Holes and circles with a router

Messages
2,323
Location
Houston, Texas
Making the circles or the holes is a good trick to have in your mental tool box.
#1 Make a wooden (I use 3/4" ply as I can attach extensions onto that ply) rectangle that is about 20" long and wide enough to mount your router to. (from this time on we will call this wooden piece the Plate).

#2 Put a mortising bit in your router, 3" X 1/2" shank with a 1/2" d. cutter is what I use in this plunge router.

#3 Attach your router to the Plate at one end.


Wear your Safety Glasses

#4 Make sure the router is secure and the bit is in tight, now plunge the 1/2'' bit down through the Plate that the router is attached to.

#5 With the router turned off, adjust the bit depth almost flush with the bottom of the Plate, so it is just sticking out through the bottom of the Plate about 1/8".


If you want to cut a 15" hole;

#6 Lay the router and Plate on their side with the router on the right and the majority of the Plate to the left.

#7 Using a measuring device, start at the right side of the cutting bit, measure to the left 7 1/2" and make a mark. This will be the distance of half of a 15" hole. I use a Lufkin X46 6' Red End in this photo.

#7a. Take a #6 (2") bright finish nail and cut off the head with your side cutters or what ever you use.

#8 Insert the headless nail into the chuck and drill/burn a hole through the 3/4" plate at the place marked (7 1/2"). Try your best to go straight through with your drilling. Don't force the nail just apply reasonable pressure.

#9 When drilling is complete retract the mortising bit so that the plate will sit flush on the table.

#10 Take a new headed #6 bright finish nail and gently tap it into the pre-drilled/burned hole in the Plate, with the point headed toward the bottom of the plate.

#11 Get the piece you are intending to cut the hole into and consider how you can cut all the way through the piece without ruining something good supporting it. I usually elevate it on 3/4" sacrificial strips that stick out on the ends so I can secure the strips to my table with clamps or screws. If you use screws put none under the piece you are routing unless you are very sure of their placement and the routing path. :rolleyes:

#12 Secure the piece with screws out side the finished hole and if you don't intend to use the circle secure it with screws too.

#13 Determine the center and make a mark.

#14 With and awl or a nail make an indentation for a starting point.

#15 Raise the Plate and tap the nail through the Plate at the 7 1/2" mark so about 1" of the point is sticking out. (this makes it easier to get the nail centered on the piece you want to cut out.)

#16 Set the nail into the indentation and tap it in securely but not all the way through the piece you will be cutting.

#17 Swivel the router around in a counter clockwise manner to see what obstacles may hinder your path.

#18 Turn on the router, allow it to get up to speed, then plunge down about 1/4'' secure to that depth and revolve the plate and router to cut the first pass.

#19 When completed with the first pass, plunge a bit deeper and secure at depth, revolve again.

#20 Take your time and repeat plunging until all the way through.

#21 Your results should leave you with a 15" hole and a 14" circle.

What ever the results are, mark the nail hole on your Plate with the exact finished dimensions it cut (measured after you are finished) so you have that number accurately recorded.

Shaz:)

Next ...The circle to fit the hole.

__________________
 
Last edited:
Thanks for a really great and detailed 'how to' post Shaz. I love this stuff.

P.s. What kind of router is that, out of curiosity?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Glenn :wave:,
Thanks for the feedback from the other thread. I am trying to hone the "how to" for clarity and simplicity as ideas can come across muddled and confusing. It is that way with me when someone starts talking computers.
Oh By the way, would one of the Mods delete the thread that mimics this one and is called holes and circles Test. Have no idea how it came about:dunno:...Thanks, also, guess this should be shifted to jigs and fixtures? Your call.
Shaz:)
The router is a ryobi, about 15 years old, designated for circles and holes:rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
"I am trying to hone the "how to" for clarity and simplicity as ideas can come across muddled and confusing."

Shaz,

Thanks for posting this. Two suggestions: you may not need a picture for every step, but more pictures would be most helpful. The next thing sounds silly but is really important: hit return a couple times between each step. It's not just my old eyes that want white space. My brain needs that space to process each step individually...

