How to make small, perfectly round circles?

[quid_non]

Hi All!
I'm trying to repair some goofs I made when installing euro hinges in some oak cabinet doors. Issue is I need to "plug" the 1 3/8" hole I put in the wrong side. Any ideas on how to cut a perfectly round 1 3/8" "oak plug"? I don't have a scrool saw, but do have a band saw. I thought about uing a circle cutter on the drill press, but it did not work well.

Thanks for any suggestions!
Best
Wayne

 

[walnutjerry]

Hi All!
I'm trying to repair some goofs I made when installing euro hinges in some oak cabinet doors. Issue is I need to "plug" the 1 3/8" hole I put in the wrong side. Any ideas on how to cut a perfectly round 1 3/8" "oak plug"? I don't have a scrool saw, but do have a band saw. I thought about uing a circle cutter on the drill press, but it did not work well.

Thanks for any suggestions!
Best
Wayne

Wayne---------if you have a lathe you can turn the plugs

Jerry

 

[Bas]

A hole saw would probably make better plugs than a circle cutter (just about anything would!). Of course, the chances of finding a hole saw that cuts 1 3/8" holes are slim to none. Instead, you could enlarge the hole to 1 1/2" inch, then make a plug with a 1 1/2" hole saw.

I suggest you cut the plug first, and measure it. Most likely, the inside diameter of the hole saw will be something awkward like 1 15/16". You may need to use a circle cutter anyway, not to cut the plug but to cut a hole to match the hole saw plug.

Or make some sort of template, cut it out on the band saw and use a flush trim bit with the router. That still leaves making the template of course. This is where you measure every spice bottle & jar Or ask one of those weird turner folks here on the forum if they can turn a 1 3/8" oak cylinder on a lathe for you.

 

[PeteQuad]

You could drill an appropriately sized hole in some thick steel or iron, mill some square wood to just a bit bigger than the hole, and then pound the square peg into the round hole. I think that's how they made dowels in the old days. I'm not sure if 1 3/8" is a bit too big, but it's worth a try.

 

[toolferone]

Wayne---------if you have a lathe you can turn the plugs

Jerry

That's how I made my plugs for some doors I miss drilled.

 

[DIYGUY]

The odds of being able to hide the goof are slim to none. A circle is going to show up like you won't even believe. Instead of hiding it I would glorify it. Put in a metal cap or something out of glass or ceramic. That way when people look at it they won't even think twice .. and if they do, it will be to ask something such as "Why is that there?" You can then answer with "to hide my mistake!"

 

[Trent Mason]

Do the BORGs have 1 3/8" oak dowel rods that you can just buy and cut to fit? Interesting question. That was my first thought. It might not match the rest of the piece though.

 

[CarvedTones]

A dowel will have end grain, look different, and take stain and finish differently. IMO, the closest you can come would be by fitting a plug cut on the bandsaw reasonably close and then inlaying a square piece of veneer over it and somesmall amount of the oak around it. You could get get the grain running in the same direction and have no gaps, but there will still be a seam if anyone looks close. Is it worth the effort? Hard to say. But you have to be careful with veneer; it's like trying to touch up a hard to match color of paint. You can keep feathering it out further and further and the next thing you know, you have painted the whole stinkin' room. Another plan would be to concede that and go ahead and veneer the board all the way to the next visible seam.

-Andy

 

[McRabbet]

I'll ask the question that no one else did yet: "Did you make the cabinet doors?" If you did, make a new stile and refinish. But if you cannot do that, then I would agree that a bandsawn plug from wood of similar color and grain is the place to start. Cut the plug oversized and use a stationary disk or belt sander to bring the disk/plug down to the exact size of the hole (circle cutters on a drillpress, Holesaws or even Jasper circle jigs for a router would all work, too but they leave a pilot hole). I'd sand it down on my 9" disk sander and tilt the table about 5 degrees down to taper the plug slightly. Stop sanding when it is slightly proud of the hole and sand it down with an ROS. Then finish the sanded area to match the door interior.

 

[scsmith42]

Gee Rob, you sure ask lot's of questions.... :gar-La;

 

[Bas]

Good advice is worth repeating And repeating. And repeating. :rolf:

 

[DaveO]

I would delete those duplicate, triplicate and so forth replies. But that just too funny. Rob is either stuttering or his trigger finger is having a spasm :lol::lol::lol::lol:


Dave

 

[tmerrill]

Another thought would be to use a router inlay set. Here is an example:

http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/router_inlay.html

You can also find them in almost all the woodworking catalogs and at Woodcraft.

Tim

Assuming the doors are going to be finished naturally, the two problems you have are matching the grain and eliminating any gaps between door and patch. You could either use the router inlay set to create a round inlay slightly larger than 1 3/8", or better yet, a rectangular inlay which would put two glue lines with the grain. Your best bet to match the grain is use some of the same wood you made the door from if you have it.

 

[DaveO]

Back to the question at hand. There are several companies that make Goof Plugs for occasions just like this -

http://www.koalitywood.com/

http://www.cshardware.com/images_template/Cat Sections 0406/Hinges.pdf page 34, scroll down a bit


HTH,
Dave

 

[McRabbet]

I do not do not do not stutter, but somehow I musta leaned on my laptops finger pad and left click button -- And here I thought the system would croak if you posted so fast! Sorry 'bout that!

 

[grumpy]

pattern makers make small round circles which they call bosses all the time. If you have a disk sander or stationary belt sander and a pair of dividers you can sand all you want of any size. Take a center punch and punch a depression on the working side of the disk or the belt about as far from the disk to permit you to insert one leg of the dividers in the punched depression and the other in center point of the small circle. Patiently rotate the disk and adjust the dividers and a perfect round is produced. I hope this is clear enough. Harry

 

[Dutchman]

If you have to plug them, I would use your router. You need to find a board and try to match the grain as close as possible. Make a jig for your router to cut a perfect 1 3/8 circle. Don't try to cut it all the way thru, cut the plug off on the band saw.

Option two is to rabb all the way up the door and machine the holes off. Then glue a matching strip into the rabb and sand flush.

 

[toolferone]

Hey Buddy, I don't know the origin of your screen name, but I hope you realize it is also a name for a wood plug used to repair a defect in a wood piece. That being said it is perfect that you posted in this thread.

 

[Glennbear]

If you have to plug them, I would use your router. You need to find a board and try to match the grain as close as possible. Make a jig for your router to cut a perfect 1 3/8 circle. Don't try to cut it all the way thru, cut the plug off on the band saw.

Option two is to rabb all the way up the door and machine the holes off. Then glue a matching strip into the rabb and sand flush.

Durned if I can remember where but I recently saw pics of someone using the rabbet method successfully for a similar mistep. I believe they rabbeted to the depth of the hole and then were replacing stile section.

 

[Kdub]

I would glorify it. Put in a metal cap or something out of glass or ceramic.

I like Mark's idea. However it depends on the surounding and could give too contemporary of a look. i have found that copper is a nice metal to accent wood with.
best of luck figuring it out.