Band Saw Circle Cutting Jig - Winky's Woodworking Tips
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- čas přidán 28. 07. 2024
- This band saw jig is makes easy work of cutting circles. It's inexpensive and easy to make with very basic materials. It's also well within the ability of most novices woodworker and can cut an infinite range of diameters between 3 and 42 inches or even larger!
- Jak na to + styl
I'm only about a minute into the video and I feel I have to comment. I am absolutely impressed by the fact that you have an exact list of what's needed for this project before you get on to making it. So very few other youtube channels do this since they tend to improvise with scrap wood and other jigs in their tutorials. This gets a thumbs up from me already. Keep on being awesome!
best explanations of what will happen if the pin isn't parallel to the blade and other very important and useful details/tips. love it.
Brilliant - one of the best circle cutting jigs I've seen. I'm going to make one to cut templates for young nursery children to draw circles on paper. The hole will enable drawing through the circle for patterns and even notches around the circumference to draw polygons etc. I like the use of inexpensive readily available parts to make it and tips on setting the pin. First class Mark.
Thanks!
I made a very similar circle cutting jig a couple of years ago. I used it for several projects and it performs flawlessly. I debated whether to make a circle cutting jig for both a router and for my tablesaw but opted to make one for my bandsaw. Glad I did. The time it takes to setup and cut is minimal compared to the other two methods. Great video and Great jig!!!
Thanks for the comment. I agree... very easy to use. I made a crude jig for my router also. With a good router bit you can make a very smooth contoured edge.
Watched your video and finally got round to making one, thank you for the inspiration, had it a week and dont know how i've lived without it!
Thanks a lot Winky. Just finished my circle jig. Works great. I left my 3/4" blade in the bandsaw and just cut a 6" circle without a hickup! Works great.
Thanks for the comment! That's great. That's a small circle with a wide blade. The teeth must have a lot of set.
It's a Lenox Trimaster with carbide teeth!
Excellent, I liked your fine adjustment screw for handling the different blade widths… Bob
Winky, I have just completed your circle cutting jig to help me build Jay Bates' Cyclone Dust collector Stand. I was quite apprehensive about using it but it worked just as you said. Easy to adjust and easy to use and turns out a great product. Thanks so much for the guidance Chasguy
Thanks Chas - you made my day! Too bad you can't post pictures, I'd love to see how it turned out.
Thanks, for the jig video, Winky. I've just cut my first circle, which comprised of two pieces. One being melamine, 16mm, and the other MDF, 12mm, with a diameter of 300mm. The project is for a Longworth Chuck. Although I'll be smoothing the face on the lathe, I believe I have a perfect circle, as it is. I did make one modification. I removed the carriage bolt spindle, and replaced with an embedded panel pin; meaning I won't have a hole right through. The sequence of the Longworth design necessitated a centre mark only, until a bolt hole was drilled through at completion, to keep both pieces bound together, but able to turn. OK. the jig's an absolute WOW!
This is by far the most impressive circle jig I have ever seen the best j.ventura.dacosta1952@gmail,com.
Thanks the video. I have watched several videos about circle jigs and I think yours is the best. That being said I am now in the process of making one for myself. This thing will come in real handy. Thanks again.
Glad you found the info useful.
Winky's Woodworking Tips Your very welcome. I will finish mine today.
Excellent video! I wish that all of the woodworking videos on CZcams were as thorough as yours. I’m a woodworker, myself, but I don’t make videos...maybe some day. Thanks for the informative instruction!
I to have admit you explained very well the important concept of having the cutting edge of the Band saw blade perpendicular to the pivot point.
Thus why you have the adjustment to move that point predicated on the blade width. I have watched many videos on the subject on various ways to make a circle cutting jig. Your is the only one I have seen that address that the gullet I will say of the blade is where the center line of the blade needs to be for an accurate dimension.
Thank you for taking time to creat this video.
Thanks! The adjustment is very useful. I made this video before I ever looked around at other designs. After I posted the video I looked around and I was shocked that none of them had the adjustment.. actually most did not slide into the cut either. Thanks again for the comment. You might also want to check out my cross cut sled. Super easy to build compared to most and using my construction methods will insure a more accurate sled.
My update: I have made the Jig and it worked superbly first time.
I employed most of the design details with a few modifications. Eg. the single slot shelf support I got was deeper and had to be cut down but was fine then. The adjustment screw was easier for me as my smaller band saw table has a slot in the front scale which allowed me to position the adjusting screw in this slot which also retains the jig assembly from lifting up.
The advice about setting the centre pin in relation to the blade was invaluable and as such, the first 8 inch circle I tried in a piece of 6mm MDF was exact.