Thanks,

Bill
 
Hi Bill :wave:,
Thanks for that input. That is valuable stuff you shared. Both good suggestions and worth using. :thumb:


Shaz :)
P.S. just added spacing but some unknown entity added lines under some of the post!
Where does that stuff come from?
 
Last edited:
Hi Greg :wave:,
Can't thank you enough for all your help. Being aware of ways to improve allows us the chance to make the choice as to whether we want to improve or not.:rolleyes:
Our conversation was enlightening. Appreciate it!
Shaz :)


To the Family woodworkers,
This tutorial is not for me. Please be encouraged to assist in making this a tutorial that will be clear and simple for the newest woodworkers as well as the more skilled. If you do not find this clear then someone else will be confused too. This is not my tutorial, it is our tutorial. Left to just me, I may very well be the only one who understands it. :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
Okay folks, lets have a go at that circle with a router.

#1 Get a #6 finish nail and cut the head off it.
Making of a circle 001.jpg

#2 Take this headless nail and chuck it up in your drill.
Making of a circle 002.jpg

#3 Measure, then mark the spot that will serve as the center point of your circle (the radius). I am measuring to 4 1/2" from that cutting edge of the router bit that will be cutting the circle rather than the other side of the bit that would be cutting the hole. In this case we are making a 9" circle.
Making of a circle 003.jpg

#4 Drill the hole and insert a nail so as to be able to mark the drilled hole on the top side of the plate. I mention this for those who have more than a few holes drilled in the plate.
Making of a circle 004.jpg

#5 Insert a nail in through the top side of the plate and put it's point into an indentation made in the center of a piece of 1/4" plywood.
Making of a circle 005.jpg

The plywood needs be secured so as not to move. The strips which raise the plywood off the work surface need be secured too. Visual clarity can be seen in # 9.

#6 Start the cut and rotate counterclockwise. Be sure the nail is driven securely into the piece you are cutting. Try being aware of the twisting of the cords, the depth of cut and other things that may cause a problem. Be alert and aware of your surroundings.
Making of a circle 006.jpg

#7 Continuing the cut, just a little bit deeper.
Making of a circle 007.jpg

#8 Plunge deeper still.
Making of a circle 008.jpg

#9 Here is a look at the finished circle, cut and still secured. Notice the center nail hole would be set into the center 3/4" plywood strip as well as the 1/4" circle. Notice the screws are set away from where the router bit path is. Here we have a 9" circle and a 10" hole.
Making of a circle 009.jpg

#10 This is a photo of the 9" x 1/4" plywood circle fitting into a previously cut 9" hole.
Making of a circle 010.jpg

So far so good?
Shaz :)
 
Last edited:
Great tutorial Shaz. I use my router for cutting holes anytime I need a large hole! It would be great if we could start a library on the forum for these type of tutorials. They are really helpful.
 
Thanks, Shaz:thumb:
Thank you... S


Great tutorial Shaz. I use my router for cutting holes anytime I need a large hole! It would be great if we could start a library on the forum for these type of tutorials. They are really helpful.

Hi Ed :wave:, Thanks for the encouragement.
I agree. Tutorials can be very wonderful if they are understood.

I have trouble with many tutorials because they seem to leave out something. It is probably something they think is "common knowledge:dunno:". It seems in many cases I am missing the "common knowledge :huh::rolleyes:" so I get lost.

Help me make sure this tutorial is not too simple and not too ambiguous. Thorough would be just fine. :D

Greg has given me some very good help, but different points of view never hurt. ...S
Being able to make a hole the size you want, or a circle the dimension you need can be rewarding. Fitting the circle into a hole you made is very satisfying, especially when it is a good fit.
Don't let this idea die as just a circle with a hole. Push it. What can it be used for? A donut is a circle with a hole as is a DVD :eek:.

What are some ideas where the circle can be used or the hole. (Don't mention donuts or DVDs. That's my material!:rofl::rofl: )

Shaz :)
 
Top