NEW MILLER TABLE INTRODUCTION
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- This is a new design for the water bar that I have been working with for the past year to try and smooth the water flow more in order to catch very fine gold better. This has worked very well for me and has given me the very smooth water flow I have been looking for. I have been using this design for the Miller Table and I have also built a number of fine gold sluices using it with great success.
For those who are interested in building one of these, you can find the how to build video here:
• HOW TO BUILD THE DEEP ...
Love the deep well idea! Now I know what to build I live in NH and a lot of our gold here is fine flour gold and I know I've lost a lot either panning or out of the river sluice . thank you for sharing
Thanks for watching Braden. This one will certainly get the fine gold for you. I'll try to get the build video up here in the next day or two. Still doing some finishing up on it.
Very nice ,I'm going to build one for sure.There is only one improvement I can see that needs to be done ,to save the life of your pump.You should install a tee right before your valve with another line leading into your tote.You simply turn the valve to adjust water flow to your table just like you do now,but you are not restricting the pressure the pump is creating,you are diverting the water pressure and only using what you need.there is a physics property called cavitation,that explains this more in depth.I like your narration ,sound professional like a show you would see on TV.
Thanks for watching Maserati. Yes, I know what you are talking about and I have that set up on mine normally but I find that it takes a lot of video time to try and explain it to folks and most don't understand it after I do so I just try to simplify it. You're right it really does help extend the life of your pump. Thanks.
Awesome is all I can say right now 😁😁😁😁😁 I'm having a friend of mine in our GPAA chapter building me one. As a 100% disabled Vietnam combat veteran this will be great for my back yard prospecting. This is very therapeutic for me as well
Mick Dundee
Hi Mick and thanks for watching. Thanks for your service and very sorry about the disabilities. I know how it is. I got mine in Nam era as well. Yippers, running one of these is very therapeutic and relaxing. I think you will really like this unit. I have been designing and building these for 12 years and this is my favorite. If you haven't seen it yet, I have a video on how to build it. I also have a video on my 3 way combination sluice which is similar but is also a sluice as well. Also check out my running the 10" Silicone mat. I show a bit on how to use the Deep Well fluid bed part of it.
This a great build. I like making stuff from old wood I find on the side of the road. I can make paintings or make solar powered lighthouses. I also have to make each new Grandchild a a treasure box. I paint a treasure in each one. Most of all I have GOLD FEVER! Great video.
Thanks Don. I really enjoy working with old wood myself and especially slabbing old fallen logs to make things. I come from a family of painters and artists but can't draw a straight line with a ruler. So I envy you your being able to paint. My grandson had to settle for a sluice and a Miller table. LOL.
Hey Don..you should make some vids of what you do....sounds interesting..
I decided to build a miller table after watching one of your videos a while back. Thankfully I built an under flow sluice first, now I can build this deep well miller table instead of the first one I liked. Thanks again for your very helpful videos.
Hi Laszlo. We have really been enjoying this table and I don't think I'll be going back to the old style. I'm especially liking being able to sweep the gold down into the well as I go and sucking it up later. If you build one, I would be interested in hearing how you like it. Thanks again for watching.
Thank you for this video This is awesome I I've been wanting to make one for a very long time but I didn't know how to go about doing it after seeing your video I'm telling you dude that's the most awesome thing I've seen yet thank you pip E dip prospecting
Hi Ralph and thanks for watching. Once you start working with these tables and get the hang of them, you will wonder how you ever got along without one. I have videos on a new Deep Well Miller Table that works a lot better than this version. In my last video I show a newer version Miller Table with a catch mat at the bottom to catch any runaway pieces. I really like that version.
I am currently working on a combination I call the Miller Sluice. It’s both a Miller Table and a sluice all in one. With it you dump the dirt on the deck, and the gold will stick to it and the rest of the dirt will move on down. You can then let the gold go on down into the sluice mat or push it off into a well or bottle for storage. I use this table for testing new ground like you do with a gold pan. You can tell immediately if there is gold in a sample of dirt.
Very nice! I do believe that this new build will work great on the fine gold I had mentioned to you in a previous video. Looking forward to seeing the build videos. Thank you for supporting us hobbyists by designing and building products that work.
Hi again Tim. All my tables have done a great job of catching the fine gold but this one works quite a bit better due to the smoother water flow. This one is not all that hard to build and so you might give it a try.
Another great video. Lots of good tips for anyone interested in building their own. Sharing Your experiences of building and testing your equipment has inspired and helped immensely! Looking forward to your next video. Thank you, Utahavalanch.
Thanks Brandon. I hope some of this has been helpful. Even though I have some nice commercial equipment, I enjoy the home made equipment a little better and I have quite a number of items that all work together for me to make the prospecting experience very enjoyable. I have a few more things I'm working on I hope that will be of interest. Thanks for watching.