I am really pleased with the result.
So glad you benefited from this video. This video is 9 yrs old now and this channel has been replaced with another I created. The new channel is both working with Wood and Metal - Check it out, you might like it.
Great video. I like how clear and thorough you are in showing how to build and operate the jig. I'm sure a lot of people will learn from what you're showing. From one CZcams woodworker to another, thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the great compliment!
Genius in its simplicity. Thanks for sharing. I just got a new bandsaw and this jig will be in my shop very soon!
Winky's Woodworking Tips -- My wife asked me to make a couple 23 1/2" circles for an ottoman that she wants to re-stuff. I watched several videos for making the band saw circle jig and yours is the one I followed. It was fairly simple to do and I thank you for taking the time to make this video. I did a couple small circles as tests before doing the 23 1/2" one. The small ones were successful (and had the proper dimensions). I was amazed at how easy they were to do. I then tackled the first of the 2 larger ones with great success. I must purchase the material for the 2nd large one. That's tomorrow's agenda. Thanks again for an excellent tutorial.
+Steve Gronsky Thanks Steve! Smaller circles seem to be a bit more critical than larger ones. I cut a 3 foot circle in acrylic the other day and it worked great. Heck... you could cut a 10 foot circle as long as you have a way to support the material. Thanks for the positive comment.
Very well made Winky and your instructions are easy to follow
I completed my jig this weekend and it works great. This is the best tutorial I have found on CZcams for this project.
Thanks JimmyDee, that's a great compliment!
A very good jig I will have to make one
Thanks for sharing
James
I have looked at several videos and I think yours is the best jig I have seen. I especially like that you made it from materials you already had. I think most of us are in that budget group. Use what you have and save money.
Thanks Mark, and you are right. No need spending a bunch of money when you don't need to. I think what also sets my design apart from the others is simplicity and the depth stop. Some of the other designs I've seen are way overly complicated.
Nice job. You made it pretty clear , how to. I liked the end , "how to not screw up your top!" Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for a brilliant video. I have learned so much in a short time. I am saving your video to view again to make my own circle cutting jig. 👍🏾
Awesome stuff, Thanks ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
thanks a lot... your the only one who stated the pin location... i've been try to make some circles all day and it never worked until i adjusted my pin as you instructed thanks....
good day sir i must say this is the best ,simplest and cheapest jig i have seen im going to make one just like this for my band saw thanks so much for shearing
Thanks you and you are welcome, this channel has been slowing down and I'm moving the content to Winky's Workshop. It has a combination of woodworking and metal working. Check is out. Thanks again. czcams.com/channels/f4EaCarZUA0IrfQnYhnekA.html
Looks like I found this weekend's project. Well-explained, Sir. Thanks so much.
Congratulations on a simple but brilliant jig. It is so easy to make from odd ends around the shop. I made one from the Woodsmith PBS TV show and I've scrapped it thanks to your design. Steel is at a premium, so I just used a piece of one by two for the underside of the clamp (works fine) and I used a couple of toilet flange bolts (on hand) for the clamping screws. You have no idea how happy I am with this jig - thanks so much.
That's about the best compliment yet! Thanks. Also the toilet bolts are perfect, I never thought of that. Thanks again.
Really well done video! Thank you for sharing.
Very ingenious - well done!
Just found your tips Winky, I am new to woodworking so any tips help. And your circle cutting jig is exceptional.More power to your jigs!
Regards
Jim (OZ)
Yep, a very good idea. I mentioned this at the end of the video but thanks for your input.
Works perfectly! I also plan on using a hardwood slide as mine is made out of 1/2" MDF as opposed to 3/4 plywood. (3/4 was just overkill for my little 10" bench-top.) In the meantime I just drilled 1/4" deep holes .and marked them every inch and just move the pin (cut off nail). I also only drill the hole in the stock half way through so the hole doesn't show. THANKS!
Thank you for this video, I also have a craftsman band saw ,I bought a circle cutting attachment at a pawn store and it was a real pain,, after seeing your video with the same saw I have ,I had to build it.your circle cutting fixture was easy yo build and works great.
Excellently produced video tutorial & very comprehensive. Just what I need for whirligig construction. Many thanks.
Whirligig are cool... on my list to explore in the future.
Thanks for taking the time to create this video. It's my next shop project. Well done.
Great presentation and your detail explanation was easy to follow. Thank you for taking the time to make this video.
Hi! It's the best band saw circle cutting jig I've seen! Thanks for sharing!
+Resolute Thanks for the compliment. This project and my crosscut sled are my first youtube videos. In hindsight I should have made them shorter but I think the designs are superior to most.
