Which Circle Cutter

[Stephen Edwards]

Hello folks,

I'm in the market for a decent circle cutter to use with my drill press. It isn't something that I'll be using frequently but I want one that will do a decent job when I need it.

Has anyone used this one:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/h7538

If so, are you pleased with its performance?

I'd be interested in your recommendations for others on the market as well. Thanks for your input.

[Tom Veatch]

I haven't used that particular one, but the size range and adjustment method is sure tempting. The one I have is a RPITA to set to a specific diameter. If the blade is any good and it will hold its setting, it should be a winner. Only other problem I see is there's nothing about availability of replacement blades. I like to get a couple of extra blades when I get something like that.

[Stephen Edwards]

Only other problem I see is there's nothing about availability of replacement blades. I like to get a couple of extra blades when I get something like that.

I noticed that, too. I'll call Grizzly CS/Tech Support in the morning and ask about replacement blades. Unless I missed it, it also doesn't say what's the maximum thickness of material that you can work with. The fine adjustment feature indeed looks like it would save a person a lot of hassles!

[Tom Veatch]

Let us know the response to your phone call. I dropped them an email on the replacement blade subject and if I don't see a response from you before I here from them, I'll pass on their reply.

If new cutters aren't an issue, I think I'll spring for one. I've got an application coming up that needs some fairly accurate holes in the 4-1/4 to 6 1/4 range.

[Bill Huber]

I would like to know about it also, it looks good.

Can you reverse the blade is another question I have.

[george wilson]

Just file out the cutter's hole to 1/4" square and use 1/4" sq. metal lathe tools. I have old Generals that use that cutter,and being a guitar maker,I grind them to cut 1/16" and other width grooves.

[Stephen Edwards]

Can you reverse the blade is another question I have.

Thanks for the replies folks. I have an early appt. this morning and will call them when I get back. Tom, if you haven't heard back from Grizz in reply to your email, I'll post the info here that I get from them.

Bill, your question is on the top of my list of questions! In fact, the main reason that I want to get a circle cutter is to "borrow" the idea that I've seen in pics of your DP table. As I build the new table for my DP I want to incorporate your round, replaceable inserts that I've seen in pics of your DP table on your web page. Thanks for the clear instructions on that page explaining how to cut the round hole and the replaceable round inserts. You must have had a "light bulb" moment when you came up with that idea! That's a great way to get the most mileage out of the replaceable inserts that I've seen so far. Being able to reverse the blade seems to be a must for that operation.

George, thanks for your suggestion, too.

The photo that is on the Grizzly website and in their catalog isn't very clear about the blade. I mean, it doesn't even show the point of the blade, looks like a flat bottom piece of metal rather than an angled cutter. Perhaps that's just the angle of the tool when the photo was taken.

I'll check back when I get home later this morning.

[Phil Thien]

Just file out the cutter's hole to 1/4" square and use 1/4" sq. metal lathe tools. I have old Generals that use that cutter,and being a guitar maker,I grind them to cut 1/16" and other width grooves.

Yep. You can get carbide-inset lathe tools on eBay for $5 and have a carbide tip on the cutter. Great for composites. Although I wonder how difficult it would be to file that round hole into a 1/4" square.

[Stephen Edwards]

I just spoke with Bruce at Grizzly Tech Support. Unfortunately, they don't seem to have a parts diagram of this circle cutter. Fortunately, he was able to give me some information in answer to some of our questions.

According to Bruce, the blade is reversible.

Replacement blades are available for $6.50 each. The part number for the replacement blades is: PH7538001

He didn't have specific information about the maximum depth of cut. He did go through the history of emails from customers who have purchased this item. One person had written to them saying that it wouldn't quite cut through a 3/4 inch board. If I understood him correctly the "shoulder" of the sleeve that holds the cutter would hit the top of the work surface before the blade would cut through the 3/4 inch material. I didn't know, nor did Bruce, if the blade depth is adjustable in the sleeve that appears to hold it. He also wasn't sure what the "interchangeable 1/4" guide pin" is. Neither am I, unless they're calling the drill bit itself a guide pin. Bruce did everything that he could to help me with the information available to him.

I also called Customer Service trying to get more info. I spoke with someone named Steve. I wanted to be connected to the Springfield store so that I could speak to someone who can actually look at one of these circle cutters with it in their hands so that they could answer my questions. He told me that he couldn't do that but that he could answer my questions.

