but as I have a load of tin oxide to shift from 100 - gold I’m going to put a small vibration motor to the unit .
That should work. Be careful not to have much vibration as it will cause the gold to move down the Miller table. Thanks for watching.
Good afternoon! I am from Russia. Excellent video and a good description. Please tell me what the distance between the pad and strap (for water). Thank U.
Good afternoon and thank you. I appreciate your stopping buy to watch. I usually make the bar so it is a tight fit and stack 2 American quarters on top of each other under each end of the bar to get the spacing. This makes a gap of 1/8" or 5mm. I hope this helps.
If I can be of any further help, just let me know. Good luck.
utahavalanch Thank U!
utahavalanch how many holes do you have in your water bar, and how big are they?
Алексей Бормоглот Unfortunately no free time, I can only dream of
I know how that is all to well. Sometimes life gets in the way of having fun. :-)
How about some of that paydirt wise man?
I think that is a really nice job.
Thank you Thomas. I'm not much of a carpenter but these tables are really quite easy for anyone to make.
Just great work thank you for sharing . God bless you
Thank you very much lightbearer. And may he bless you as well. If you build one of these may it always be filled with the yellow stuff.
Awesome build. Thanks for sharing
Dave Ingram
Hi Dave and thanks for watching. You ought to check out my Deep Well Tables as well. I love them.
what is the green stuff made out of?
TheSamchilders Hi Sam. Thanks for stopping by. It is a Hobbico self healing cutting mat. It is used by hobbyists to cut paper, cloth patterns, balsa wood, etc on. When you cut it, it heals its self from the cut. It has a smooth slightly rubbery type finish on it that gold sticks to and the sand doesn't. The sand will slide right off the mat and leave the gold. You can buy these up on Amazon and Staples office products.
Can you make a video making a miller table out of aluminum?
Hi Richie and thanks for watching. I am unable to make a table out of aluminum as I don’t have a metal bender to form the sides. The closest I can come is my video on making a table out of a cutting board but with it I used wood for the side rails and header bar..
@@utahavalanch thank you. I will try making one out of wood just how wide are the tables you make?
You can make them any size that works best for you. I have them in sizes 6, 7, 9, and 10 inches. A good size is about 8 or 9 inches wide x 21 inches long. If you make one, I suggest my Deep Well Table as it is by far the best design. I have a video on how to make it. It only requires 5 pieces of wood to make it. Home Depot has a Hefty 10 gallon tote that works very well for one of these. 21 inch long table is just about right for this tote.
@@utahavalanch I like that one
It’s by far the best design I have ever worked with in the 10 years I’ve been running Miller Tables. . I think you would like it.
I am trying to design one of these that don't need a pump. Something I can just use near a creek and just use the water from the creek without the pump. Any ideas from anyone would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for stopping by and watching.
Well, unlike a sluice or rocker box that you can pour water in from a bucket to get to work, these need a very smooth, steady, constant flow of water to work. I use mine with a cheap battery operated bilge pump out on the creek. The only way that I could see using one of these without the pump would be to make a small 6 or 8 inch wide one that didn't require a lot of water flow. You could use chalkboard paint if you would like instead of the pad. Use 1/2 inch pvc for the water bar with 1/8" holes spaced 1/2" apart. You can get a garden hose connector to put on the water supply end. You don't need to glue any of the joints.
You will need a 5 gallon bucket and a 15 foot 5/8" garden hose. You need a way to connect the hose to the side of the bucket near the bottom. There are many different ways to do this and I don't know which one would work best for you. You will also need a small garden hose valve to control the water installed on the hose.
The bucket will need to be at least a foot or two above the miller table to get enough flow.
You then fill the bucket with water and adjust the valve for the best flow to the table. This will only give you a few minutes of water supply so you will have to constantly fill the bucket and run a spoonful of material or have someone else filling the bucket for you.
