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circle-cutter-jig-index However, I will cutout a semi-circle above the cutger side of throat plate, so that dust collection can happen. My baseplate was round, but many will have a flat edge. I really like your suggestions for improvements. I am a circle cutter jig index and woodworker. If you are cutting all the cirle through your material, make sure circle cutter jig index hang the portion being cut off the table, and keep rotating the material periodically during the cut to keep from cutting the table.

Line up the straight edge with the outside edge where you marked the baseplate, and parallel to the length of the base.

This will ensure that the slot will be centered in the base. Using the straight edge as a guide, route a slot between the mark 1" from the baseplate, and the mark 1" from the other end of the base. If as you look at it, the fence is to the left of the router, start at the end closest to you.

If the fence is to the right of the Band Saw Circle Cutter Jig router, start on the end furthest from you. This will pull the router into the fence, which not only makes it easier to make a perfect slot, but is also safer. With the fence still in place, rout the smaller slot the in the same way as the first one. Drill holes for the mounting screws, making them just a little bigger than the diameter of your screws. Flip the base over, and using the holes as a guide, trace the baseplate on this side too.

Choose which side you want to moun the router on, and chamfer the mounting holes on the opposite side. You want the chamfers just deep enough that the screws will sit beneath the surace. Drill or rout out the center hole.

It just has to be slightly bigger than the largest router bit you might use. A hole saw is probably best for larger holes, but I used a twist bit, and it caught and made a pretty messy hole. It won't really effect anything other than aesthetics, but next time I'll take the time to get the correct bit out.

I did clean up the hole a little with the router later. The mounting screws are most likely much too short to reach all the way through the base material. We could buy longer mounting screws, but unless you have a set of really long router bits, the thickness of the base may limit the depth of cuts you can make with the finished jig. To solve both problems, I reccomend routing a recess in the base for the router to sit down in.

After clamping the base to a work surface with the router mounting side up, rout out the baseplate area, using the line you traced as a guide. It's easiest to start at the center and work around the the hole clockwise, sneaking up on the final size with a few light passes. Now the baseplate can be removed from the router, and the router can be installed in the jig using the baseplate screws.

Make sure all the screws sit flush with the bottom suface of the jig so that they won't catch on anything. While the easiest thing to do is buy a t-handle or star handle for jigs, but I'm too cheap to do that, so I make my own. It takes a piece of scrap wood, a t-nut which costs just a few cents, and takes just a few minutes to make. I make them in bulk to use in all of my jigs, and I won't go into the process here.

It's easy enough to simply cut out a shape you like, drill a hole in the center to accept the t-nut, and hammer it in place. I didn't have any threaded rod, so I just cut the head off of a 3" bolt. Screw the nut onto the center of the threaded rod, and then place the washer on.

Slide the portion above the washer up throught the slot in the base, and then screw the handle on to the top. Alternatively, if you have access to a metal lathe as I do, you can cut the threads off one end of the threaded rod, making a smooth post of a specific size. That way you can use a drill bit that matches the specific size, and always be sure to have a nice tight fit.

The threaded rod with an appropriate sized drill bit should work well enough for most applications though. This step is entirely optional, but I thought it might make it slightly easier to use. The base had quite a bit of uneccesary wood, so I decided to cut it off, and round the corners. I also slightly beveled the edges on the bottom side with some sandpaper so that they wouldn't catch on anything as they slide around the circle. The first step to using it is setting the post height.

Measure the thickness of the material you'll be cutting a circle in. Adjust the nut on the post so that it sticks out slightly less than the material is thick. Mark the center of the planned circle, and drill a hole that the threaded rod post will fit in snugly. Set the post at the desired distance from the router bit, and tighten the handle on top to lock it in place. If you are cutting all the way through your material, make sure to hang the portion being cut off the table, and keep rotating the material periodically during the cut to keep from cutting the table.

You could also put a sacrificial piece of scrap underneath the material instead. It's generally safer and easier to cut outer edges of circles in a counter-clockwise direction, and inside edges clockwise.