Bless his heart, Steve couldn't help me at all. He tried to explain to me, as we're both looking at the photo of this item (MODEL H7538) on page 337 of the catalog, that the drill bit looking thing shown in the photo is what actually cuts the circle. You know, the drill bit that's directly underneath the 1/2" shank that fits into the drill press. The "interchangeable 1/4" guide pin" is the piece hanging down on the far right of the photo which, according to him, would be the center of the circle that you're cutting. Trying to imagine an inverted, offset DP that this thing would fit into, according to his explaination, was making my head hurt. I could see right away that he wasn't going to be able to answer my specific questions. So, he did set up an activity number for my inquiry so that, hopefully, someone will contact me with specific answers to specific questions.

At any rate, I'm ordering one of these Circle Cutters and will let ya'll know how it performs when it arrives. I've always been pleased with the Grizzly products that I've ordered in the past and with their service to resolve issues.

[David G Baker]

I have a cheaper less solid version and I use 1/4 inch metal lathe cutters that I shape myself. I have been using it off and on for over 30 years. Several times I wish I had the heavier duty version especially when I try to rush the cut.

[Kevin Davis]

Hello Stephen,

I don't know if this product would fit your needs but I have used the Jasper M400 circular cutter that you attach to a router. http://www.jaspertools.com/productsdetail.cfm?SKU=673046004006&prod=Model-400%20Circle%20Guide&cat=Circle%20Guide

I like it because it is really versatile. I have used it to cut circles from 1"-7". I also like to use it to route out a circular hole for a circular piece of inlay that I use the same jig to cut out. I attached a picture . Rockler, Lee Valley, Woodcraft also carry it for about $25.

[Stephen Edwards]

Hello Stephen,

I don't know if this product would fit your needs but I have used the Jasper M400 circular cutter that you attach to a router. http://www.jaspertools.com/productsdetail.cfm?SKU=673046004006&prod=Model-400%20Circle%20Guide&cat=Circle%20Guide

I like it because it is really versatile. I have used it to cut circles from 1"-7". I also like to use it to route out a circular hole for a circular piece of inlay that I use the same jig to cut out. I attached a picture . Rockler, Lee Valley, Woodcraft also carry it for about $25.

Thanks Kevin for the info on the circle cutter. I've saved this thread and that link to a file for future reference.

[Stephen Edwards]

The circle cutter arrived today. I haven't had time to check it out in the DP yet but will try to do so tomorrow. I will at least take some photos of it so that you can see how it's built. It appears to be a decent accessory.

There are two set screws that hold the cutter in place and two set screws that hold the adjustable horizontal bar in place once you have it tuned in to the radius of the circle that you wish to cut.

If you set it such that both set screws are holding the blade it appears that the depth of cut is appx. 1 1/4 inch. If you lower the blade so that just one of the set screws holds the cutter it appears that you can cut through 1 1/2 inch material.

I've never seen one like this in several respects. It comes with a pin the same diameter as the center drill bit. Once you have drilled the center hole in the material it looks like you raise the chuck and can then replace the drill bit with this pin...I guess a pilot pin. It looks as if the purpose of that is that if you want to save the inside piece of the circle it won't have a hole all the way through it.

It doesn't come with any instructions so I'll be sure to take lots of pics from different angles. Hopefully, those of you with more experience than I can help me figure this thing out!

Also, the cutter blade is unlike any other circle cutter that I've seen before.

Bill Huber: I don't think that one would have to reverse the blade to get a 90 degree cut on either the inside or outside of the circle. The blade has very little angle to it. I think to get a hole in one piece of wood with a perfectly matching circle from another piece of wood that would fit snugly into the hole, you would simply tune the cutter away from the shank/drill bit until you're "there". I may be wrong about that.

More tomorrow.

[glenn bradley]

Here's mine in it's super sophisticated, combination setup and storage facility.

[Bill Huber]

Bill Huber: I don't think that one would have to reverse the blade to get a 90 degree cut on either the inside or outside of the circle. The blade has very little angle to it. I think to get a hole in one piece of wood with a perfectly matching circle from another piece of wood that would fit snugly into the hole, you would simply tune the cutter away from the shank/drill bit until you're "there". I may be wrong about that.

More tomorrow.

I will be watching for the pictures and more info, if you don't have to turn the blade that would be nice, I sure do like the adjuster on it. Let use know just how well it works.

Thanks...

[Stephen Edwards]

I will be watching for the pictures and more info, if you don't have to turn the blade that would be nice, I sure do like the adjuster on it. Let use know just how well it works.

Thanks...

Sorry Folks, I didn't get to spend much time in the shop yesterday with the new circle cutter and a camera. And, I'll be working away from home for the next two days. I'll get these pics up as soon as possible!

I did learn one thing on one practice cut. The blade is going to have be modified to get a clean cut on both sides all the way through a 3/4 board. That's an inconvenience. The problem is that the blade has a "shoulder" on it that bottoms out on the work piece at about 11/16".