Perhaps someone else has a better solution. Good luck.
utahavalanch If you had a TALL water box, with a single slit in the bottom, wouldn't the pressure of the water regulate the flow based on what the slit allows through? So you'd be left with experimenting with the proper flow. Could probably test how much water a pump puts out in a given timeframe, and make a waterbox that holds enough water to maintain the pressure. So! Then you "long tom" some water to your table with a piece of house gutter or pvc or similar, that feeds your "tall" waterbox.
I have been working on different ways of running this without a pump but so far the bucket and hose has been the closest I have been able to come to get it to work well. Still working on it. :-)
Well, ok, extending this a bit..mentally..old defunct water heater..treat inside of tank with copious amounts of straight strong vinegar, repeatedly until no white junk comes out.. then repurpose to gravity cylinder..??
Maybe begin using a catylst like baking soda too, OUTSIDE, so the vapor can vent safely.. workflow: drain tank, baking soda, vinegar, soda, vingear, vinegar vinegar, water water vinegar, soda, vinegar water water..
i didnt see in any of the comments but what is the biggest classification of dirt you can run on this and still catch the fine stuff
Hi Chevy, and thanks for watching. Always adjust the table angle and water flow for the smallest gold you want to catch. You can always brush the larger material down the table. I usually set the table angle to about 3 degrees and then adjust the water flow for the size material I'm running.
HOWEVER, the best way is to classify all of your material to the same size and adjust the water to work the best with that classification. If all the material is the same size then the gold will be the heaviest. You adjust the water flow so that the black sand just moves down the table and the gold sticks to it.
You can classify to -20 mesh (large kitchen screen) and run everything at once (like in the video) and you will catch the largest amount of gold that way, but if you classify those tailings down to -30, and -100 and reduce the water flow way down and run them again you will get more of the very finer gold of which there is more of. You can buy small 6" screens on Ebay which make it easy to rescreen to the smaller sizes.
If you screen material out in the field to 1/4" to bring home, then you can screen that material through a 1/8" screen and 20 mesh screen and run those larger rocks separately with an increased water flow to check for any nuggets. If you are interested in building one of these, I have a newer video out here:
ua-cam.com/video/1EsOYqSWrk0/v-deo.html
and I will have another one coming out you can build a little easier shortly.
utahavalanch, thank you I built one out of cutting board
Very informative. Thankyou
Thanks for stopping by and watching Randy.
Wow love it!
Hi Todd, Thanks for stopping by and watching
what is the name of the mat?
Hi, mymuseofme, thank you for watching. The name of the mat is Hobbico and they come in different sizes. You can buy them on Amazon. I tried a different brand mat from one of the hobby stores here and it didn't work for me. I have heard that the mats from the big office stores work also but I haven't verified it as of yet because the Hobbico's work and they cost about the same. If money is tight, chalkboard paint works almost as well. I also use it to paint the entire melamine board to be sure it is waterproof and to give the glue something to bond to when I glue the mat down. I found that some glues won't stick to the melamine board very well. I use Titebond III waterproof glue and apply it with a small 3 inch foam paint roller. I then put some heavy weights on it to hold the mat down while the glue dries. I use the roller to apply the chalkboard paint as well.
Vere nice!
Norman Nelson
Thank you Norman and thanks for watching.
Qué materia es el tapete
hola Jose y gracias por vernos. el tapete es un tapete de corte Hobbico pero descubrí que la pintura Rustoleum Chalkboard funciona mucho mejor. vea mis otros videos para una Mesa Miller más nueva y mejor.
Are you a member of goldprospectorsspace.com ?
I thought it would come with a pump.
Sorry, I don’t sell these. This is just my first one I built. I have since come up with better designs and have videos on them.
@@utahavalanch love the videos. Thanks!
@@deanmayer6508 Thanks and thanks for watching.
@@utahavalanch you are most welcome my friend.
That looks painstakingly slow
Well, they are certainly faster than a Blue Bowl but how fast you run it depends on how fine a gold you want to catch. If you have course gold it goes quite fast because you can increase the water flow. The very fine gold does take a bit of time because you have to reduce the water flow so you don't wash it away.
