Circle roughout Templates???

[Scott Hubl]

I want to make "Circle Disks" for cutting out bowl blanks on the Bandsaw.
I bought a 4"X8" sheet of 1/4' Plywood, What would be the EASIST way to make circles in 1/2' increments larger?

I/m cutting a trailer load of wood up today and need to make these so I can Anchor Seal them up.

I'm not going to rough them into bowls just yet, far too many right now.

But I do want to Bandsaw them round now that I have a nice BS, before I cringed at cutting to round on my old 3/4HP Rigid BS.

Thanks for any ideas on making the round templates.

[Bruce Pennell]

Scott I would rip them into strips, Your largest size first. ie; 20" or what ever your largest size is, make your first cut on the table saw or hand held saw; rip on the 4' side 20" wide then cut those down by 1/2" increments. You will get a 20" and a 19 1/2" with a little left over. Next strip rip at 19" ect.....Mark your circles and cut on scroll saw or bandsaw.. Hope this helps...Bruce.

[Robert McGowen]

Want them perfectly round? I needed a few circles like this for a different reason. I just rough cut them out on the table saw. I attached a face plate with a couple of screws, turned on the lathe, put a pencil to the rotating plywood until I had the exact size I needed, and then used a parting tool to cut out the perfectly round circle by pushing it through the pencil line. Make sure you are careful to watch for pieces that may break off. I cut the squares quite a bit over-sized so that the waste was all one piece instead of 4 corners or smaller pieces flying off. You should be out of the line of fire anyway, as you are standing at the end of the lathe, like doing a hollow form, instead of in front of the rotating wood. Be sure to mark the exact center while it is turning so that you have a centered screw hole for mounting to your blanks later.

[Scott Hubl]

Thanks guys,

I'm cutting the ends off fresh and cutting my logs in 1/2 at the moment.( through the pith)

Can I just Anchor Seal the ends that way until I get these circles made?:confused:

I HATE to rush things like this but I NEED to get these cut up and sealed.

Back to the driveway cutting I go, I'll check in soon.

And Thanks for the ideas so far.

[Robert McGowen]

Yes, but I would go ahead and seal all of the cut areas instead of just the ends. Once you do that, there is no hurry at all to cut them round. Take a year or two if you want! :D

[tom martin]

Scott,
I'm getting wood up for heating . I got a truckload of maple and as I go through and find some interesting grain, i saw the 20 inch peice in half (you can split it instead , but that will make it more difficult to rough the circles later) and set them aside. At the end of the day, I stack them in the shade for later processing. They may check a little at the ends after a few weeks, but that area will be discarded after the blank is cut. The rough blanks are rough turned at my leasure (right!) and then anchor sealed.
Doing it this way saves on sealer and storage space. The waste is returned to the wood pile. I'll have blanks to rough for the next few months!
To cut the rough blanks, I have several clear plastic disks I have made over the years in various sizes. They have a center hole that I screw into the half log in the best position to give me the best blank. You real don't need a template every half inch, you can easily approximate 14, 15, 16 inch disk with a 12 incher if you cut 2,3,or 4 inches away from the disk on the band saw.Good luck -hope this helps it works for me

[Scott Hubl]

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p59/AmericanAndProud/4-4.jpg






http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p59/AmericanAndProud/2-4.jpghttp://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p59/AmericanAndProud/1-4.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p59/AmericanAndProud/3-4.jpg

Heres What i'm doing so far.
Cutting an Anchor Sealing .

I'll cut my templates out another time , as I have alot more to rought cut up.
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p59/AmericanAndProud/5-2.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p59/AmericanAndProud/6-2.jpg

I have Walnut, Butternut, Cherry, Maple and some Cottonwood that will just end up in the fire pit.

[Glenn Hodges]

Scott, I have some templates from plywood and some from heavy cardboard, both work fine. I would probably wait until I was ready to turn the piece to use the template.

