Easiest way to cut a circle?

[travis howe]

Wanting to build a lazy susan for my mom...say 18-24in...

What's the easiest way to do this? Bandsaw jig, router? I have a fairly complete shop.

Thanks!

[Tony Bilello]

Wanting to build a lazy susan for my mom...say 18-24in...

What's the easiest way to do this? Bandsaw jig, router? I have a fairly complete shop.

Thanks!

A router would be the easiest if you have a circle cutting jig. A lathe is pretty much out of the question unless you have a large one.
The simplest router jig could be made in just a few minutes. Get a scrap piece of plywood about 3 feet long and slightly wider than your router base.
Mount your router at one end with a hole cut out in the center of the mounting location so that the router bit can fit through it. Then measure from the inner edge of the router bit down toward the other end of the plywood and mark a spot (centered) where the radius measures out to. Drill a small hole on the mark and run a screw through the plywood and 1/2 way into the wood you want the lazy susan to be. Dont tighten down on the screw because you want the plywood to rotate freely. Then turn on router and plunge into the stock and move in a clockwise direction. It will probably take several passes at progressively deeper cuts until you break through. When finished, throw the plywood back into the scrap pile.

[travis howe]

Sorry... what is the easiest way to cut a plank into a circle?

[Tony Bilello]

Sorry... what is the easiest way to cut a plank into a circle?

I realized that as soon as i posted and changed my post. Sorry about that. I hope the edited post above helps.

[Richard McComas]

I cut them on the table saw. The edges come out so smooth you need little or no sanding.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o159/rmccomas0043/circle1.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o159/rmccomas0043/circle1-1.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o159/rmccomas0043/circle4.jpg

Here's a link to another but similar method.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=8ci&resnum=0&q=cutting+circles+on+the+table+saw&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=7snsSoLMA42CswPMlKz1Aw&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBoQqwQwAA#

[Guy Belleman]

Follow this method and you can cut out your circle fairly quickly. I would drill a small hole part way in the center of the piece first though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxbzrf4z_cg

[Dan Friedrichs]

I cut them on the table saw. The edges come out so smooth you need little or no sanding.



I've seen that done....but just like jumping off a cliff, eating poisonous spiders, and drinking the water in Mexico - it is something that I would NEVER try!

[Prashun Patel]

If you have a router and a spiral bit or a straight bit, I think that's the easiest (and safest).

It can also be done with a bandsaw and a circle jig, but in my experience, there's less smoothing req'd with a router.

[Richard McComas]

I've seen that done....but just like jumping off a cliff, eating poisonous spiders, and drinking the water in Mexico - it is something that I would NEVER try!I've cut them many times and despite how it looks, it's as safe as many other "stuff" we do on table saws.

[Paul Ryan]

I've seen that done....but just like jumping off a cliff, eating poisonous spiders, and drinking the water in Mexico - it is something that I would NEVER try!


I honestly dont see how that looks so unsafe. Your hands do have to be that close to the blade. And besides, if you use your head like anytime you are using a table saw, what could happen.

[johnny means]

Band saw with a circle cutting attachment would definitely be the easiest, once you have made the jig. Router works fine, but is physically harder to do. Table saw works fine too, but takes multiple cut/passes. Band saw is one quick, easy cut.

Just watched that video. Yikes, I could just see that board kicking back and spinning his fingers right into the blade.

[Dino Makropoulos]

Band saw with a circle cutting attachment would definitely be the easiest, once you have made the jig. Router works fine, but is physically harder to do. Table saw works fine too, but takes multiple cut/passes. Band saw is one quick, easy cut.

Just watched that video. Yikes, I could just see that board kicking back and spinning his fingers right into the blade.

Johnny,
Make a hole at the center and secure the wood with a bolt, washers and a nylon lock nut.
Start your router and use the micro adjuster ( depth)
The router spins the wood,
( make sure you stay away from the spinning zone)
and you're done in less than one minute.

Use your router to spin the secured wood.
Not what we call " Dead Wood Concept) but very close.
You can control the spinning with the right pressure on the nylon lock nut.
Now, I have to try it just for fun. :cool:
You got wood?

[Mike Heidrick]

I've seen that done....but just like jumping off a cliff, eating poisonous spiders, and drinking the water in Mexico - it is something that I would NEVER try!


Would not want to do 4" ones though! Being 2" from blade and have to spin it - no thanks.

[Gerry Werth]

I would cut the circle with a Jig saw (outside the line) and then clean up the cut with the router and circle cutting baseplate if you need a perfect circle. I have also successfully cleaned up the cut with a belt sander. If you use a router for either the cleanup pass or the complete cut, I recommend a spiral bit as this minimizes the chip/tear out when going against the grain.

[Bud Millis]

IMO I would never use the table saw. I always use the bandsaw then clean it up on the disc sander. Comes out perfect every time.

[Zach England]

Jasper jig. Only way to fly.