Utah i just started watching your vids. I watch all of Allen robertson videos and he has some great ideas and mentions you alot so now I gona start watching.
I dont care much for placer mining I do hard rock but once you crush it, its all placer now. I crush to everything passing through 20 mesh and classify down to 200 mesh. Between you and Alan you guys gave me some great projects to make.
Thx a ton for sharing these projects
Dave Van
Hi Dave and thanks for watching. Allen and I trade notes and then we each do a version of a project. He comes up with some good ideas. I started out in hard rock mining back in the early '70's so I know how it is. Most of the material I work with is in the -50 mesh and smaller and that is what I design my equipment to catch. My latest combination sluice has so far caught every piece of visible gold in all the dirt I have run through it. I am currently testing a 10" highbanker that I'm hoping will do the same and allow me to run more material through it at a time. Alan's Silicone mats have really made a difference in how well sluices catch gold.
@@utahavalanch
One thing that amazes me with these viewers is they just don't understand that what you are making is for your specific application. I watch you guys videos for the idea and I have adapt that to my situation. And these people want something they can 2 inch rocks all the way down -100 mesh. Lol
Without a doubt classifying is the most important thing you can do.
Anyway great videos love them all
Dave Van
Thank you Dave. You hit the nail on the head. I've run tailings analysis from prospectors equipment for years and I used to run hundreds of test samples a year that prospector friends would bring to me trying to find new ground. I found that about 80% of the gold was in the -30 mesh and smaller. They finally learned not to bring me any dirt not screened to 30 mesh.😄 I tested all of the equipment designs on the market and found none of them would catch the finer gold consistently and so I started building my own equipment. Yep, it looks hobby and it is but they are collecting a lot of gold that people normally lose. The grandson and I collect several oz of gold a year just out of the dirt that we run across just driving around town. And I live in the worst part of a "no gold" state.😝
Oh, thanks buddy. I was going to make one of your tables this weekend now the weather is getting better... But this deep well one is brilliant in my opinion.... Think I'd be better off just having you build one for me and pay you.. I like that you and the Grandson are keeping the minds going with new and fun projects.
Well you ought to give this one a try. The gold vial hole takes a bit of doing on this one but not too bad. But we find we like just sweeping the gold into the well and snuffering it up about as well as anything. The sluices ended up with several fun surprises. Stay tuned. I'd be happy to make one for you but I'm afraid I don't have any way to sell over the internet. Sorry.
utahavalanch ,I'm not much of a wood worker. But one heck of a machinist. So I guess I can repro one by looks or close to it. Just one question, is the dam wall transition smooth to the table b or is it slightly raised up as with a dam spill way?
I'm not much of one either but we stumble through it. Lol. The water bar sits in a sunken well. The table where you dump the dirt is elevated 3/4" higher than the bottom of the well. You start with a base board that is 1/2" and then glue the 3/4" on top of it for the table. I cut a 45 degree angle on the top board to make the water flow a little smoother but you can just leave it square and round over the edge and it still works quite well. I am right now working on trying to get the "How to Build" video finished and up so hopefully that will help explain things better. It's one of my most complicated projects but I think if you take it one step at a time you will be able to make one just fine. The most complicated part is the gold vial hole. If you don't feel comfortable with trying to build that you can leave it out and the table is much simpler to build. I practiced building the vial hole on scrap wood several times before I tried it on the final project. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
I really like your projects. they make me want to break out the saw!! Just subscribed, keep up the good work!
plumtiger1
Hi Plumtiger, thank you and thanks for watching. Well you ought to throw one together and give it a try. I'm right now finishing up a Deep Well mat sluice that is a combination sluice and Miller Table so you can sluice your cons and then Miller Table them on the same unit. I'm also trying out some homemade mats made of Silicone to see how they work.
Hope to be testing this next week to see how it all works.
@@utahavalanch wow! Sounds great! I saw one video that used the same structure for both devises. I thought that was very cool!
plumtiger1
You're right. The gold I work with is very small and this design smooths the water much better and allows me to catch this fine gold better than any other design I've tried. I have a mat sluice, drop Riffle sluice and Miller Table and now a combination sluice that all use the same design
@@utahavalanch what type of material is the blue top layer?
@@dadandsongaming8310
Hi Dakota and thanks for watching. That top deck is a piece of pine board with Rustoleum Chalkboard paint on top. Gold likes to stick to that paint. When you put a spoonful of material on the deck, the gold will stick to it and the rest of the material will move on down the table leaving the gold.
