Question about circle cutting with drill press

[Louis Brandt]

Hello,
Have any of you ever used a circle cutting attachment for a drill press? I’ve seen one in a Rockler catalog, and I’m wondering whether such a device can do a good job. I’d like to be able to cut a decent circle of 4 to 5 inches in diameter from 1/2 or 3/4 inch thick poplar. I know that there are other ways to do this, but I’m interested in this device, and I’m just wondering what your opinions are.
Thanks,
Louis

[Bruce Wrenn]

General makes a combination hole / wheel cutter. The cutter blade is reversable so you can do both with only one "fly cutter." For holes that large, a router with a trammel would be my first choice.

[willie sobat]

I've used one for years without problems. Make sure to secure the stock well. You don't want your fingers anywhere near it when it is spinning. I do agree that for larger holes a router/trammel is a better choice.

[John Bush]

I use one all the time. Like Willie suggested, secure the stock well and when you get 1/2 way thru, flip it over and finish on the flip side.

[Doug Shepard]

Use a low RPM, a light touch on the DP arm and keep your fingers far away. They work pretty well but can be a bit finicky to adjust if you're looking for an exact diameter. General makes 3 different ones that vary on the range of diameteres they can do.

[Charlie Schultz]

Make sure you fasten the cutter to the arm well. DAMHIKT.

[Bill Huber]

I think it has been covered very well, I have used those cuts for a long time and they do work fine if you go slow and keep them sharp.

Now with that said I will say that now that I have a bandsaw they don't get use that much. The bandsaw is much much faster and does just as good of a job if not better.

[Phil Thien]

I'll add that the bits dull pretty quickly when cutting plywood/MDF. I found a replacement bit that uses carbide insets on eBay that has worked very well.

[Jerome Hanby]

I'll add that the bits dull pretty quickly when cutting plywood/MDF. I found a replacement bit that uses carbide insets on eBay that has worked very well.

Ditto on that. I'm going to grab some carbide cutters before I tackle all the disks for my home-made drum sander.

For what it's worth, I bought the Woodcraft version and it didn't perform well at all and to top it off one of the set screws stripped out trying to get the blade secured.

I bought the General model (from Woodcraft :D), got it home, and couldn't find anything in the instructions for setting up to cut disks instead of holes. Called General and found out I had the wrong model. The lady on the phone volunteered to send me the correct one free of charge and told me to keep the original. Not only did I get it for free, it also does a much better job than the woodcraft model! It just doesn't get much better than that. I now look for General first.

[Bill Huber]

One other thing on those cutters that sometimes people don't understand right off....


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[Chip Lindley]

What THEY All Said!! In addition, there are models with Two cutters. When well-aligned, these do a good job at a slow speed/feed. We cannot over-emphasize: CLAMP WELL!! Never hold the work by hand!

It helps to stop the cut 1/2 way through, and turn the work over to complete the cut!! Especially in metal!

[Danny Thompson]

Tighten those screws! And if you start to get a wobble mid cut, . . . tighten those screws!

[harry strasil]

they make a big mess too, all over the place. bandsaw or a sabre saw with a hole in the cutting gauge and a nail or screw for a pivot work well too. With the new smooth cutting Bosch blade, you get a nice smooth edge.