Best way to cut a circle?

[Brent Romero]

Thanks Peter. You sound like an egg enthusiast. How do ya like it?

[Jerry Miner]

A 1/4 straight bit or dado bit can work. I like to use a spiral bit for these cuts. What's the material and thickness? Take small bites: 1/4 cutting depth or less with each pass.

[Myk Rian]

You still haven't answered a few questions of what you are making it out of. That could slant the answers to the best way.

[Brent Romero]

Sorry...I am using 3/4" cypress. Some of the cypress is new cypress and some is sinker pecky cypress.

[Aaron Berk]

Can you support the off cut from the underside? and then use a standard router circle cutting jig pivoting from the center point on the off cut.

Clamp some cauls under your table, screw the waste portion of the table to the cauls, then rout away!

I would use a spiral bit if you have one, otherwise a 1/4" should be find as long as you route in steps not full depth.

[Peter Quinn]

For an inside radius, I prefer to make a template with a router on a trammel in 1/2" MDF or similar, then flush trim the actual work piece to the template. I'd suggest making three light passes with a 1/4" bit, or a 1/2" bit. If the inside radius is 20" I'd make the blank around 28" so you have a bearing surface for your router's plate to make using the template easier. I don't like using the trammel to cut all the way through the template as the the bit is between the template and the off cut at the end, and a loose but captive off cut can lead to problems. But if everything is well secured it goes fine, so remember to double stick tape or screw down both the keeper and the waste. Using a template on the actual work piece will allow you to always be cutting down hill in the curves to avoid tear out, and you can climb cut as needed too. Plus you can save the template to make another table for the same egg down the road should you air a friend need another one. I'd cut the circle in the actual work oversized using a jig saw or if glueing up to make your width, you might be able to save material by leaving most of the waste area empty to begin with. Then any decent pattern bit or flush trim should do it from there.

[Brian Kent]

Rockler is on sale for $32.99.

For inside circles I cut most of the way through, then use a pattern bit with the bearing on the cut edge to ge the rest of the way through.

[Jay Jolliffe]

I would go larger & use one with a 1/2'' shank....If you use a 1/4" go slow & take multiple shallow cuts. Don't try to do it all at once you'll bust it right off....I did a least...

[Peter Aeschliman]

I made a green egg cart for my dad a few years ago and made the exact cut your considering! Pretty fun project.

I used a router with a 1/4" straight bit, using a circle-cutting jig made of hardboard. If you're going to be doing lots of circular cuts in the future, then it's worth investing in a jig like the one pictured above.

The one very important caution here: you'll be anchoring your jig in the center of the circle, which will fall away when you complete your cut. If you cut the hole out after the top is already fastened down, make sure you come up with a way to support the center piece... I did it by screwing some pieces of scrap to the underside of the top in 3 or 4 places. This way, the center will stay put when you complete the cut.

This may seem like common sense, but I thought i'd mention it.

Good luck!

[Van Huskey]

BTW I need to amend my earlier answer the "best" way would be a CNC... Now I have given you the excuse to buy a new potentially really expensive machine.

Egg? Bah Humbug, get a Primo... more useful cooking surface but harder to cut the hole... well unless you have a CNC

[Andrew Hughes]

Nice hay raker table Brian,i am planning to make one for my house,What wood did you use looks great.