I like your vids, they're relaxing and informative. I don't pan for gold or even really have the desire to, but I'm still watching. I hope you and your grandson can create the ultimate miller table (I don't even know what a miller table is, I think it has to do with the special paint?) Anyway, I'm subscribed :)
biff slamchunk
Hi Biff, thanks and thanks for watching. I think we have found the ideal Miller Table in my latest video. It's a combination sluice and Miller Table. The gold likes to stick to this special paint while the rest of the sand just washes off leaving the gold. A really nice tool to have in Prospecting.
@@utahavalanch I watched that video, very cool. I had an idea as well, I obviously don't know if it's any good. The "trough" that you added, do you think it might work better if it was more concave rather than square/rectangular cut? You know, like scooped out? Or would that even make a difference? Would that allow lighter material to escape from the trough?
Anyway, I hope you go for a patent on this, before someone steals it away from you.
biff slamchunk
Hi Biff. Yes, changes in the design can make a difference. I have built and tested about 40 of these over the years trying to get the smoothest water flow and best gold capture I can and this design the way it sits is the very best I have found so far. However, I'm continuing to test other ideas and if I come up with something new, I'll put it up here. Well, unfortunately patents cost a great deal of money and don't prevent people from stealing your ideas. Anyway I put these projects up for people to build and try themselves. I have a "How To Build" video out on this so people can build them and use them. I will put up a "How To" on my latest one that I'm trying to get finished as soon as I can. Too many ideas and too little time.😄 thanks for watching.
Nice design having the well to reduce turbulence.
Thank you and thanks for watching.
Great video! Been waiting for the updated design - thanks for posting 👍
Thanks again for watching. I'm trying to get the How to Build version up. It's kind of long and is going to take some time and doing so stay tuned.
Thank you. I really like your videos as well as Alan's. Great stuff.
Geno from Reno Prospector
Thank you Geno, appreciate your stopping by to watch.
Brilliant!! Very impressed as usual buddy ☠👍👍👍💙
Thank you P d. Thanks for coming by and watching.
Good one buddy! That's a really nice build. Super smooth water flow!
Well thanks for stopping by. Yes indeedy these have been some really nice tables to work on. We have certainly been enjoying them. The sluices ended up with some nice surprises as well that we hadn't expected. More on those coming.
Great video, Cheers CR
Goldwaschen & Paydirt
Thank you and thanks for watching.
That is awesome! Great design.
Thanks Montana and thanks for watching. It’s taken me a few years to come up with this design. I have a new addition to it you can see in my latest video. It’s a silicone mat at the bottom that catches any runaway gold before it gets to the tailings. It’s been a real gold saver.
Great build I like that idea!
Thanks for stopping by J. It has worked very well for me. Still experimenting with it.
Your the best, very inspiring. ciao.
Thank you and thanks for watching.
The only potential improvement or difference i would likely build into this would be moving the catch bottle from the main working area on the table to at the bottom of the deepwell, to one side or the other. Might need add an inche or two to the well length for workability, but ya sweeping 🧹 what you have separated down there and into a corner to snuffer it up does work, the funnel shaped hole 🕳️ itself would be a sort of holding area if no bottle installed. Just thinking...options...
Hi Alan and thanks for watching. Yippers your ideas are all good ones . I’ve tried all of them myself on different tables and haven’t found one I really like over the others. The big gold is easier to just brush down into the deep well into a groove and then snuffer it up. I do like the bottle when working with the very fine gold so it doesn’t get washed down the table. I now have 2 tables. One with the vial for fine and one without for the course. One thing I’m building into my new tables is a 3” silicone mat at the bottom to catch the rollers, floaters and runaways. I have been surprised at how many pieces get down the table without me seeing them.
@@utahavalanch a mini nugget catcher, and you have the proof that it is necessary. Not a big surprise since gold 🪙 is so malleable, mostly flat but then once flat rolling along in the river, it folds and balls up, and works out a different shape once again. It's been out there awhile, and the shape size and weight of these small particles we are trying to separate is the determining factor. It's actually why a Miller table works. Gold is about 4 times heavier than black sand, so then screening for size and the particle shape make the rest of that difference. Great videos, thank you for showing this!
@@alancadieux2984 yes, it’s interesting to see how many different shapes and sizes that gold takes. Most of the gold I work with is very small and Is quite challenging to try and come up with different methods to catch it. But for me that is the fun part of prospecting.
Wonderful!
Rei do garimpo
Thank you and thank you for watching.
A good job thank you.
Thank you and thanks for watching.
I love the miller table design great video. what paint did you use on the surface of the table and how did you apply it.Thanks for sharing will be waiting for the sluice videos.
