Question about circle cutting with drill press

[Louis Brandt]

Hello,
Have any of you ever used a circle cutting attachment for a drill press? I’ve seen one in a Rockler catalog, and I’m wondering whether such a device can do a good job. I’d like to be able to cut a decent circle of 4 to 5 inches in diameter from 1/2 or 3/4 inch thick poplar. I know that there are other ways to do this, but I’m interested in this device, and I’m just wondering what your opinions are.
Thanks,
Louis

[Bruce Wrenn]

General makes a combination hole / wheel cutter. The cutter blade is reversable so you can do both with only one "fly cutter." For holes that large, a router with a trammel would be my first choice.

[willie sobat]

I've used one for years without problems. Make sure to secure the stock well. You don't want your fingers anywhere near it when it is spinning. I do agree that for larger holes a router/trammel is a better choice.

[John Bush]

I use one all the time. Like Willie suggested, secure the stock well and when you get 1/2 way thru, flip it over and finish on the flip side.

[Doug Shepard]

Use a low RPM, a light touch on the DP arm and keep your fingers far away. They work pretty well but can be a bit finicky to adjust if you're looking for an exact diameter. General makes 3 different ones that vary on the range of diameteres they can do.

[Charlie Schultz]

Make sure you fasten the cutter to the arm well. DAMHIKT.

[Bill Huber]

I think it has been covered very well, I have used those cuts for a long time and they do work fine if you go slow and keep them sharp.

Now with that said I will say that now that I have a bandsaw they don't get use that much. The bandsaw is much much faster and does just as good of a job if not better.

[Phil Thien]

I'll add that the bits dull pretty quickly when cutting plywood/MDF. I found a replacement bit that uses carbide insets on eBay that has worked very well.

[Jerome Hanby]

I'll add that the bits dull pretty quickly when cutting plywood/MDF. I found a replacement bit that uses carbide insets on eBay that has worked very well.

Ditto on that. I'm going to grab some carbide cutters before I tackle all the disks for my home-made drum sander.

For what it's worth, I bought the Woodcraft version and it didn't perform well at all and to top it off one of the set screws stripped out trying to get the blade secured.

I bought the General model (from Woodcraft ), got it home, and couldn't find anything in the instructions for setting up to cut disks instead of holes. Called General and found out I had the wrong model. The lady on the phone volunteered to send me the correct one free of charge and told me to keep the original. Not only did I get it for free, it also does a much better job than the woodcraft model! It just doesn't get much better than that. I now look for General first.

[Bill Huber]

One other thing on those cutters that sometimes people don't understand right off....


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[Chip Lindley]

What THEY All Said!! In addition, there are models with Two cutters. When well-aligned, these do a good job at a slow speed/feed. We cannot over-emphasize: CLAMP WELL!! Never hold the work by hand!

It helps to stop the cut 1/2 way through, and turn the work over to complete the cut!! Especially in metal!

[Danny Thompson]

Tighten those screws! And if you start to get a wobble mid cut, . . . tighten those screws!

[harry strasil]

they make a big mess too, all over the place. bandsaw or a sabre saw with a hole in the cutting gauge and a nail or screw for a pivot work well too. With the new smooth cutting Bosch blade, you get a nice smooth edge.