But, I've found a guy that can fix that for me. I ordered two extra blades with this thing and am shipping them today to the sharpening guy. He's going to increase the blade cutting length. This guy also has solid carbide 1/4" mill ends and is going to make some custom blades for my new circle cutter. The cutter itself appears to be an excellent design and well built. The minor problem is the blade. By the way, it's made in India, which surprised me. I was figuring it would be made in China.

Pics as soon as possible. Sorry for the delay!

[Robert Chapman]

I have one of these from Griz - it works fine and costs less that $20. Buy one - if you don't like it buy a different one - they are not expensive tools.

[Stephen Edwards]

I have one of these from Griz - it works fine and costs less that $20. Buy one - if you don't like it buy a different one - they are not expensive tools.

Agreed, 100%! It's a great accessory. In fact, I'm going to buy a spare in case they quit selling it. The issue isn't about the quality of the circle cutter. The issue, to me and a few others, is depth of cut and whether or not either/both the round hole and/or the inner circle can be cut such that both have sides that are 90 degrees to the face surface of the board.

Admittedly, I don't have a lot of experience with circle cutters. I do have an old one with a 1/4 shank. I've seen a few others that are similar. The cutting blade on the Grizzly is different than the others that I've seen. I really like the way it cuts. I do wish that they had made the cutting edge just a wee bit longer. I've worked out a solution for that. The advantages of this cutter outweigh that one disadvantage.

To others following this thread, the promised pics of the cutting blade and close ups of the cutter itself will be posted tomorrow. Again, I apologize for the delay. I'll be in the shop tomorrow and get that done!!

Kind Regards,

[Rod Sheridan]

I have a General circle cutter.

The blade is reversible so that you obtain either a hole with square sides, or a wheel with square sides. (As opposed to the taper left on the scrap piece).

It works well, I've used it in wood and HDPE.........Regards, Rod.

[Jerome Hanby]

+1 on the General. I bought the wrong version at Woodcraft and when I called General's support about how to cut disks with it, they sent me the correct one free of charge!


I have a General circle cutter.

The blade is reversible so that you obtain either a hole with square sides, or a wheel with square sides. (As opposed to the taper left on the scrap piece).

It works well, I've used it in wood and HDPE.........Regards, Rod.

[Bill Blackburn]

Here's mine in it's super sophisticated, combination setup and storage facility.


slick clever s/u jig
I am copying it:D

Thanks for sharing this little bugger

[Louis Rucci]

I'm stealing that idea for mine.

Thanks,

Louis

[Dave Loebach]

I have a 40 year old Craftsman version of this cutter and I have been happy with it. Te cutter can be positioned two ways. One gives you a smooth cut out. The other gives you a smooth hole. You can't have both. The smoothness is roughly equivalent to what you get with a hole saw. The diameter is infinitley variable and it cuts out the biggest hole of anything I have. For the cost I have found it to be valuable.

[Stephen Edwards]

I finally got some pics of the Grizzly Circle Cutter and the blade. Sorry, the picture quality ain't great. I need to replace my ancient digital camera.

I like the cutter just fine. I don't like the blades. The cutting length isn't long enough to cut a clean cut through 3/4 material. It's also designed such that the blade can't be reversed, if I understand this thing correctly. It came with no instructions. The cutter itself is a good design but the blade is poorly designed, IMO.

I'm getting the blades modified so that they will do what I want them to do. I'm also having some solid carbide blades made for it. Suggestions and advice for the shape of the cutting edge on the modifications and new blades is welcomed and sought from those of you with experience with circle cutters.

This pic is of the whole circle cutter:

117512

This pic is a close up of the cutter as if it were in the cutting position:

117511

These two pics show details of the blade with the too short cutting length and the annoying "shoulders":

117510117509

Finally, this pic shows a bottom view of the blade:

117508


On the blade that came with it and the two extras that I ordered I'm going to have the cutting length extended. The carbide blades that I'm having made will be long enough to cut a circle through 1 1/2" material.

Hopefully, you can see in the pics that the bottom of the blade has a double bevel. The leading edge of the blade, the longest portion of the cutting edge, is made such that you can cut a clean hole but if you reverse it to cut a clean "wheel", it won't work well.

How should I have these blades modified? Should the cutting edge be 90 degrees to the shank of the blade? Or, should I have separate blades for inside and outside cuts? I do like the way it cuts with the leading edge "point" biting into the wood. But, if I'm understanding this thing correctly and my test cuts indicate that I do, it doesn't work well if you reverse the blade.

Any, thoughts, suggestions and advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Steve