Hi Alan, I use Rustoleum Chalkboard Paint in the can for it. Home Depot has little 3" foam paint rollers that I use. I usually put on about 6 coats as it dries very thin. If you apply it to an aluminum sluice bottom, use Rustoleum Bonding Primer in a spray can first. It will stick to anything and let the chalkboard paint stick to the aluminum. If it's applied to the slick plate on a sluice we're finding it slows down the gold as it goes down the plate and lets the rest of the material slide normally. Also Helmsman Spar varnish in the Satin and Matt finishes do the same. Hope to get the sluice vids out soon. Thanks for watching.
Thank you I will have to give it a try would not have ever thought of using chalk board paint. I had to show your video to my wife she said we need one of those.
Lol, I think I would listen to the wife. I thought I was a pretty fair gold panner til I got one of these and found out how much I was losing. Now after my panning it gets run on the Miller Table. If you screen your material down to 30, 60 and 100 mesh and slow the water down to where it is barely moving, you would be surprised at how much very fine gold is in everything. 30 mesh has the highest concentration of gold. That's what I check first when sampling. If I find it there then I check everything.
Great video. A parts list in the description would help. Thank you for the video.
Big Country Vet
Hi Big Country. Thank you for watching. Are you referring to the support package tote, pump, valve etc. or the table parts? If you would like I can give you one for any or all of it. I have a video on how to build the table and I guess it wouldn't hurt to put a basic one one in there. Usually the folks who build these end up changing things all around to fit their needs or what is available to them.
@@utahavalanch I would love to get a complete parts list if possible
@@dadandsongaming8310
Well, these are to be made depending on an individuals needs. I don't have this table any longer so I'll give you a guesstimate.
1 Cedar base board 1/2" x 9" x 16-1/2"
1 Pine top deck 3/4" x 9" x 14"
2 pieces of pine to make up the headerboard for the water bar 2 each 3/4" 9" x 2-1/2"
2 Cedar side rail pieces 1/2" x 2 -1/2" x 19"
1 cedar drip board across the bottom end 1/2" x 9" x 1-1/2"
I use 1/2" cedar fence boards for the sides and baseboard to conserve on weight but if you want you can cut the baseboard, Top deck and even the header bar out of the same board. I split a cedar fence board in half for the side rails but you can buy a pine 1 x 3 furring strip for the side rails if you don't have a table saw.
I have a video on how I made this table if you are interested in building one that goes into a little more detail. Thanks for watching.
Awesome video my friend much appreciated! I wonder how a smooth surface silicone mat and work on your Miller table there, might be an interesting project as well.
Hi Stephen, the silicone mat works quite well as a Miller Table but the Chalkboard paint on the harder surface makes it much easier to control due to it's being very flat with no bumps or dips in the surface to catch the material. The black sand tends to stick more to the Silicone mat as well and so it's more difficult to separate the two.
You’ll be happy to know that I’ll be experimenting with your spar varnish this week for my silicone mats! Lol
@@stephenfuller8345
Good Deal Stephen let me know how it all works out for you. Good Luck.
Once again I love the ideas and the things you make. Great work. What are you waterproofing it with?
Welcome back Doublenot. I use the Minwax Helmsman Spar Varnish for all my waterproofing. I usually spray it on and put at least 4 coats on everything. The baseboard of the table has 4 coats all around and on the edges especially. The top deck I spray on a couple of coats of Rustoleum Bonding Primer after the hemsman so the Chalkboard paint will stick to it. Then 6 coats of Chalkboard paint.
Hi Utah, excellent build on the tables, being watching your videos on building these and have got some timber to start on one, maybe tomorrow. I had a lot of trouble finding good flat boards at our hardware store, but eventually got some. I will run it through the thicknesser after I glue the two boards together to try to get a flat surface. On the miller table do you have a raised lip on the end so as to be able to brush the tailings (or some of) back up the table? when you mentioned about rounding up cats some will get away lol lol. I thought then that there must be a raised lip at the end. Made a deep vee 3-4mm mould pattern today, with a 2mm space between each groove, so going to put the silicone on that tomorrow. I used the router with a fine wood engraving bit, it took a while but hopefully it will be okay. Cheers Robert down under Aust
NewBee101
Hi Robert and thanks for watching. If you watch my video on building the Miller Table it will take through all the steps. To just go over a few things here, yes, it's hard to get straight non warped boards. That's like searching for the Holy Grail. Just ain't gonna happen 😄. I usually cut them down the middle and flip every other piece upside down so the warp will counteract each other. Then glue them together with waterproof glue like Titebond III.
You need. 1/2" or 12mm base board and a 3/4" or 19mm top board. This creates a well at the top of the unit where the water bar sits. I usually make this about 2-1/2" or 63.5mm wide. The reason for this well is that it greatly reduces the water turbulence coming out of the water bar and smooths the water flow. And make it easier for the tiny gold to settle out. I also sweep the gold that drops out on the top into there for safe keeping and snuffer it up later. I usually glue the base and the top boards together with waterproof glue.
