Miller Vrs. Bowl

[FiresEye]

Now each has it's advantage and disadvantage but IMO a miller table wins out over the blue bowl. For one, it's harder to build yet wields more surface area, suction exposer, and feeding options than a blue bowl.

Anyone used a good one of both and have any comments? Also, any other ideas about why perfecting a miller table is worth it more than a blue bowl.

 

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[Hoser John]

First off my great old bud Miller has been dead for many years and lazy kids killed the best concentrator made. All you get now are knockoffs or copycats. Essentially you need slate because of it's surface properties and the angles,flows,throws,screening and a dozen other things mean 99% of recovery and never seen any made right to Miller specs. They take up lots of room and cash and for my use I much prefer my DAM INDUSTRIES original bowl for 30- and my old school green(no kotex wings like the insipid new green bowl) for anything larger I can't get a tweezer on-John

 

[FiresEye]

True that, spoken like someone who's been there, done that.

And, I wasn't trying to criticize Either method, just extract what most people prefer to use, and why.

I'm actually in the process of perfecting my first home-made sluice, so I'm a long way off from even being able to tell if there's gold or not

But in general, I know a bit about waterflow and velocity, and I think for eye purposes, the higher investment cost of the miller table pans out as the advantage..

Thoughts, questions?

 

[FiresEye]

Well in a new update my homemade sluice turned out to work decently.. It's got a few problems though, nothing major..
About that miller table.

I hooked up my small fish tank pump in an 18 quart wash tub and used bricks to raise a piece of tile to catch the water and run the mill table. Well, it worked OK, but it was not balanced and not enough even water flow... So I will have to just build my plans for a wooden miller table.... right now I'm trying to build a sucker pump, once I get that, a miller table and one of those awesome hand rock crushers, I'll really be set. ... I have all the basics, just need those parts to complete my sluice.... Me, river, sluice, pan, cleanup sluice, pan... only missing that good stuff.

 

[Tarsus]

Fireseye, I built my miller table for about $70. It gets gold so small my wife can't see it.

http://s1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd453/tarsus1/

 

[jaguargene]

Hi tarsus,looks great any plains?

 

[Tarsus]

jaguargene, First off, I went to an arts and crafts store called Michael's and picked up the 8 x 10 chalk board. Took it home and carefully removed the wood frame. Then measured it and added 1/8th inch to the width. Then I took the measurements to a local sheet metal shop that works with aluminum. I told them I wanted it to be 1 1/2 inch deep. The back plate is long enough to wrap around the sides so could connect it. The header box face plate is connected to the top of the tray so I could leave a 1/8th inch gap above the chalk board so the water can go over the chalkboard. I caulked the edges with silicone any where water might escape. Inside the header box is window insulation about 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 inches cut to fit so the water shoots directly into the foam and so it can do its job diffusing any bubbles. I used the Watts A-140 3/8th tube to tube valve w/insert for the control valve. I used 3/8th inch clear tubing connected to the Repti Flo 200 45 gph pump from Pet Smart in the reptile section. It is totally silent. It is 110v so I plug it into the GCFI outlet in the second bathroom. That is my gold room. You can figure out the connections using the parts provided. I just glued the nipple peice directly to the pump and used a small hose clamp to secure it. This week I am modifying the stand to be more sturdy as soon as I get done putting together my three stage classifier for my Gold Cube. I hope this helps. Good luck.

Parts needed:
Chalk board
Aluminum tray
aluminum face plate
aluminum header plate
3/8 clear tube, amount is up to you
Repti flow 200 pump
Watts A-140 3/8th tube to tube valve w/insert from home depot
That white tube elbow that goes into the box
Pop rivets to secure the aluminum plates together

 

[jaguargene]

super thanks!!!!!

 

[russau]

Tarsus you did a real nice job makeing your lil table! it looks just like Megan (the yellow chick)Roses table that she posted on the net.the table i made is a little bigger. 29 inchs wide by 48 inchs long.it sets down into a alumn. frame to protect the slate from breaking. and it has adjustable legs. i have it as a recirculation closed loop system and i made a autofeeder to fed those screened cons so i can do something else while they are doing their thing.most people will like your size of table for ease of storage and moving it around if they take it with you.but i was given a large peice of slate from a ole school.so thats why mine is so big.the gold that i capture on this table is within the first foot to a foot and one half of where it 1st hits the table if the flow is even and slow enough.i personnaly think if a person uses a bowl or a table enough to learn how to use it properly, either one (bowl/Miller table) will work good for them.i have both.

 

[russau]

First off my great old bud Miller has been dead for many years and lazy kids killed the best concentrator made. All you get now are knockoffs or copycats. Essentially you need slate because of it's surface properties and the angles,flows,throws,screening and a dozen other things mean 99% of recovery and never seen any made right to Miller specs. They take up lots of room and cash and for my use I much prefer my DAM INDUSTRIES original bowl for 30- and my old school green(no kotex wings like the insipid new green bowl) for anything larger I can't get a tweezer on-John

John (if you have access to them)can you send me or post the Miller specs for their table he had? im makeing one and any insight to doing it right would be dearly sought!

 

[Tarsus]

Russau, sounds like you were lucky to get a big peice of slate. That peice was the only one I could get in town. My table has elevating legs also with threaded rod as the legs. Yes I did model it after Megan's. I just used different materials and it is more sturdy. I did give her credit on the GPAA forum. I like my table really small so I can keep an eye on the material. I found that running small amounts of material helps me catch all the gold that wants to roll down the table. I get a lot of wire gold and round gold balls where others would miss. That is a hint for everyone who uses a miller table. So I am very patient while processing my material and I take pride in collecting all the small gold.