cutting bowl blanks round on bandsaw??

[Ben Werner]

How do you clamp the center of the wood down to bandsaw table so you can cut a near perfect circle there before going to the lathe?? What type of jig is it and how can I make one? :confused:
Ben
sorry long title I know. :p

[Raymond Overman]

You can use a circle cutting jig by drilling a hole near the center point of your circle and placing it over a dowel that is a certain distance from the blade (radius of the circle). Plans for one here (http://www.newwoodworker.com/bndswcrcljigpln.html) (not affiliated, just Googled)

I don't know that it's that important to be precise though. It's gonna get round once you start turning it so I just use a compass and then freehand cut my blank. As long as it's somewhat balanced you'll be fine.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Who needs a jig?

Just take your handy dandy compass and mark the center real well, then make a circle. I actually use a divider and just scratch a circle. I then take it to the bandsaw and keep the blade on the outside of the line. When you put it on the lathe you are going to have to true it up anyways.

I take nibble buts on my Bandsaw, as I can't really cut circle on Big Blue......:p

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/bandsaw/first_cuts/small_cuts2.jpg
Yes, that blade is 2 1/4" wide.....

Really a good rough circle will do, then just true it up once mounted.

Cheers!

[Mark Patoka]

Freehand cutting it as close to round as you can will suffice. I have a circle I made from scrap 1/8" plywood that's the largest circle my Jet mini will take. I just use that to trace a circle on the wood or nail it the piece and get it as close to round on the bandsaw.

[Joe Fisher]

The other day I rounded up all of the thin panel stock scraps I could find in the shop - 3/16" tempered hardboard (Masonite), old beaded paneling, some 3/16 Luan.

I cut them into squares in 1" increments from 6 1/2" to 15 1/2" (my lathe capacity is 16") on my tablesaw.

I made a hole in the center of each, then setup my circle jig on my router and cut them into circles from 6" to 15". I would have done them on the bandsaw, but I haven't made a circle jig for it. I've already got a very handy one for the router.

Total time: about 1/2 hour. Probably the best 1/2 hour I've spent in the shop.

Now all I do is screw the circle jig I want onto the blank (one screw in the center) and use it as a guide on the bandsaw. It's got lots of benefits over a compass. Most notably the fact that you can use it on any shape piece, natural edge or otherwise. You can also use it on the bark side, which you can't do with a compass. You don't have to worry about being able to see the pencil lines. They're also a lot harder to misplace than my compass :)

Thanks to Bill Grumbine for this one. He's got a shnazzy set of plastic ones.

-Joe

[Ben Werner]

ahh, see I was strugling to cut this piece of ash round, the top was bark and either side slanting downward(side of log), so I couldnt get a circle on the top so I was trying to cut the circle without seeing what I drew on the bottom. I ended up cutting a little bit, looking at bottom, ect ect. which wasnt that great. Thats why I was wondering about jigs. From that site with the pic Raymond showed me I should be able to whip one up fairly easily with the help of my dad.

good idea joe.... very interesting... I'd be frightened of hitting the top board on the blade and ruining it... the blade not the circle thing.

Plus the more exact the circle the bigger end result I can do. :D
NICE BANDSAW!!
Thanks all
Ben

[Brad Schmid]

I just have a selection of cardboard circular templates of varying sizes with a hole in the middle. Use a nail through the center into the blank. Freehand around the template. Works well, especially when theres bark or non flat surface and you can't use a compass.

[Don Baer]

You can use a circle cutting jig by drilling a hole near the center point of your circle and placing it over a dowel that is a certain distance from the blade (radius of the circle). Plans for one here (http://www.newwoodworker.com/bndswcrcljigpln.html) (not affiliated, just Googled)

I don't know that it's that important to be precise though. It's gonna get round once you start turning it so I just use a compass and then freehand cut my blank. As long as it's somewhat balanced you'll be fine.


I made a similar one to the one Ray is referencing When I made my Maloof table for the 32" round top. Mine will cut to 48". Since I already have it I find it works for rounding bowl blanks. I use it for my glue-for laminated bowls as well as rough cut bowl blanks. mine is just a flat piece of plywood with holes every 1/2 " I use a pop rivit to index to the closest inch. and put a hole in the center of the blank set it on the pop rivit and cut away.

[John Timberlake]

I agree with Stu. Just use dividers to draw a circle. I just place on point close the center and see if the circle will fit. Keep moving the center point until you have the biggest circle that will fit and etch the circle. Then free hand on the band saw. I actually use a 3/16" 4 TPI blade - works well for small or large blanks. Then I use the center point for drilling a hole or centering the face plate. If the blank is not relatively flat, you will have to find the center on the side that was down for mounting.

[Mike Jory]

I sometimes want to prep half-log pieces to round on the band saw. I usually want the bowl shape to follow "bottom side toward the outside bark."
After marking or drawing a circle on the flat side, how does a person see where the cut line is? I end up just triming close to the line.

I understand marking and cutting on pieces that have two sides flat. But this eludes me.
Thanks, Mike

[Don Baer]

Mike,
You make a small hole in the center of the blank. This fits into a pin in the jig that is placed at a distance the equal to the radius of the circle you want to cut. When you spin the blank around the pin the blade cuts a near perfect circle. It doesn't matter what the top of the blank looks like.

[Andy Hoyt]

The concept of a simple round template made from thin hardboard, plywood, or some such stuff that's simply screwed to the chunk is a far superior method than the one Don puts forth, Sorry Don.

Why? Because it's cheaper; less complicated to fabricate, set up, and use; AND provides the means to locate the form anywhere within the chunk you want, thereby taking advantage of the chunk's features - be they good or bad.