Good stuff Wink
WOW!! I want to thank you very much for sharing your knowledge sir, this jig is what I was looking for, please keep on sharing and thank you again!! :)
just got ryobi 9 in band saw this video sure makes this look very easy thank you for the post
I'm impressed with this video's simple presentation.
I need to make several 18" x 3/4" plywood dummy-weight discs for my son's gym (for training) and will make this jig which will be less fuss than using a router jig which I've used in the past.
Mice Jig Winky and well explained. Keep up the good work.
great video. i have the same bandsaw so this jig is just the trick. look forward to future videos.
Nicely done!
Well done. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent video. Thanks.
Great video and clear instructions. Thanks for taking the time to make the video.
Thanks for taking the time to thank me! And you are welcome.
Just made this jig, and I really like the design. I used a hardwood slide instead of a shelf bracket and a 3/8 clevis pin for the center post. I was looking for a jig to make bowl blanks. The jig I saw for sale on line cost almost $140 by the time you get all the accessories necessary for bowl blanks. I made this for just a few dollars of hardware, and it works great!
Hello Mark, glad you liked the jig. I never thought about using it for turning blanks but it would work great for that. Throat height on your band saw would be the first limiting factor but even most small band saws are capable of 4 or 5 inches. I'm curious about two aspects. First, how did you clamp the hardwood slide and second, where do they sell a jig like this? I've never seen one on the market.
Winky's Woodworking Tips
I was looking at the AccuRight circle cutting jig on line. It works in a similar way, but as it is not built on a board, it needs a support block (at additional cost) and a blank creation add on as well. The jig I made based on your design worked perfectly. I clamped the slide exactly as you described - with a pair of flat head bolts. They do tend to turn when I tighten the wing nuts from below, so I may change to "T" bolts at some point.
great video, made your jig and had to readjust so the pin was even with the back of the blade, as you describe, after which it worked well, sure is better than freehanding it.
Good stuff Mork
Came across your vid by accident....very well explained, shown and made. A pleasure to watch
Thanks, I definitely appreciate the complement. Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for the video! Great idea.
This was l felt a well delivered and well shot video.
Great, thank you very much.
Very well done video.
I love it. I put a 5/8 inch hole where the blades runs so the sawdust can be sucked out. Otherwise I made it just like you did.
Gary Killmer Glad it worked well for you Gary... good idea with the hole, especially if you have a dust collector or vacuum.
I have that same bench vise, bought mine in 1978.
Thanks, I made one using hard wood runners on both sides and it works extremely well. Your instructions made it very easy to make mine.
+4vinos That's great! I'm glad the video was helpful.
best band saw circle cutting jig video i have watched. Good job. Love the stop you use and the explanation.
Thanks Kelly
Thanks for sharing
Good work my friend good tips
I just found your channel by accident today and I like your video technique and quality. I subscribed and look forward to other videos. Thanks for sharing.
Seen a lot of different ideas on here but this one has too be the best ,
Thanks Kevin.
Best jig of all.
Excellent video. I’m going to build this one………
Well done 👍
I would first like to let you know that your style of video is a refreshing one. Seems a lot of people who get more and more views seem to try and get more views by adding bells and whistles that in my opinion are not needed . So very refreshing to see you do an excellent video with great lighting, sound and clear explanation.
I have made my jig simular to yours but used all wood accept for the nut and the bolt. Just finished it last night and my blade was wondering off to the outside of the circle with my big blade so I switched out blade to my finer one and still same problem BUT not as bad . Well I gave up on it it was getting late and decided to sleep on it and look on here to see if I could get some ideas . Well your info on the position of pin makes sense so will get to garage and figure it out.
Thanks for the comment. Yeah, at the end of the video I explain which way to move table (pin) if it tries to get larger (it's too deep). The narrow blade will make the adjustment less critical. A 1/2" blade will cut about an 8 inch circle but the type of blade can also effect this.
Winky's Woodworking Tips thanks Winky. After sleeping on it I went out to garage with a clear head and noticed that my rubber wheel was starting to lift on in a couple places. I used crazy glue and all issues gone. So I guess the rubber was causing things to bind up. . All good now
Thanks for the great video. Mine new jig works perfectly cutting 6" diameters out of 2x10's. I also need to cut 9" diameters out of 2x10's on a 30° angle, so one edge (the bottom) will be 9" in diameter, the other (top) will be 8". If I use the jig I just built and tilt my bandsaw table to 30° I have to cut a new blade path. If I do that an approximate ⅜" section of the plywood will be removed. The blade will be able to "flex" so I do not know if that will create a problem. Have you or anyone else tried doing this?