[Bruce Pennell]

Scott that sure looks like a lot of work, just keep thinking of all the fun to come. Can't wait to see your turned bowls.....Bruce

[David Newson]

Scott - The easiest way I know to cut accurate circles is with a router with a home made circle cutting jig made of thin ply or mdf fitted to the base plate of the router you can mark of the increments you require with a series of small holes in the jig,in use just screw the jig to your plywood template sheet at the size required and rotate router around that pivot, Don't forget to suspend you template sheet of the ground or bench with a couple of bits of scrap wood.

I done a sheet of MDF this way myself from 4" to 16" templates, with very little waste getting the maximum templates from a sheet, and got true accurate circles very quick with a small hole at the exact centre for easy marking the centre of your blanks and then just use a felt tip pen to draw around the template onto your slabs of wood.then bandsaw marked circle.

[Allen Neighbors]

Scot, I just drew circles on my 1/4 ply with a compass. Then bandsawed them out. Drilled a 3/16" hole at the center point.
When I'm ready to turn the blank, I lay the flat side of the half-log down, fit the disk to the bark side with one screw... just deep enough to hold it... doesn't have to be tight. Then saw around the disk, about 1/8" away from the disk. Works well. Didn't have to draw around them that way.

[Scott Hubl]

Thanks guys,

I only cut up a few more than in the pics today, I Anchor Sealed anything that wasn't bark.

We were expected to get thunderstorms this afternoon, so I got everything sealed let dry and double plastic tarped the pile.
(The rain is here now)
I cleaned up and burned all the chainsaw shavings and log ends in my Metal , screen enclosed, Metal lid, backyard firepit.(of course the cops were called by one of my asinnine neighbors) They are total Idiots I tell ya, these people around here barely ever step out and talk to one another,
I have lived in this house 16 or 17 years now and couldnt tell you any of the neighbors names on my block but the couple on either side of me and the one side she isnt worth even a wave, shes the type that plays all nice but causes the most trouble.
( She told the Kindergarten Moms, my oldest, now 21 had Aids, The teacher knew exactly what she had, and found out who it was spreading rumours and told my wife.):mad:
She has Eczema. Non contagious to anyone.

The cops walk up my drive and asks if i'm burning anything, I tell him Yes I Am. Burning some Wood in my firepit.
He asks me what kind, I explain, he asks if I minded if he walked back and took a look, I said sure go on ahead, one of the neighbors called again huh? he says Yup.
Keep in mind I get called on for burning Wood in my Fireplace IN my house or the outdoor firepit.

Cop looks says yup thats fine carry on sir. Sorry to disturb you.

No laws on the books in my town about using an outdoor firepit. They KNOW the cops cant enforce anything, yet they still call. I say, I know your just doing your job but its silly you have to come out each time one of these people don't like what i'm doing on my property totally within the law, He agrees and goes on his way.
It used to Tick me off, now I just Laugh it off.
So I got the rest of the shavings and sawdust picked up and continued to burn without another call.

I cut the front and back yard grass to beat the rain and not have it lookin shabby right after its over as its suppose to storm all night and rain all day Sunday.

I tell ya, It's a workout cutting up these logs. lol Feeling a little stiff tonight.

Thanks for all the ideas on the templates, I'll do one of them in the next few days or so, at least alot of bowl blanks are at the ready for them.And I don't have to worry about them cracking up on me. I have the larger logs to do still UMPH.:eek:

I am also waiting on 2 Highland Woodworkings Woodturner's 3/8" Bandsaw Blades, UPS has them IN Chicago Hopefully they get delivered on Monday.:D


Were should/can I store these? I really have No room IN the shop, Piled in a metal shed OK here in the Chicago area?

Once dry is the Anchor Seal OK to get rained on?
I have a couple big plastic pallets I put behind the other shed thats in the corner on my lot pretty shady there.

Small suburban lots here .:(
I can't wait to move to a semi rural area with a couple of acre's.:D

Guess I rambed on enough here. lol

Again, Thanks for the input.