And Ben, so what if the bandsaw blade contacts the template? Ya might cut it somewhat, but the template will still be perfectly serviceable. Without trying too hard, I'm usually able to stay anywhere from a sixteenth to a fat eighth away from the template. And if that varied by a half inch or more, you're still way ahead.

[Joe Fisher]

I don't know if I'd say 'far superior,' but it's definitely a whole lot easier to screw a circle template to the top of the blank than try to work with a circle cutting jig, IMHO. Half logs tend to be unwieldy.

The other (and in my opinion, the best) benefit of using the circle templates is you can put the template on the log and get an instant visual of where your bowl is going to come out of the log. This is especially useful if you've got a crotch or something with some figure in it that you want to make sure you catch in the bowl blank. You just move the circle around until you get exactly the parts of the log you want in your bowl blank. This cannot be done with a circle cutting jig.

I discussed the templates and why I use them in my first post in the thread. Bill Grumbine's DVDs both talk about them a bit, too.

-Joe

[Don Baer]

The reason I like the circle cutting jig is it gets me close before I mount the blank and therefore my little Rikon doesn't have to dance around as much. Now When I get a larger heavier lathe that won't be a problem. Beside, I already had the jig made up for other purposes...That my story and I'm sticking to it.:D

[Joe Fisher]

And a right fine story it is ;) That's why I used the router to cut my circle templates; I already had a jig for it.

I'd be curious to see your BS circle jig. Have any pictures?

-Joe

[Don Baer]

Joe,
Here is a thread where I show how it's made and have some pictures. If you want more pictures let me know and I'll be glad to take em.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=26546&page=4

[Joe Fisher]

Thanks, Don! When you cut a blank, how do you start it on the blade? Or do you make sure the hole for the pin is just a little closer to the edge of the blank than the radius of the circle you're cutting?

-Joe

[Don Baer]

What I didn't show and should have is that the jig is also a sled so I slide the jig on with the bowl mounted and that starts the cut for me.Once the sled is in position then it's a matter of just rotating the bowl..:D

[Robert Mickley]

Yes, that blade is 2 1/4" wide.....
Cheers!

GOOD GRIEF Stu, thats bigger than the blade on my sawmill :eek: :eek:

[Mike Jory]

Don, and all, I do understand what you're speaking of. I made and used a jig like that to cut round table tops for "flat work."

At the risk of appearing slow here. Here again is the thing I don't get:confused: - I draw a circle on the flat side so I can see where I want to bowl to come out. But when I flip the half log over to cut it out, how do I see the line where to cut.??
So far I've just been getting close, triming the edges off and guessing clsoe to the cut line.
I'm going to have to watch Bill's DVD again. I know he draws a circle with his patterns, but I don't remember seeing him cut out the blank.:confused:
Thanks, Mike

[Don Baer]

Mike,
I don't even draw a circle. I just decide where I want the center to be then I drill a hole. Set it on the jig and cut my circle. The n drill a hole in the same center and I use my wrom screw to mount it on the lathe . Since I have a fairly round blank I finish trueing it on the lathe crank up the speed and go from there.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

GOOD GRIEF Stu, thats bigger than the blade on my sawmill :eek: :eek:

Yeah, ain't it cool!! :D

Cuts SERIOUSLY well for resaw...;)

[Ernie Kuhn]

I made a BS circle jig. 2' long board about 6" wide. Routed a 1/2" groove down the length. 1/2" wide piece of oak with a screw/pin in one end. Drill small hole in center of blank to fit over screw/pin. Clamp to BS table. The relationship of the pivot screw/pin to the BS Blade (front, middle or back) proved to be critical as at the front of the BS Blade teeth, made it try to cut a decreasing spiral, located about mid point or a bit further back made it try to cut an increasing spiral. Round cardboard template nailed to the top is close enough and free-hand cut within 1/8" of the cardboard circle. Trying to get my jig exactly right was more bother than it was worth, guess I'm not willing to fuss with it a whole lot especially since my bowl blanks are cut green and sealed till I'm ready. If you want, I can post a picture.
Ernie

[Joe Fisher]

At the risk of appearing slow here. Here again is the thing I don't get:confused: - I draw a circle on the flat side so I can see where I want to bowl to come out. But when I flip the half log over to cut it out, how do I see the line where to cut.??
I'm going to have to watch Bill's DVD again. I know he draws a circle with his patterns, but I don't remember seeing him cut out the blank.
Mike,

You don't have to draw a circle. I lay a round template on the wood and cut around it. It gives me a near perfect circle. Go back and look at my first two posts again and it may become more clear.

Bill G. uses a round template to draw a circle on the top of the blank in his first video. That blank had a flat top. In his second video, he demonstrates cutting around the template itself on a bark-up blank.

-Joe

[Mike Jory]

I'm a visual kind of guy. I re-read all the post before me, there is a little clearity, the fog is lifting. I'm going to cut out some circle patterns of increasing sizes to fit my lathe. I'll just put them on the top and cut around.\ I was putting to much thought into this, it's really very straight forward.

After admitting I was slow to pick this up:o , I wasn't ridiculed. I now know I'm safe on this forum:D
mj

[Ben Werner]

I draw a circle on the flat side so I can see where I want to bowl to come out. But when I flip the half log over to cut it out, how do I see the line where to cut.??

That was my problem too, which is why I started this thread. Obviously there are many ways to do it, and each person thinks theres is the best :p;):D. What you need to do Mike is read through this whole thread and see what sounds best to you and then do it. I've read through it and have decided to make a jig, because i'm not good at cutting freehand on the bandsaw.

Ernie could you please post a pic?! :D thanks. So you dont have the pin in the center of the blade off to the side?? thats what would make sense to me but thats not the way??

[Ben Werner]

Or never mind mike seems like you figured it out:D:D