Does any of this help? If not I'll try again. I'm trying to do another video on making the Deep Well Miller Table and sluice but it will be awhile so I'll try to answer any questions in the meantime.
Thanks for getting back, I think I have it under control (yeah right) I'm a bit of a wood worker from way back, I have all the equipment I need to make this project. I have milled my own timber in the past, but I have run out of that, so it is back to buying it. I am hoping that this table will remove the fine white sand that I have trouble panning out, the black sand is okay to deal with, but the white sand is a pain to separate. Cheers Robert
nice work again utah!
Thank you. Appreciate your taking the time to watch.
I was wondering if you have a video of your PVC stand and the adjustment bolt...?
Hi Mark and thanks for watching. Yes I do. I have an old video on it. The newer version has 2 support bars on it that you can see in my last video. I don’t have a video on it as of yet. The PVC stand video is here:
ruclips.net/video/DriYIZlEtLI/видео.html
What is the pump size and flow rate please?
Hi Zenon and thanks for watching. The pump size only needs to be about 150 GPH but I use a 110 volt 264 GPH from Harbor Freight. This comes with a 3/4” hose adapter so i can use the more flexible boating bilge pump hose. I bought a gas valve from Home Depot and put in the hose so I can control the water for the different sizes of gold. They also sell the 3/4” hose barbs to connect the hose to the pump. Get the nylon barbs with the MIP thread.
You can also buy a 300GPH Bilge pump if you want to go battery power and use the same hose on it. With the 12 volt pump you can also buy a 12 volt speed controller on Ebay for around $8.00 - $20.00.
@@utahavalanch Excellent thank you for the info I intend building my own, I have some Scottish paydirt that has some very fine gold and very heavy minerals, hardest paydirt I have worked so far.
@@zenon-paulking3399
Well, this will do the job quite nicely. You just need to be able to control the water flow for the fine gold. I also have a video that will take you step by step on how to build. Best of luck to you.
Is that 1/2" or 3/4" pvc pipe? I'm getting the parts together to build me one.
Big Country Vet
Good deal. I think you will like it. You can use either one but I generally use 1/2" on the Miller Tables as you don't need much water to run them. I use a 1-1/16" hole saw to drill the hole in the header board for the PVC Tee. It's a little too small for it, but I use a 1/2 round wood rasp to enlarge it just to the point I can fit the Tee in so it's water tight. Be sure to get some Spar Varnish in the hole to waterproof it. You may have to file a little more after it dries if you have a hard time fitting the tee in. That is the main leakage point as the bottom of the hole is under water.
I usually make the sides and header board 2-1/2" high. That way if you don't have a table saw, you can buy 3/4" 1x3's in the cheap lumber section or 1/2" 1x3"s in the Hobby Board section. I like the little thinner 1/2" myself and I rip cedar fencing down the middle to make them. Hope this helps.
Hi Utah... going to build this right awy. Where did you find the tubing for the pump please? Will be using it in Southern Utahfor really fine gold.
Hi Intown and thanks for watching. The tubing is regular 3/4 inch bilge pump hose you can buy at any boating store. I bought mine on Ebay. It runs about $1.00 a foot. The valve I use is a 3/4 inch gas valve you can buy at Home Depot or Lowes in the plumbing dept. They also carry the hose barbs that you can use to connect the hose. Get the MIP thread. You only need about 150 GPH to run this. Harbor Freight has a 264 gallon pump that works well for a 110 volt pump. It's more than you need but you can reduce the flow with the valve. I like it because it has a good dirt filter on it.
If you use a battery operated Bilge Pump, you might want to look up a PMW motor speed controller on Ebay like this one.
www.ebay.com/itm/Manual-Dimmer-Knob-Controller-DC-12V-24V-30A-for-Single-Color-LED-Strip-Light/333002803799?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2650
Don't buy one that ships from China at this time.
This will allow you to fine tune the water output by controlling the pump speed.
If you build this table and find you like it, you may want to try building my combination Deep Well fluidbed, sluice, Miller Table. You build it the same way.
I have a video out on it. This will allow you to run more material faster in the sluice mode. Also check out my video on running the 10 inch silicone mat video. It shows this sluice in action. It does a great job of catching this very fine gold we have here. I hope this helps. Best of luck.
@@utahavalanch Thanks so much for the quick reply. I will check your other videos out.
@@utahavalanch BTW do you live in the northern part of the state? It would be great to get together and propsect a little.