[Nissim Avrahami]

I made it like on the video link above and it worked like a charm...

I could even leave the riving knife and the blade guard in place...

The circle on the pics is of 24" dia (= 600mm)

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t104/nanikami/Jointing%20with%20hand%20router/J18mm.jpg


http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t104/nanikami/Jointing%20with%20hand%20router/J19.jpg


http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t104/nanikami/Jointing%20with%20hand%20router/J20.jpg

Of course it can be done with a router and trammel...

Which one is the easiest? well,...if you already have the "Panel sled" (or a sled that can accommodate the blank), it will be faster and if not, the router with trammel.....if you don't have any of them, depends which one will take you less time to build (on the sled, you don't need any fence, just a runner).

I made it both ways and it looks to me the same...I use the router when the circle dia is very big.
For very small circles (say 3~10"), I use the router table.

Regards
niki

[glenn bradley]

I've seen that done....but just like jumping off a cliff, eating poisonous spiders, and drinking the water in Mexico - it is something that I would NEVER try!

I have seen this method in books written by experts who's names we know. They seem perfectly happy with it (. . . . I ain't doin' it ;)). I have jigsaws, bandsaws and routers any of which I prefer but, the tablesaw is a valid method of doing this.

For a 24" circle I would pick the bandsaw or, jig saw to rough size and use a router. A one-time use circle jig is quick to make.

http://www.twistedknotwoodshop.com/bsjig.htm

http://stusshed.wordpress.com/2007/07/28/episode-06-bandsaw-circle-cutting/

http://woodworking.about.com/od/woodworkingplansdesigns/ss/CircleCutJig.htm

[Keith Starosta]

Tell you what...after reading some of the posts in this thread this morning, I was intrigued and checked out this video...

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-cut-a-circle-on-a-table-saw-2

I just came into the shop and couldn't be happier with the results!!! I just turned my large crosscut sled into a multi-tasker, and it was really easy....AND.....{wait for it}......SAFE!! Just taking your time will get you great results! :D

Thanks for the tip!

- Keith

[Jim Koepke]

I do not have a table saw. Do have a band saw. So, my latest circle was laid out with a compass, cut with a band saw and cleaned up with a Stanley #113 hand plane.

It is shown here:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1230575#poststop

Also used this for an ellipse table top currently being made for my wife.

I don't think you can cut an ellipse on a table saw, but then table saws are not in my knowledge base.

jim

[Dino Makropoulos]

Tell you what...after reading some of the posts in this thread this morning, I was intrigued and checked out this video...

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-cut-a-circle-on-a-table-saw-2

I just came into the shop and couldn't be happier with the results!!! I just turned my large crosscut sled into a multi-tasker, and it was really easy....AND.....{wait for it}......SAFE!! Just taking your time will get you great results! :D

Thanks for the tip!

- Keith

Keith.
What is SAFE to your eyes and your experience level, skills,
using the tablesaw for this specific task, the same time can be a recipe for disaster to someone else lucking your skills and comfort.
To be more specific, after watching the video few times, it is an instructional video for "how to cut your right hand and not only"
Every cut had the potential for an accident.
even pulling back the sled without removing the wood was dangerous to
someone with less or not experience with the tablesaw.
One small mistake and kaboom!!!!

On the other hand, why not use an overhead guard?
Or another piece of wood screwed above the guard 1/32"
above the work piece to eliminate any possibility of your hand
getting pulled into the blade?
The pin wasn't what I call a captive and secured way.
Few turns and you have a loose pivoting point.
You only need 1/64" to accidentally feed the piece ( on the return)
to a blade that rotates clockwise and your feed is negative.

I think, the method shown in the video is good for advanced
tablesaw users. The ones that hey can hold the wood in a way that
their hand is "locked' into the table and they know to let the wood free in case of any pulling force is introduced for whatever reason.
The very first thing that tablesaw users must conquer.

A very high degree of concentration that saved my hands few times.
Now, ( getting older with less than perfect reactions) I use other methods that they don't require total attention and perfect moves.


The above video was UNSAFE for many tablesaw users.




Things go wrong and teaching that the method was SAFE is out of my mind.

[Keith Christopher]

Personally I like to use a trammel with my router mounted to it. quick, easy and leaves a smooth edge. Using a spiral upcut.

[mreza Salav]

I use either a router (with a circle cutting jig I've built) or on a band saw.

As for that video and technique: It's one of the things I would never ever try. I don't want to offend anybody but not matter how many times
you have done it (hundreds of times?) and nothing happened to you, that doesn't mean it is SAFE!! So many things can go wrong in that video and pull the hand of the operator into the blade!!

[Keith Starosta]

Well...no offense taken, I guess. Dino is right...it's all about comfort level. Since I had my very minor TS accident two years ago, I'm hyper-sensitive every time I turn it on. It's almost like a "Spidey-sense" for me now, where the hair on the back of my neck stands up. With this technique, I was fine. Felt good about each cut, and was happy with the results.

