Big Bandsaw Circles

On my bench this weekend you may have seen a nice sized circle as part of the project. Here is is being cut on the bandsaw. The only major drawback to trying to do this on the bandsaw is how do you start the cut since you are starting with a square blank bigger than the radius? This jig opens and closes and is attached to my side extension table. For small circles (lathe stuff) I can just start my sled back and push the whole jig into the cut, but once I gett bigger than about a 12" radius this proves impractical. Here is a 48" circle almost complete and below the picture is a link to the jig itself and basically how it works. Sure is alot faster than using a router and every bit as true.



http://s115.photobucket.com/albums/n313/postcromag/Jigs and Mods/Bandsaw Circles/

Great Idea Sam! Gives me even more incentive to install my Aigner extension table. It's still sitting in the box (Guess I hate the idea of drilling into the new MM20 table top!).

Can you explain a bit more on how you use your jig? Do you clamp it down parallel to the extension table? Do you initiate the cut and then immediately slide the jig a slight bit more TOWARD the blade and then lock in in place?

Am I correct in thinking that the circle is going to become a poker table you'll use to teach Antonia Texas Hold'em?

Very cool Sam. Really deals with the leading cut problem very well.

Jeff Wright said:

... Can you explain a bit more on how you use your jig? Do you clamp it down parallel to the extension table? Do you initiate the cut and then immediately slide the jig a slight bit more TOWARD the blade and then lock in in place?

Am I correct in thinking that the circle is going to become a poker table you'll use to teach Antonia Texas Hold'em?

Click to expand...

The jig has a point it rotates around on the extension table behind the point you want the workpiece to rotate around. Start with the piece pulled back (jig open postion) and plunge into the cut until the jig closes (hits the stop clamped to side of extension table. At this point you now have a fixed point that the piece can rotate around. Aigner actually makes something similar for $120 or so, but I made mine with scrap in about 10 minutes, and mine doesn't have a limited range of motion like the Aigner one.

As for Antonio and Texas hold em... You talking about how to hold a Texas Skew on the lathe (that'd be an axe to y'all). That I can teach him. He's already been for a ride on the slider and stood on the lathe while being fascinated with a shiny four jaw chuck.

sam, is that circle sized for my warped panels?

tod evans said:

sam, is that circle sized for my warped panels?

Click to expand...

I thought the two would go well together, two of your panels would make a great base for a circular table, don't you think? So go ahead and send me two.

I remember as a kid being pulled behind a ski boat while I was riding on a 'saucer' that looked much like what you are cutting out. We used to get up on it and place a kitchen stool on it and sit down . . . to other boaters it appeared as if I was riding a stool in the water - they couldn't really see the saucer from a distance. Ahhh, those great days as a kid on the Chesapeake Bay!