Intown
Hi Intown. Yes I do. A little north of SLC. I always enjoy getting out and meeting other prospectors. Unfortunately due to medical conditions, I can no longer drive and have to stay pretty much local. If you saw my video on Urban Prospecting with my grandson, that's a lot of what I do now days. Lots of material available.
@@utahavalanch When building the sluice which mat is better, The Gold Stop or vortex? Would ribbed carpet do as well? Also how long a board do you reccomend for the sluice or Miller table? Thanks for all this info and videos.
Kind of like hearding cats! Some of them run away and you got to chase them 🤣😂🤣😂 🐈💩
Hey, Yammer, thanks for watching. Yippers, lots of experience. 😖. I’ve got 8 - 10 strays the neighbors dumped on me and none of them get along. 😢 I have to feed them in 3 different bowls 20 feet apart to keep peace. Then they fight over the bowls. Arrrggghhh.
Very good explanation. Are you using a silicone mat or a rubber mat?
Hernando Molina
Hi Hernando and thanks for watching. Neither one actually. This one uses Chalkboard paint for the surface. Only the gold sticks to this paint and everything else slides off. Both gold and black sand sticks to the Silicone surface which you don't want as you want to get rid of the black sand.
@@utahavalanch Good morning and thank you very much for your prompt and clear answer. I will construct my own Miller Table in aluminum or stainless steel. God bless you!
Hernando Molina
Hernando, I want to wish you the very best of luck. I think you will really like the Miller Table. It is my favorite Prospecting tool.
@@utahavalanch Many thanks for your attention. In your video "HOW TO BUILD THE DEEP WELL MILLER TABLE" I can see some scratches over the Chalkboard paint which were probably caused by the gold when you use the brush to separate the free gold and because that type of paint is not ideal for supporting water. Now I understand why you recommend the application of several coats of paint. In your experience, the Chalkboard paint is a durable solution to use over the miller table, or you have to repaint constantly everytime you use this tool?
Hernando Molina
Hi Hernando, the scratches come from a large metal spoon I use to dump the material onto the table. I tend to drag it across the top of the table when I dump the material on it. A plastic spoon would cut down on that. I don't really care as it is quite easy to mask everything off and apply another coat of paint. I can put another coat of paint on at the end of the year if it starts to let the gold slip. It is quite tough paint in spite of not being labeled as being waterproof. When I am through running it, I turn it upside down and drain all the water out of it and let it dry. If you watch my video on Urban Prospecting with my grandson, you can see a table that I have been using for 3 years without repanting I'm still using it today. So the paint is quite tough if you don't let water sit in it overnight.
The paint is Rustoleum Chalkboard Paint and comes in a pint can. There is enough pant for about 50 or 60 coates.
what degree do u have your table set at?
Stanley Mudge
Hi Stanley, and thanks for watching. I usually set it at 0 degrees, turn on the water and spread some black sand on the table. Then I slowly raise the table until the black sand starts moving down the table. That usually turns out to be around 3 - 31/2 degrees.
What's the pitch you have on your Miller table
I have found that an angle of about 3.5 degrees works well. I like to start with the table nearly flat and then turn on the water. Then I drop a little bit of black sand on the table that has been screened to the same mesh size as your dirt. Then I raise the back of the table little by little until the black sand just starts moving down the table. You may have to adjust both the water flow and the table angle. Be sure to have a way to adjust your water flow like a valve or pump motor controller. Most RUclipsrs run the water way too fast and lose most of their fine gold. Also use a small brush to spread the material out so the gold can touch the table surface and stick. If you can slow your water down to about 150 GPH, you can easily catch gold down in the 200 mesh or barely visible range.
What kind of holes did you put in the PVC pipe that feeds water at the top?
Hi Lon and thanks for watching. I usually put a row of 3/16" or 1/4" diameter holes 1/2" apart. I have recently been working with 1 row of 3/6" holes and then another row of holes just slightly offset from them and slightly back so that the second row of holes are right in between the first holes. I think this is giving me a little smoother water flow. Also on my last one I just built, I moved the deck down about 1/2" so the distance from the back of the sluice to the edge of the deck was 3". I think this is giving me a little smoother water flow. Also I didn't cut the angle on the end. I just rounded the sharp corner on the edge a little bit. I originally put the angle on it so the well could be used as a fluid bed sluice but I find that most people aren't interested in that on a miller table. They just want to use it as a Miller Table so you don't have to cut it if you don't want.
Also if you don't want to try putting the vial bottle in you can drill a 1/2" hole about 1/4" deep where the vial hole is and just brush the gold into it so you can suck up the gold with your snuffer bottle. I usually just brush the gold back into the deep well and it stays there nicely til I'm through and then I just snuffer it up.
utahavalanch I found your video the most informative of many I’ve watched, about miller tables. I’m retired and live five minutes from Cape Disappointment state park, where there are well documented black sand deposits. Flour gold is what is found there, and it seems the Miller table is the best way of recovering it.