If you don't want a small hole in the cener of whatever you're cutting, you can use a sacrificial piece on top. Drill a hole in a piece of scrap, and use doublesided tape to secure it to the workpiece with the hole at the center of where you want to cut the circle. Then just increase the depth of cut by the thickness of the sacrificial piece, and cut as usual. Alternatively, if a hole would be acceptable on the underside, but not on top, you can drill the hole only part way through the material, and cut from the bottom.

Have fun, and be safe! I have the same fixed-base Porter Cable router and made a circle-routing jig for it. What I'm trying to sort out is how to start the cuttingdo you have to loosen the router height adjustment while it's running and rotate it down to the depth you want and re-tighten?

I probably should just use my plunge router, I guess! Reply 7 months ago. Reply 2 years ago. Don't ever loosen or attempt to adjust the depth while it's plugged in, let alone running. A plunge router is safer, but it can be done easily without one. Set the depth with the router un-plugged, plug it in, turn it on while holding it securely it will jump a bit when you turn it on , then slowly lower the bit into the workpiece while keeping the side of the baseplate against the fence.

Tip 2 years ago. I used a scrap piece of oak and attached it to end of the circle jig. At this point I noticed a had an imbalance issue with my bandsaw jig. I installed a small rare earth magnet to the base of my bandsaw jig.

This was my first time using threaded inserts. It was a breeze and adds a nice touch to the project. This final step is a really nice to have: installing sticky measurement tape.

To install the tape:. Lock the sliding dovetail into place Cut a circle on the bandsaw with the jig Measure the diameter of the circle Line the sticky measurement tape up with the end of the sliding dovetail Cut off any excess tape. You can avoid marring the surface of your circle by first cutting a sacrificial circle. Attach a wood blank to the sacrificial circle using double sided tape.

Now you can cut a circle from the wood blank without damaging the surface. Reply 2 years ago. Tip 2 years ago. Great jig and Instructable. You're inspiring me to make a long overdue circle cutting jig for my bandsaw. The one tip I'd like to add is that you might want to use Baltic birch plywood rather than cabinet grad plywood.

The higher number of same-thickness plies tends to make it flatter and more dimensionally stable. Plus the birch plies will wear better than the softer often poplar plies of cabinet grade plywood. Last note: I love your push stick. I'm so glad I finally made one. It's a huge timesaver over my previous set up on using my router :. Great job! I've made a few temporary circle cutting jigs for my band saw, but I'm going to use yours as the basis for a more permanent one. I anticipate only a few changes.

This would keep it more balanced such that magnets are not needed. However, I will cutout a semi-circle above the left side of throat plate, so that dust collection can happen.

Along with a slot behind for the blade, of course. For smaller circles, mostly. Anyway, your details on the dovetail slider were very helpful, and it's a great project! I glad you found it useful. I really like your suggestions for improvements. If I made it over again I'd probably extend it past the blade as well. Very nice! I'm going to make one of these, using your plan.

You have a channel at the front of your bandsaw, you could slide-in something that locks it, rather Circle Cutter Jig Industries than futz with the magnets. Btw, I love your push block. Very nice work! Love the attention to detail. Exact same principle as the one I built for my ghastly relic of a bandsaw Ryobi BSB but you spent more time making yours than I did.

A while ago, I made a circle cutting jig for my band saw. Yours is MUCH better. Question, unless I'm cutting very thin wood, when I try to cut the wood tries to push the blade sideways and bind up. Any ideas? I just wanted to add I went to a Woodworking Show a couple years ago and sat in on a session of Alex Snodgrass' bandsaw clinic.

That class was a gamer changer for me and there's a video of it up on YouTube here: I highly recommend you check it out. Hopefully you can get your bandsaw tuned up well. GoofyDave, I had a similar problem with my cheap-o Ryobi "hobby" band saw. Once I made the same adjustments to my saw, it cuts perfectly every time. It's actually a useful tool for me, when it wasn't in the past.

Thanks for the response. Funny thing about that video is that the saw he is demonstrating is very similar to my craftsman saw. For an old, hobbiest saw, it works pretty well. Thanks again. This is a common problem. Make sure you are using a sharp blade with the correct number of teeth.

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