circle routing guide

[Greg Stanford]

Any recomendations on a circle guide for the router? I've got a PC 690 & I'm looking at the PC micro adjust edge guide for it but I also want a good circle guide. Has anybody used the Turnlock Router Circle/Edge guide? Saw it on the Rockler site, wondered if it measured up. Thanks.

g

[Chris Dodge]

I do all of my circle cuts on the Bandsaw, even the big circles. I made a jig that will cut up to 4 foot radius circles quickly and easily. I have another jig that I made for the smaller circles though the bigger jig will also cut them. It just takes a little longer to set up than the small jig.

[JayStPeter]

The Jasper jigs are well liked by speaker builders. I have a homemade version I made by using a CAD program and printing a bunch of concentric circles then incorporating it into my jig. The only reason I didn't buy the Jasper was that I needed it sooner than ordering one of them.

Jay

[Jim Becker]

MicroFence. Yea, pricey, but it slices, it dices...and the system is accurate enough for precise inlay work.

[Doug Shepard]

MicroFence. Yea, pricey, but it slices, it dices...and the system is accurate enough for precise inlay work.

Ditto. I've even made Julienne Fries with mine.:D

[Mike Henderson]

I have a MicroFence circle jig also and it works well. The only problem is the pivot point. If you don't get the vacuum attachment you have to find a way to pivot it without a hole in your work (if you don't want a hole in your work).

I drill a hole in a 3/8" piece of wood and put two lines at 90* with the hole at the crossing point. Then, I draw two lines on my work at 90* with the crossing point at the center. I then glue the 3/8" piece to the work with cardboard between so I can later remove it, using the lines to center the 3/8" piece.

The disadvantage is that this raises your pivot point but it's worked well for me.

Mike

[Chris Padilla]

Jasper circle cutting jigs are great. I have 3 different versions of them. http://www.jaspertools.com/

Great customer service, too!

[Rick Gooden]

I saw this jig for a router table on a site belonging to another creeker with a very sharp mind and I will be making one for myself shortly.
http://www.cgallery.com/jpthien/cj.htm

[Mike Newell]

I've tried the Turnlock Router Circle/Edge guide. Don't buy it.:( The plate is not very stiff so the router has a tendency to cut at a slight angle from the weight of the router hanging over the edge of the circle. The thing I dislike the most though is the center attachment to hold the jig centered on the stock. It is plastic and you use a nail through it into your stock. The nail is too long(about 1 inch into your work) and due to being cheap plasic, the center attachment has started to break up after a couple uses which will make your circle out of round. I'm going to buy a Jesper the next time I need to make a circle.

Sorry this is so long,
Mike

[Jim O'Dell]

I made mine. 1/2" plywood. Nice and stiff. I can get close measuring from the outside edge of the bit. Then drill a hole to pivot on. In the case of doing my blast gates where I wanted a very tight fit, I had to drill several holes to get the right one. My guide is fairly wide, so I have plenty of room to do it by trial and error. :D And the price was right. Jim.

[Curt Harms]

I made some clocks for christmas. Used the Jasper Jig with a PC 8529 plunge router to cut the holes. The router has dust collection built into the base. Good clean circles and virtually no mess. It does take a few passes--1/4" or less per pass--the Jasper jig is designed for use with a 1/4" straight bit.

HTH

Curt

[Doug Shepard]

I have a MicroFence circle jig also and it works well. The only problem is the pivot point. If you don't get the vacuum attachment you have to find a way to pivot it without a hole in your work (if you don't want a hole in your work).

I drill a hole in a 3/8" piece of wood and put two lines at 90* with the hole at the crossing point. Then, I draw two lines on my work at 90* with the crossing point at the center. I then glue the 3/8" piece to the work with cardboard between so I can later remove it, using the lines to center the 3/8" piece.

The disadvantage is that this raises your pivot point but it's worked well for me.

Mike

So are you shimming the router base up with the same 3/8" stock too or just ignoring the very slight angle on the cutter? So far a hole on the underside hasn't been a problem but I've wondered how to best tackle it if and when I want to avoid the hole.

[Jim Becker]

I have a MicroFence circle jig also and it works well. The only problem is the pivot point. If you don't get the vacuum attachment you have to find a way to pivot it without a hole in your work (if you don't want a hole in your work).

Ooh! Thanks for the reminder, Mike. I forgot about that! When I originally bought my MicroFence setup, I didn't have vacuum in the shop. Now I do. Gotta get that doo-dad for my unit. (I just finally got the adapters for my two Festool routers so the old PC 7529 can finally be retired...)

[Mike Henderson]

So are you shimming the router base up with the same 3/8" stock too or just ignoring the very slight angle on the cutter? So far a hole on the underside hasn't been a problem but I've wondered how to best tackle it if and when I want to avoid the hole.
Doug - Good question. On a big circle (say 36+" in diameter), the jig accomodates the height of the pivot point and the router sits flat (and as long as the router sits flat, there's no angle).

I haven't done any small circles (maybe 12" in diameter) with the jig yet and the angle might be a problem with such a small circle. I guess if I was doing real precision work, I'd put a 3/8" spacer under the router to make it the same height as the pivot point.

You can put the pivot point into the wood less than 3/8" (and use a thinner spacer - maybe as small as 1/8") but I'd be afraid it might come out. If I was to do that I'd want someone holding the pivot point while I made the cut.

Mike

[edit 1/18] I sent a message to MicroFence suggesting that they accomodate the 3/8" glue block in their system. I'll be interested to see what they say.

[Dennis Montgomery]

The Router Buddy works very well for me.

http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/router_buddy_baseplate.html

[John Buzzurro]

Greg,
I have a couple of the Jasper jigs like Chris Padilla pointed out. They work great for me.