The expense of buying equipment for processing such fine gold, would make recovering the costs, nearly impossible. But by building my own equipment, using your method, it opens up new avenues of possibilities. Thank you for sharing your insights and knowledge.
One thing that amazed me, was the use of chalkboard paint on the table. I had assumed a special type of silicone or rubber mat was always used.
I understand the importance of an even flow of water across the table and it seems a pulsing type pump would interfere with that, so the insight about the harbor freight pump was a nice bit of info to take note of too.
@@lonpearson2134
Hi Lon. Thank you. I fell in love with Miller Tables about 12 years ago and have been working on improving them ever since. This Deep Well Miller Table is a design I’ve come up with that works better than anything on the market. I now have a newer version with a bit of a change that I’m testing now.
Much of the gold we have here in Utah is very small and so the Miller Table became one of my favorite tools. If you saw my video on my combination sluice that is rapidly becoming my favorite due to it’s versatility.
Yes, Rustoleum Chalkboard paint is by far the best thing to cover the deck with. I and another gentleman have tried many different types of shelf liners, rubber and silicone products and I have tried at least 50 different paints and sealant type products. For some reason the gold likes to stick to the Chalkboard paint the best. I am a huge fan of Alan Robertson’s silicone mats and I made several tables using silicone but sadly they didn’t work out.
I started working with Cape Disappointment sands a number of years ago when Washington Beach mining started selling them. Since then I have worked with the sands from a number of beaches in Alaska, Minnesota, Washington, Oregon and Wisconsin trying to come up with the best way to recover the gold from them. This Miller Table is what I have found so far to be able to recover the most amount of gold from those sands.
You are lucky to be so Close to the Cape. I have received the tailings from several people who have been working the Cape sand using Gold Cube stacks dumping into long sluices so I can get an idea on how much gold they are losing and it’s quite a bit. So I think that although it is slow the Miller Table is the best way to recover the most gold.
I think if you were to build one of these, you could run to the Cape and pick up a 5 gallon bucket of sand and sit home, kick back and run it through your table at your leisure and recover 99% of the gold instead of about 60%. I’m basically doing that here with 1 gallon sample buckets of dirt I collect around town and the countryside and getting far more gold than I ever did working the claim and I’m enjoying it a lot more.
utahavalanch I was thinking along those lines, though my 1971 f-250 4x4 might be able handle more than just a few buckets. I have only driven by the area and have not invested any money in equipment yet. I’ve been enthralled with the gold rush series and Bering sea gold shows and it got me looking at youtube videos of gold miners. Even with the little bit of insight I’ve gained from watching lots of beach miner videos, I know I have a lot to learn.
After looking at prices of equipment online, I’m dead in the water for getting any gold with that stuff. I am handy with a saw and such and can construct a table like yours, now that I’ve learned so much from watching your video. Which brings me to the question of scale. If I can get my truck down to the black sand area, it’s a matter of how much can I shovel until my 70 yr old back gives out. A small table would not work if that ends up being possible. Given the fine flour gold that I expect to find, I know I’m not going to get rich. But I would like to work with it a bit and see how it goes, so will probably start small and see how it goes.
I look forward to seeing your new designs.
@@lonpearson2134
Well, I have to leave all that heavy shoveling and hauling to you younger guys. Nowadays, I’m doing good to get my 1 gallon filled :-D
If you are working larger gold you can move 5 gallons in an afternoon but with the very slow water you have to use for that very tiny Cape gold, it will take you several hours to run 1 gallon. But I don’t have much else to do any more and so I quite enjoy running it.
I don’t know if you watched my video on how to build this table but if you haven’t you might want to as I take you through all the steps to build it. There are only 5 pieces to it and so it is quite simple to build. I also have a video on my Combination sluice that I’m using now with the silicone mats. It’s similar to my new Miller Table which has a longer deck and only a 2” mat at the bottom.
You can find my videos here if you haven’t already.
ruclips.net/user/utahavalanchvideos?view_as=subscriber
I have about 36 tables I’ve built for testing over the years but I now only have 3 that I use from 5”, 10 and 12” depending on how much sand I’m going to be running.
So you can make your table any size you want to fit your needs and multiple sizes. One gentleman built one 7 feet wide. You may want to make a small one you can run in a plastic tote to try to see if you like it. You can get a quick glimpse of it in this video. I run mine in a 10 gallon tote from Home Depot and it is portable so I can take it camping with me and run from the tailgate of my truck or even in the kitchen in the winter time. I would start with one that is about 10 inches wide by 22 inches long. That will allow you to work quite a bit of dirt at a time.