Have you ever used a spiral wheel? if so then whats do you think is the best clean up for fine gold?
M Knight 2 of my friends that I do off and on prospecting with both use the spiral wheels in the desert and Blue Bowls to clean the cons. The spiral wheel does quite well on the courser gold in the -20 range and larger but really loses it in the smaller. The Blue Bowl does fairly well on the -100 but still loses part of it due to the faster water flow. I now run all of their tailings on this at a very low angle and slow water flow to recover what their machines have lost and try to help them set up their machines to work the most efficiently.
Most of our gold is very small mostly in the -50 to -100 range and that is what I try to recover. I have spend a number of years exploring all the different equipment available to find what works the best in an affordable price range. Currently this is the pick of the litter. If I find something better I will certainly move up to it. I am currently able to recover gold with this that I have to use 10x magnification glasses to see. Yep, I know it seems hardly worth it but for me it's not the value of the gold. It's the challenge of trying to extract every piece of gold I can out of a bucket of dirt no matter what the size.
They say that 80% to 90% of all the gold is in the -100 range or smaller and I certainly believe it. That range and smaller is what I recover the most of. You would be surprised at how much of it is around the average yard.
These tables are quite inexpensive and don't require a lot of skill to build and so you may want to build one and see how well they work for yourself. If you learn how to classify your material down to -50 and -100 and use one of these efficiently I think you will be surprised at how much gold you have been losing.
Thanks for the tips and tricks, I'm going to look in to this. 1 full shovel load has yeilded 30 micro pieces of gold here. I'm itching to take my sluice out but panning cons was always a struggle. I drove passed a creek one day with rocks that are multi colored orange blue green and white. I'm going to be paying that creek a visit later. About how long should I make the frame out to and where do I get the green mat?
M Knight If you are getting that kind of color panning the cons, I think you will find with one of these that you will be getting a little more. I have panned for years but now I only pan down to the black sand and then throw it in a bucket to run on the table. These tables are really ideal for working your sluice cons and at the end you will be left with nice clean gold.
The base of the table is a cheap white melamine shelf you can buy for about $7.00 at any big box store. Home Depot, Lowe's etc. You can use Chalkboard brush on paint to water proof it. It also gives a good base for the glue to stick to if you put a mat on it. You can buy 1 quart and it will do many tables. Give it at least 4 or 5 good coats on all sides and edges to seal it. I use a small 3" foam roller to paint the board.
The Chalkboard paint makes a good alternative surface for the table and you can use it to see how you like the table before buying a mat to put on it. The drawback to the paint is that it scratches easily and the sand wears it down after awhile and you have to repaint it. But it holds the gold fairly well.
For the sides I just use a piece of cedar fencing and cut it down to 2 1/2" wide and sand it. You can buy 1"x3" lumber in pine, alder and several other types of wood if you want wider sides or don't want to cut down the cedar board.
The spray bar is just 1/2" PVC pipe. 1/8" holes spaced 1/2" apart.
All of these materials can be bought at the same store for usually about $22 - $25.00
The Mat is a Hobbico brand self healing cutting mat that you can buy on Amazon for around $10 - $15.00. Some other brands will work also but some won't. This brand works well. The two mat sizes that I use are the 9"x12" and the 12"x 18".
The length of the table only needs to be about 12" long because if things are set up right the gold will stay where you drop it. I usually make the table the same length as the mat. If you process a lot of material the larger mat like in the video works the best. You spread the material horizontally across the width of the mat to work it and the wider the table the more you can put on it at once.
The pump is a 200 GPH or a 264 GPH fountain pump that you can buy from Harbor Freight either on line or in the brick and mortar store.
For more details on how to build it I have a short video called Hobbyco Mat Miller Table Build that should show up in the list on the right or there is a link to it up above in the description. I am currently in the process of making another couple of videos showing how to build these that I hope to get out soon.
If I can answer any other questions, just let me know.