Draw a Large Circle on Plywood

Cutting Larger Circles with a Bandsaw

The bandsaw is one of my favorite tools to use. I like the versatility it offers when cutting pieces for chair legs, basket handles and tabletops. I have been commissioned to make new tables for the break room at work with 42″ round tops. Since the jigsaw and I are not "close friends", I will need to cutting the tops on the bandsaw which requires me to build a DIY large circumvolve cutting jig for the bandsaw. I have a smaller jig that I use all the fourth dimension for cutting circles but information technology wouldn't be able to cut anything larger than near xiv″ in diameter.

Build a DIY Large Circle Cutting Jig for a Bandsaw

This jig features a bed stop and folding legs with casters on the terminate to make information technology easy to shop. The casters volition besides help when feeding the jig and the material through the saw.

Materials:

3/4″ brad nails
2″ brad nails
iv – 2-one/2″ pocket pigsty screws (or regular screws)
2 – strap hinges
ii – single direction casters (not swivel casters!)
Wood glue
1 – two″ roofing smash (to be used every bit a pin)

Lumber:

Strip of wood to fit in the miter gauge slot of the bandsaw
ane – two′ x four′ sheet of 3/4″ plywood
one – ii×4 at 8′
Scrap slice of 1×2 at 18″
Scrap piece of 1×3 at 24″
Scrap piece of two×four at 24″

Cut Listing:

i – iii/4″ plywood at 2′ x 4′
i – i×3 at 24″ – Debate
i – 1×ii at 5″" – Bed Stop
ii – two×iv at the meridian of the bandsaw table
1 – 2×4 to brace the legs

Notes almost the project:

Constructing and sometimes using the jig requires 2 people for condom. Always use common sense safety practices when using ability tools!

Step One

Install the argue on the bandsaw as far away from the blade as possible. Measure the distance from the fence to the miter slot at the edge closest to the blade.

Build a DIY Large Circle Cutting Jig for a Bandsaw - Measuring Saw Bed

Stride Two

Draw a line across the length of the plywood piece at the center on both sides. Depict a line forth the width of the plywood slice at the same measurement from the fence to the miter slot. Secure the strip of woods along this line for the runner with glue and 3/4″ brad nails.

Build a DIY Large Circle Cutting Jig for a Bandsaw - Runner for Miter Slot

Footstep Three

Secure the ane×3 contend piece on the plywood using mucilage and 2″ brad nails.

Build a DIY Large Circle Cutting Jig for a Bandsaw - Attaching Fence

Footstep Four

Turn the bandsaw on and place the plywood piece on the saw bed with the runner in the miter slot and the forest fence against the saw fence. Make certain you have a helper to balance the plywood on the saw bed! Push the plywood through the saw to cut a kerf for the bract, stopping at the horizontal line fatigued on the board. Turn the saw off. (You lot can as well cut along this line with a jigsaw to make it a piddling wider.)

Build a DIY Large Circle Cutting Jig for a Bandsaw - Cutting Kerf

Pace Five

Go out the plywood in identify and position the flake one×2 on the underside of the plywood piece confronting the saw bed. Secure the 1×ii using glue and ii″ brad nails through the elevation of the plywood piece into the 1×2. This slice will act as a terminate once it contacts the saw bed. Remove the plywood piece from the saw bed. (I forgot to photograph this step!)

Footstep Six

With the saw on a level surface, measure the distance from the floor to the top of the saw bed and subtract the height of the casters. For case, the altitude from the floor to the top of my saw bed is 44″. The casters I am using measure 2-3/viii″. The full measurement is 41-five/8″. Cutting 2 2×iv pieces at this length. Secure the casters to one terminate of each 2×iv slice.

Build a DIY Large Circle Cutting Jig for a Bandsaw - Casters on Legs

Step Vii

Secure the hinges to the opposite end of each slice. Secure the hinges to the lesser of the plywood piece with the sides of the the legs flush with the sides of the plywood.

Cut a 2×iv piece to fit between the legs. I drilled pocket holes in each stop and secured the slice to the legs using 2-1/2″ pocket hole screws. If you lot do not take a pocket hole jig, the bracing tin be cut longer to overlap both legs then secured in identify using 2-1/2″ screws. (I did non photo this step, either!)

Build a DIY Large Circle Cutting Jig for a Bandsaw - Hinges on Legs

Build a DIY Large Circle Cutting Jig for a Bandsaw - Hinges on Jig

To cut circles with the jig:

Measure from the saw kerf on the jig along the horizontal line and make a mark indicating the radius of the circumvolve you are cut. Drill a 1/8″ hole on the line. Insert a covering boom through the hole on the underside of the jig.

Build a DIY Large Circle Cutting Jig for a Bandsaw - Radius Hole

Build a DIY Large Circle Cutting Jig for a Bandsaw - Roofing Nail

Locate the center of the slice that will be cutting in a circle. I usually draw lines from corner to corner of a foursquare slice. Where they intersect is the center. Drill a 1/8″ pigsty. Cut the fabric into a hexagon shape so that it will easily laissez passer the debate.

Place the piece that will be cut into a circle on the jig with the roofing boom through the hole. Turn the saw on and slide the jig in the miter slot until the stop on the underside of the jig makes contact with the saw bed. Pivot the material on the roofing smash while on the jig as the saw cuts the material into a circumvolve!

Build a DIY Large Circle Cutting Jig for a Bandsaw - Completed Circle

Click here to get to another post I wrote nearly cut circles on a bandsaw with a jig. This is ane of the easiest means I know to cutting circles of any size! Have whatsoever questions nigh how to build a DIY large circle cutting jig for the bandsaw? Leave a comment below!

Originally posted 2016-06-20 08:00:24.

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Source: https://designsbystudioc.com/build-diy-large-circle-cutting-jig-bandsaw/