Yea, none of us are going to get rich but once you see that shiny in the pan or on the table, it’s hard to get away from. Plus, there are lots of streams and dirt piles in your neck of the woods that have larger gold so you are not limited to just the beach. Check any dirt that has rounded river rock in it. Check out my video on Urban Prospecting with my grandson. He got almost 1/2 oz just from gutters in his and my neighborhood over the summer. So the gold is where you find it. 👍
What size do you classify to before running it on your table?
Hi Four Mile. Thanks for watching. You can classify and run from minus 4 mesh to minus 200 mesh and be sure to adjust the water flow for each size. It's very important to screen material to the same size before running and adjust the water flow for each size you run so you don't wash the gold off the table.
I usually screen my material through an 8, 12, 20, 30 and 40 mesh screen and run each size separately. The 30 mesh screening is the most important size to check because if there is any gold in a sample it will be in there. If you find gold in that size then check all the other screen sizes.
Are you familiar with the Black Scorpion Miller table? (www.gpkcompany.com/Black-Scorpion-II-Fine-Gold-Recovery-Table_p_121.html) I was told you don't have to classify past 20 with the black Scorpion. What makes yours different in terms of having to classify to same size? thanks for the response! Still learning so much about prospecting. Cheers!
Yes, very much so. It's one of the reasons I started building my own. Since then I have built over 40 different Miller Tables of different styles and using different mats, paints, and truck bed liners.
You don't have to classify any of your material for any table if you don't want to but if you want to catch the fine gold it helps a great deal. Gold recovery goes by weight. If all of your material is classified to a certain size, the Gold being the heaviest will sink down to the table and if the water flow is adjusted properly, will stay while the rest is washed off. If you classify to 20 mesh, then you will catch all the gold that is 20 mesh in size. The 30, 40 and smaller will get washed off because the 20 mesh is much larger than the rest and the water flow needed to process the 20 mesh material will be way too much for the finer gold and it is lost. So if you want to keep the fine gold which what I'm after, then you must classify it down to the different mesh sizes and adjust your water flow so that it only washes off the lighter material and the black sands.
Hope this helps.
That's a really helpful explanation on why to run material classified instead of everything together. I'm also after the fine gold as that's all I am finding so far here in Colorado. I really appreciate your time and insight, thank you so much. I'm convinced I should invest in a table now. I can't handle panning my life away! =)
The next step up from panning would be a sluice. If you don't want to invest a lot of money in one yet, take a look at my videos on making the drop riffle sluice. These are easy to build and require very few tools. I have used this design in one form or another for 50 years and I'm still using it today even though I have some top end commercial equipment. The best way to catch the fine gold is to screen it as well even if all you have is a kitchen strainer. You won't be able to move as much dirt but you will be able to catch more gold than most prospectors who are not and losing the fine gold. You can clean the gold from the dirt left in the sluice with a Miller Table. I also have another video on a cutting board Miller Table you can build easily without many tools to get you started.
Why not just make the entire base out of one piece of two by material?🧐
Anagram Confirmed
Hi Anagram, and thanks for watching. You certainly can, but it is much easier for me to do it in two pieces and glue them together. I also did it this way for people who want to try building one of these who don't have access to a lot of power tools. You can make one of these with just a handsaw. A drill and 2 bits.
Have one for sale ?
Hi rickrn2, sorry I don’t. The doctors messed me up pretty good so I don’t take on any work as I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish it or not. That’s why I’ve made videos on how to build them. They aren’t that hard to build so you might want to give it a try. A saw, a drill and couple of bits and you’re in business.
My last name is Miller and I live in Utah! Imagine that 🤣😂
Ahhh, very good Mr. Miller. Right this way, your table is waiting. 😁
You never know, it may have been one of your distant relatives that invented this. A great piece of equipment.
@@utahavalanch out of the two styles of silicone sleuth pads that you have used? Which one have you found that works best? Could I cast a mold out of a washboard?
@@TheYammerHammer
My favorite so far is the drop riffle that I made the videos on. I have used it on my combination sluice and highbanker all summer and although it’s quite short, it hasn’t lost a single piece of gold. It’s easy to make as you just use square dowels you buy at Home Depot. In one of my videos I made a mat from a cardboard box so yep, you can make one out of a washboard as well. You can just make a small mold or cast about 3” square to see how it looks without investing a lot of money.
That’s what I do to see if an idea works out or not. Those wood shutters you can buy at HD make really good mats also. The thing that’s nice about the silicone, is that gold sticks to it. So if in the tumbling around in the riffles it happens to touch Silicone. It sticks. Kind of like flypaper for gold.
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