My router is running circles around me.

[Sharp Blade]

Okay, I have the need to make a 6 3/4in. circle to set a dog bowl down into. I have no circle jig to cut the whole properly. Does anyone have any suggestion? I have tried, in vain, to make a jig, but I can't figure it out for a circle that small. HELP!

:BangHead:

 

[DaveO]

Most router bases are around 3" in radius from the bit. Remove your sub base, and cut a thin piece of plywood (1/4" or so) a few inches larger than the sub base. use the sub base to mark the screw hole locations, drill and counter sink the holes. Mount the new ply sub base to your router. Chuck up a small dia straight bit and poke it through the new base. Measure from the edge of the bit the radius that you need and mark that point. Put a small finish nail through the mark to act as a pivot point and then drive the nail into the center point of where you want your circle to be. This can be used to make any size circle from as small as a inch to as long of a piece of wood you can find to make the jig out of. HTH

Dave

 

[Splinter]

Dave great advice on the homemade circle cutter. If she is cutting out the hole to set the bowl down into, wouldn't the radius measurement be from the edge of the bit fartherest from the nail to the center of the nail?

 

[Monty]

DaveO that's a neat trick! The only thing I would be cautious about is that when you actually finish the cut (complete the circle), your router and jig will be attached to a circle that's now loose inside another circle... does that make sense? Any shift of the inner circle/router complex would ruin the outer cut (the one you're trying to create). I think you could avoid trouble with shifting circles like this by securing the whole piece down with some carpet tape in strategic places to keep things from moving around. Again - great trick - I think I'll have to use that one!

 

[DaveO]

Dolan, good catch there, you are 100% correct. The last time I used a circle jig I was saving the piece being cut out. But seeing as she wants the hole you are right. Thanks for catching my error before someone had a mis-sized hole:BangHead: :BangHead:

Dave

Another point to think of is, if she is setting a bowl in the hole, make sure to take in account the lip of the bowl, it will need some wood to rest on..DAHIKT:BangHead: :BangHead:

 

[McRabbet]

It's the same method I use to cut holes in my shop floor for the dust collection ducts -- I started doing them with my Crapsman router fitted with a circle cutting base they made to fit it -- but the Sears router burned out on me 2 months ago:crybaby2: .... I'll try it next with my Trend T3... Or maybe I should chuck up a 6-3/4" hole saw in my cordless drill :jealous: ... NOT!

 

[Joe Scharle]

(complete the circle), your router and jig will be attached to a circle that's now loose inside another circle...

Could carpet tape a piece of scrap beneath the work to support the piece when it becomes 'free'.

 

[Sharp Blade]

Okay, like I REALLY could have used that info yesterday! LOL. I tried Daves suggestion and couldn't figure out why the dern thing wasn't working right. I even thought about buying a new ruller. ROFLMAO!

:BangHead: :BangHead: :eusa_booh :eusa_booh :bbiggrin:

 

[DaveO]

OOPS!! my appologies I got my Ying in front of my Yang. Hope you didn't screw anything up too bad.

Dave

 

[Steve D]

I agree with the advice on carpet tape and making sure that you have a piece of scrap below. If using Dave's measuring method, just buy a new larger dog bowl.:lol:

 

[Sharp Blade]

OOPS!! my appologies I got my Ying in front of my Yang. Hope you didn't screw anything up too bad.

Dave

No worries, I was not using my poplar stock, just plywood.
Practice, practice, practice.

 

[DaveO]

Oh, good I didn't want to get banned for bad advice:eusa_doh: :eusa_doh: :eusa_doh:

Dave

 

[Sharp Blade]

Oh, good I didn't want to get banned for bad advice:eusa_doh: :eusa_doh: :eusa_doh:

Dave

LOL, my girlfriend came home with a surprise this evening. The Jasper Small Circle Jig. Yay! Now I can run circles around my router!

 

[McRabbet]

Perfect solution for your application and many others! Hope you got the Model 200, which should give you options for circles out to over 18"! Let's see now; baby puppy, young puppy, sister puppy, brother puppy, momma dog, daddy dog, it's almost the entire family! :lol:

Enjoy! Rob

 

[D L Ames]

Anna, post some pix for us so we can see how your project is coming along.

D L

 

[Sharp Blade]

Perfect solution for your application and many others! Hope you got the Model 200, which should give you options for circles out to over 18"! Let's see now; baby puppy, young puppy, sister puppy, brother puppy, momma dog, daddy dog, it's almost the entire family! :lol:

Enjoy! Rob

Hey Rob,
I got the model 400, but I do want to get the larger one as well. I have things I'd love to make like frames. This one makes circle cuts from 1 inch to 7.5 inches. I'll let you all know tomorrow how well it works.

:icon_thum

 

[Sharp Blade]

Okay, I got the new Jasper circle jig calibrated and such. Lined up a couple of pieces of scrap wood and made perfecto circles. Just the size I needed. Next, I decided it was going to work great on my poplar stock. I located center, drilled my pilot hole, and made my first three passes without a hitch...but then...SNAP! I was working on the fourth and final depth pass and the @#$#@** thing broke! Snapped at the pre-drilled hole where it attaches to my router. I hand tightened these screws. They were fine until I started the routing.
In this photo, you can see the spot (lower part of the inner circle) where the router bit the inside circle. The pieces were loose from one another but the inner circle was taped down with carpet tape to hold it while I made the last pass.


Anyway, I took the jig back to Woodcrap, er..Woodcraft, and they gave me another one (see photo). I'll finish the piece tomorrow. Argh!

 

[DaveO]

Wow, must have been made on a Friday. Well at least it boogered the inside of the circle and your keeper piece was the outside. Maybe you should look for square dog bowls...much easier to cut out:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


Dave

 

[Sharp Blade]

Ya know, you're right. My next doggie project just may have to be that, squared bowls...hmm. I have a friend who wants me to make one for her Sheepdog. that one needs to be taller than these will be. I hope to be gluing these up tomorrow and finished by Monday. I REALLY want this project over with. Sheesh!

 

[NCPete]

Anna-Catherine said:
My router is running circles around me.

two laps , at most, and it should unplug itself :lol: