Easiest way to cut a circle?

[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)









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/2007/0...ircle-cutting/

http://woodworking.about.com/od/wood...rcleCutJig.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-...-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!

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/showthre...30575#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-...-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!

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=H59G5...eature=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.