Thanks, Winky!
Nice jig. I built one today. Works great! I used t-bolts for the hold downs, so the bolts can't spin. Thanks
The T-bolts are a good idea. I tried to utilize a U-bolt (the squared off ones) but they were a bit to thick. It might have worked if I used one made with 1/8-inch rod but the T-bolts sound like a better approach. Thanks for posting.
The hole for the blade will also work nice when I try to tilt the table to cut a bevel on the edge. I have a lot of ideals for using circles, like round cribbage boards.
Gary Killmer Now that is something I have never tried... but that should work well!
Very nice and helpful. It is - up till this moment - the best jig i saw for this work. Gona make it. :-)
Thanks.
Thanks for the compliment Bob.
Yes, a hole in the middle of a table top is not so good. Try making a short pin and drilling the hole part way through.
I will be making one went to Depot and got all the materials i needed to make the jig Thanks for the insight
Winky, When it's completed I will try to post a picture or two for you and Jay. Chas
Sound great!
Well-thought out video. I like the materials list, and really appreciate the hints on where to set the pivot point relative to the blade gullet.
Two minor complaints: your plywood has twist in it, and, for newbies, NEVER pull a piece towards you after cutting it on the router table. That practise can cost you fingers.
Thanks. Yeah, the wood was warped. This was the second jig I made. I made this one just to make the video. I was being frugal with my wood. I didn't want to waste a good piece of wood on a jig I didn't need. You are right about backing up on the router table. I should have turn the router off.
If you cut your pin just proud of the jig's surface, you wouldn't have to drill completely through most stock. This would leave one side of the circle without a visible hole in the center.
very clever
Thanks, I,m cutting 2-1/2" and 9" circles and the smaller ones give me more trouble probably because I was just using a stop without any adjustment. Like how you used the joint connector bolts as locking method on the track.
David Leclerc You are welcome. Smaller circles are a challenge and the depth is critical. Use the narrowest blade you can find.
Hey, at 0:25, you said you were going to build a circle cutting jig for my band saw. Where is it? I'm still waiting for it. If it doesn't get here soon, I'll have to make my own.
Looks brilliant. I wonder if I made one heavy duty enough it would cut steel on my metal cutting Startrite vertical bandsaw?
Good question. I'm guessing it would work fine as long as you don't try to go too small.
How smooth does a bandsaw like this cut? I bought a 14" saw and the cut is rough even using a 10 tpi 3/4" blade
I made my key for my table saw sled and the circle cutter out of UHMW plastic . I purchased a cutting board at Walmart and made my keys . all hardwood keys are affected by moisture . i made my sled in the winter and it is not usable in the summer due to humidity.
+Norman Bernier you are right about runners swelling. On the band saw circle jig it's not very critical but on the cross cut sled it can be. I haven't had much trouble with mine. I probably left enough clearance but the small dimension of the runner helps too. I'm guessing you would not see much more than a .002" to .004" maximum which is really very good for woodworking. I've heard people say, "I got my sled within .001"" which I find a bit comical. Have you ever tried to measure wood with a micrometer? It's unrealistic to expect much more than plus or minus .003
The problem with UHMW is finding a method to attach the runners. Screws swell the plastic if you get the pilot hole too small and it's hard to machine accurately. Delrin would be ideal but a bit pricey.
How do you make those grooves without a router?
Those having humidity issues with wood runners might find that beeswax or wood butter will help. So for that matter will auto wax.
Just made one of these works fine for a bit then the blade just stops .what am i doing wrong .? i can only assume i didnt get the centre right
Winky do you really need to cut a slot in the plywood for the miter runner, because i am making one and just glued the runner on the surface , do you think this will be ok? i forgot i needed to do that, give me an answer, thanks
I'd say the glued on guide will be fine unless you get real big in diameter although I think a few small nails or screws might be a good idea.
I like your videos. Thanks for putting them out,
Do you mean the center of the pin at the back of the teeth?
Yes, although this is a starting point and you may have to move the table ahead or back to get a perfect cut. Also narrow blades are more forgiving especially when cutting circle under 6 inches.
Winky's Woodworking Tips Thanks much
Very nice jig. Is there a way to do with plexiglass? - without a hole in the middle?
You have to have a hole but you can shorten the pin and drill the hole half way through.
Can you use double side tape and attach the plexiglass to a piece of plywood with a hole in it.
winky imade the circle jig and it came out just fine the only issue i am having is getting the right measurement for my circles, do you have any idea, should i measure even with the pin or in the front of the pin or the back or even with it?