[Bruce Pennell]

Scott now a days you need to buy 4000 acre's and put a 10' fence all the way around , build your house right in the middle, and you will still probably have some neighbor with nothing better to do but call the cops. I have 5 acres and it still not enough. People know and watch everything you do. If I start my backhoe, someone within a day or two asks "what you building now?" People are more interested in what someone else is doing, than living and enjoying their own lives. I sure hope you heal those soar muscles up quickly so you can start turning some of that wood. Good Luck with the neighbors....Bruce.... or forget the neighbors and enjoy your new found wood, turning always seems to take the stress away.:D

[Scott Hubl]

Thanks Bruce,
Ya I learned long ago not to let them bother me too much. It used to get me ticked off, I never bother anyone, I have 4 kids, not 1 has ever been in any kind of trouble or caused neighborhood trouble. Don't understand what some peoples problem is but lifes way to short to dwell on their shortcummings.
One year years ago someone tried to put together a block party on our block, about two houses each on the far ends of the block setup there BBQ's out front but that was it, it was pretty pitiful to say the least.(Both were new owners)

I knew better and did my own thing that day.
A buddy of mine lived about 12 blocks away and his block ROCKS . They all help each other out , have parties and know each other.

Maybe theres something in the water on our block? LOL

But like you said, some people just can't stand to see anyone out enjoying their life , that they have to try to make anyone and everyone as miserable as they are.:rolleyes:

OH here they wouldnt dare ASK, NOOOO they call the village to send out the Inspector to inspect your yard.
I get in hot debates over my Wood in my own back yard here.

[keith zimmerman]

with a circle jig. When I made mine, the jig I used even left a 1/8" hole in the center for alignment. I use it at attach the guide with a small tack or screw.

Works really well.

keithz

[Steve Trauthwein]

I would suggest that you don't waste your plywood. You can make all of the circle patterns you need in a few minutes with some posterboard and a heavy duty pair of scissors when you lay out your circle poke a small hole in the center to tack the piece to the wood to be cut. They can be cut on the bandsaw to save your hand. Writhe the size on the front with a marker and they store hardly taking up any room at all.

Regards, Steve

[Matt Hutchinson]

Scott, I feel your pain. I live in a city neighborhood in Grand Rapids, MI. No comparison to Chicago, but I have VERY similar issues with neighbors. Luckily they haven't had the gall to call the cops, although they couldn't do anything about it anway. Of course, I am not brave enough to burn my scraps either.

It may be a little too late, but have you considered chainsawing your blanks differently? I usually try to cut a flat surface on the bark side of the blank, prior to cutting the piece from the log, that way I can just draw a circle with my 18" compass and bandsaw it. I will try to attach some type of diagram.

A note on walnut: The sapwood dries much faster than the heartwood. Even with a healthy coat of sealer you may still get checks in the sapwood. I have a huge haul of walnut that's been sitting here since August '07, and almost every log has sapwood checking. SO.....expect this to happen, but don't worry. This checking doesn't spread into the heartwood easily, unless it's in the direct sun. I have gone back and resealed the logs after they checked, and they are doing great. Also, as far as the sapwood goes, try not to have any sapwood on the foot or the tenon of the bowls you rough. The sapwood is still prone to checking even when thinned down, and you may lose bowls this way. Plus, the sapwood is not as structurally sound. You may not want to be holding the wood with this weaker stuff.

Good luck with the blanking!

Hutch

P.S. The flat on the 'outside' of the log goes against the table, giving it enough support to cut out safely.

[Scott Hubl]

Steve,
I want to use the 1/4" plywood as a more perm. solution, I have been using pizza cardboard rounds.

Matt,
Neighbors can be a fickle bunch can't they?:rolleyes:

Most of what I cut up yesterday was on the smaller side so I didn't cut a flat on the bark side except for a few.

Seems I always want to get the Most out of each blank, I still have alot to Learn here.

The bigger stuff I will cut that flat on.

The contrast looks great between sapwood and heartwood but i'll keep in mind the softness of the sapwood for mounting.

Thanks for the info.:D