What tool to cut circles with ???

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

The motor on the Skil is fine. I've never had trouble doing 3/4" MDF rings in one pass. Your limiting factor is going to be the bit. Spiral upcut bits are the best for through cuts but they only come in 1" cutter length. You can't get all the way through the 1" stuff with a 1" cutter length without burning up the bit. You'd still be better off doing a two side cut with a spiral bit that trying to do a 1" through cut with a straight bit regardless of the router. The tool load is just too high on the straight bit and it will flex and chatter. The result will be a crappy cut.

 

[PSturmer 10+ year member]

just use a carpenters knife and go around like 20 times.

 

[h17250x 10+ year member]

The tool that i have used the most over the years is a jigsaw with a blade for whatever material i am cutting. You can also use a router with a spiral upcut bit and a circle cutting jig. You can make your own or buy one at Lowe's.

 

[jcbabb 10+ year member]

Circ saw, to cut circles. Serious?

I dunno what the other guy was talking about, I don't think I'd be able to cut a 15" dia with a circ saw. The circles I was talking about were more like 7' radius. They were never as smooth as with a router or jigsaw, but sometimes you gotta deal with watcha got. And yes, I'm talking about a 71/4 inch blade. It might be easier to cut a tighter radius with one of those smaller 3 or 4 inch blades like some of the cordless circ saws...

 

[Omarvelous 10+ year member]

Bro, if you're using that skil router, the collet can accept 1/4" bits easily. In fact, I'd almost say that 100% of all lowes type routers can do 1/4" bits, and only some can do 1/2".

oh i know it can take it, i just wanted to keep all my bits 1/2" Shanked

I DO actually have a 1/4" with 1/2" shank straight bit..... AND a 1/4" 1/4"shank spiral bit - Didn't think i could plunge with em!

Next time!

 

[Ali1 10+ year member]

i got a jasper jig, which was used only once. Give it to ya for 25$ shipped, shoot me a PM

 

[Chevillac 5,000+ posts]

I dunno what the other guy was talking about, I don't think I'd be able to cut a 15" dia with a circ saw. The circles I was talking about were more like 7' radius. They were never as smooth as with a router or jigsaw, but sometimes you gotta deal with watcha got. And yes, I'm talking about a 71/4 inch blade. It might be easier to cut a tighter radius with one of those smaller 3 or 4 inch blades like some of the cordless circ saws...

7' radius? What were you cutting? And Id still like to see someone cut a circle for subs with one. I just wanna see it. Maybe it will look like flakko's circles.

 

[jibberjive 10+ year member]

Off hand I'm not sure what hp my router is, but it seems rather heavy duty and it's a craftsman IIRC. Do you all have to go really slow when cutting the MDF (it may have just been my expectations, but it took like 5 mins for one full circular pass of 15" dia.)? BTW I bought a craftsman jig that cuts circles as well as a straight edge "gate" type thing for following along a straight edge from Home Depot or Lowes that works fine. Where can one buy a jasper jig locally? How much?

When you guys cut double baffels, you do two passes, right (if not you must have a killer freaking router)?

 

[WantedIsHere]

i just picked up a couple jaspers locally bout a mile from my house at a wood working store called wood craft.... im gonna make a post about it and link tothe website... go to the post i make in two minute and check it out... its awesome....

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Off hand I'm not sure what hp my router is, but it seems rather heavy duty and it's a craftsman IIRC. Do you all have to go really slow when cutting the MDF (it may have just been my expectations, but it took like 5 mins for one full circular pass of 15" dia.)? BTW I bought a craftsman jig that cuts circles as well as a straight edge "gate" type thing for following along a straight edge from Home Depot or Lowes that works fine. Where can one buy a jasper jig locally? How much? When you guys cut double baffels, you do two passes, right (if not you must have a killer freaking router)?

Spiral up-cut bit, one pass through MDF with it chucked up in my cordless rotozip. In a router, hot knife through butter. One pass on a single thickness every time. The more passes the better chance you have of messing it up. Straight cut bits **** hard for this kind of work in MDF. Tool load is lateral and very high. Chatters like a *****. Spiral bit loads vertically and cuts at an angle, no chatter.

You can't do a double baffle in one pass or even two, a good rigid cutter is only going to have 1" depth of cut. Each baffle needs to be cut separately before you put them together, or you need to drill your pivot hole all the way through the double thickness and do one thickness from each side.

Woodcraft is great. I get their catalog.

 

[jibberjive 10+ year member]

I must have used a straight cut bit (I can't see any spiraling of the blade), but it definitely wasn't like a knife through butter. lol

 

[malic 10+ year member]

I would also like to know this. what if you do not have a router at hand? last was i cut my sub circles for my box i sometimes got them edgy but i was using a circular saw to cut them didn't come out to bad though but any other suggestions?

How in the hell do you cut circles with a circular saw??

 

[djman37 5,000+ posts]

i just picked up a couple jaspers locally bout a mile from my house at a wood working store called wood craft.... im gonna make a post about it and link tothe website... go to the post i make in two minute and check it out... its awesome....

rockler is near me http://www.rockler.com

woodcraft is good too.

 

[jcbabb 10+ year member]

7' radius? What were you cutting? And Id still like to see someone cut a circle for subs with one. I just wanna see it. Maybe it will look like flakko's circles.

I've cut the sides to a launch ramp, and an arched template to hold up masonry while its being built. Also stuff like cutting wavy edged siding with the blade on a bevel. That was all with a standard 7-1/4"blade. Like I said, I don't see it happening on a very tight radius at all...

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

Okay bud, we aren't cutting 14 foot circles here, more like 14 inch circles. If you're talking about making skate ramps and such, that's completely irrelevant to this discussion.