Just measure from the center of the pin to the blade. unless you are too far forward or back this should be fairly accurate (radius). The wider blades are more difficult especially on a smaller circle, they tend to cut a spiral if the depth is not exactly right although if this is happening you notice that the cut doesn't line up when you complete your circle.
I know this is old but once you cut a circle you can attach a corresponding stick on tape measure to the side of the rail for repeated accurate cuts. 6” = 12” circle etc.
very nice, but I don't want a hole in the center..
Hi there, Thanks so much for the video. I built it today, and I must ask how critical the size of the blade is. I used a 1/2 inch blade and it didn't work work at all. Then I went to a 1/8 inch blade and it worked fine. Was the difficulty with the larger blade because I didn't have the table set back (or forward) from the teeth properly? Thanks!
Ted Backes Thanks for asking. Yes the table position is much more critical with a wider blade but it also has to do with the how much set the blade teeth have. The 1/2" blade I used worked fairly well down to about 8 inch but the table position is fairly critical. A 1/4" blade works down to about 3" or so. It's not an exact science and quite often I make test cuts. Even blade tracking can change the results. Remember, if the circle is getting larger move the table back and of course the opposite if the circle is getting smaller. Even moving the table 1/16" can make a significant difference. Sorry you had trouble but it sounds like you are on the right track.
Could you please suggest really good quality band saw? Thank you
This depends on what you are going to use it for. From my personal experience both my 12-inch Craftsman and the 14-inch Delta I used for a while did very well. Setting up the band saw correctly is probably the most important part. Now if you plan on re-sawing things become much more critical. Oh... and I would stay away from most 3 wheel band saws. I'm sure there might be a few good ones out there but the ones I have experienced are junk.
nice job, "CZcams Star" ! SEE YOU LATERS! Adorbs!
I bought a band saw (Einhell TC- Sb 200), When I try to cut some woods. İt is problem. Sometimes in straight cuts, sometimes in circular cuts.Should the saw be tight or loose When I cut straigh or circuler cuts.. I am trying to adjust the fence part of the saw and when I squeeze, the scale breaks. How can I solve this problem. Thanks
The blade needs to be tight. There are usually published setting for each blade width. Setting up the blade guides is very important. Back off all guides set the tension and let the saw blade run the saw for a moment. Now set the side blocks, they need to touch the full width of the blade excluding the teeth. The blocks need to touch the blade but without pressure. Now the bearings that support the back of the blade should be set to touch the blade without deflecting it. No band saw will cut perfectly straight but setting the guides correctly will help a lot. Most often the fence will have to be skewed a little while resawing.
Does this jig work with the table tilted?
+XFBO Interesting question, I've never tried doing this but I don't see a reason why it would not.
+Winky Thanks for the quick reply! I happen to have the exact or very similar bandsaw, after looking/measuring its tolerances and looking at your design, there would be clearance issues with the width of the board. Looks like the widest I can go is 15" wide rather than your recommended 24", which I liked the idea of a sturdier table top. At the moment, my primary use for this jig will be for making economy bowl blanks, that's why I need the table to tilt to 45 degrees. Thanks again!
The throat depth would be one limiting factor but when tilting you would lose some blade height also. The throat depth only limits the "off cut" (waste) size. Bowl blanks is an excellent use for the circle jig! I'm no expert on turning bowls but starting out close to round is a huge plus!
I like your design better than the previous one I had bookmarked to make, but you can't cut a 42" circle if your throat is less than 21 inches.
Actually you can with this design. The majority of the workpiece never goes inside the throat. You just need to make sure that the excess after your circle cut is not larger than your throat. You may need to prep your blank before with another saw.
+Josef Roesler You can cut any size circle if you provide a way to support the pivot point. Theatrically it would be easy to cut a 30 foot circle provided you have a way to support the weight and have a solid pivot point. Of course you might have to use a jig saw and clip the corners of a square board.I have cut 36-inch circles on my 12 inch band saw many times.
+Dirk Margheim Thanks Dirk, you explained this better than I did. I didn't see your comment before i replied.
+Winky's Woodworking Tips thanks, both of you.
instead of going thru all that why not use a t track with 1/4 -20 carriage bolt and knob and for the pin drill and tap t-track for a screw
The T track would work fantastic although you'd need a locking mechanism. A 1/4 bolt would also work well but the diameter of the pin is smaller and less noticeable.
This idea is simply great, thanks! Bt the way, head over to Woody Hyezmars site, you can google his name, he’s giving away his woodworking book, I think still…
u just loose height anyway do do it and not loose the height ill be doin 6 in or 5 in blanks not much gap
Do it yourself, visit the Woodglut website and find out how.