orepass

I have on completed two circular projects, the first an Arts and Craft Side table and the second a similar design out of Walnut. The first attempt at cutting a circle was made using a jig and band saw and I was none to impressed with he result. Here’s a link to that blog post and If I recall correctly the limited amount that I write of that experience tells you it did not go well. When a similar project came up for the Walnut side table I took a little more time to research and come up with a plan that would have better results.

The jig I used was in a fine woodworking article, 4 Jigs for a Fixed Base, September-October 2014. It’s fairly simple and consists of a plywood arm with the Router mounted on one end and a pin that becomes the pivot point for the arm. Taking some 1/2” plywood I drew out the arm and cut it out with he bandsaw and drilled the necessary holes.

The jog looks like this when it is ready for action. I wasn’t quite sure how to connect it to the table top and departed drilling a hole directly into the top. Instead I mounted a couple of trips of blue tape to the table top and another couple of strips to a block in which I drilled the pivot hole and used superglue between the tape. That way I could peel the block off the top and leave not trace. It worked great.

although the jig worked and I was able to make a nice circular edge I do think that the jig was a little lose around the pin. when i use the jig again I think I will reinforce the hole to ensure it remains steady.