However you get your circle cut, be safe and have fun!

Regards,

Keith

[Thomas Canfield]

I vote for bandsaw. I could have set up my circle cutting jig and made the cut in the time spent reading the above posts and making this reply. A circle cutting jig is just too handy and finds many uses. To cut the circle without drilling a hole through the plate, either drill a blind hole or attach a plate with hole to center using double stick tape and then use shim boards under the board next to the blade to have the board rotate flat. Only minor sanding will be required on that large a diameter.

[Dennis McGarry]

The above video was UNSAFE for many tablesaw users.




Things go wrong and teaching that the method was SAFE is out of my mind.

That could be said for any video on the use of any of our tools. :)

reminds me of the warning labels on the watersport equip, I have.

"Warning, the use of this product in a way IN WHICH IT WAS INTENDED, has the inherent risk of serious injury and or death"

That is not a typo, use it in the way it was supposed to be used has the risk of serious injury or death.

Just like anything we do, follow safety instructions and stay within your own comfort and ability zone.

[Wayne Cannon]

Having cut circles with jig saw, router, and band saw, the band saw is by far the easiest way to cut a circular disk. I don't know why I waited so long. The jig is quick and simple to make. If you maintain an even feed rate/pressure with an appropriate blade you will get a very smooth edge.

A router is more cumbersome to maneuver, generates a lot of dust, often requires anchoring the work to a backer board, and requires multiple passes for all but the thinnest material. However, a router can cut a round hole cleanly, while a bandsaw requires a narrow entry kerf for a hole. I still prefer the band saw even for holes, which I simply glue shut -- fine for a jig or quicky job, but inappropriate for anything nice.

Simple band saw circle-cutting jig:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H59G5bMrqRo&feature=related

[Curt Harms]

with the new plunge base. It has built-in dust collection nearly identical to the DW-621 plunger. That dust collection doesn't work all that well for edge work but works great for plunge work in my experience. The Jasper jig is a good ready made solution.

[Dino Makropoulos]

Well...no offense taken, I guess. Dino is right...it's all about comfort level. Since I had my very minor TS accident two years ago, I'm hyper-sensitive every time I turn it on. It's almost like a "Spidey-sense" for me now, where the hair on the back of my neck stands up. With this technique, I was fine. Felt good about each cut, and was happy with the results.

However you get your circle cut, be safe and have fun!

Regards,

Keith

Keith,
I wasn't try to offend anyone. You know that.
Thanks for adding that your attention level is like "Spidey-sense"
This is a state of mind that comes after a stupid accident. (to me)
Others don't have the luck that we did and their very first mistake
can cost a lifetime of grief for them and their family.

I use tablesaws with 12 blades and many tools/machines,
(even a 200 ton crane for a year)
that no many people had the luck, the need or the experience and comfort level to use.


I was very specific with the return of the sled.
Similar of pulling the wood back between the fence and a spinning blade.

I hope that you don't take me wrong again and that the new tablesaw users
don't run to do the same thing thinking that the method is safe for them.

Yes, it can be done, BUT...not safe.

thanks.

[Dino Makropoulos]

That could be said for any video on the use of any of our tools. :)

reminds me of the warning labels on the watersport equip, I have.

"Warning, the use of this product in a way IN WHICH IT WAS INTENDED, has the inherent risk of serious injury and or death"

That is not a typo, use it in the way it was supposed to be used has the risk of serious injury or death.

Just like anything we do, follow safety instructions and stay within your own comfort and ability zone.

Dennis, I can see that.
You're having good time with your water jet and you hit something that you can't see = a freaky accident.

You're cutting a board and you're pushing the wood with steady force against the spinning blade. Inside the wood is a large void.
The results? the blade "cuts" the void ( AIR) and your hands.
A freaky accident or your bad knowledge to think
that all the woods are the same?

Accidents are just that. Looking for them isn't an accident.
The tablesaw user who thinks that all the woods are the same is looking
for an accident.

The method in the video is just that.
Trying to find one.

I will shoot a video with a router and a secure way to cut circles.
The wood can be secured to the table with ..( look my first post)
and the router can be secured above the wood with an off-set jig /spacer and few screws.

thanks.

[Tom Esh]

I rough them out freehand on the BS, then finish with a router. Just put this circle jig together last week. I finally got tired of drilling new holes (which were seemingly never in the right spot) in the old one. There are two pivot points. One is a straight 1/4" through-bore and the other is counterbored on the underside to accept a stick-on flange when I don't want a hole in the workpiece.
131691

[Sean Nagle]

I routinely use Jasper Jigs to route circles from 5" -15" diameter. I have also routed 5' diameter table tops using a single-use trammel made from 1/4" MDF. The router is easy, leaves a clean edge and is much safer than the tablesaw.

As someone who's been on the receiving end of kickback, just thinking of employing that tablesaw technique gives me the willies.

[Jeff Rowley]

Shopbot. :)