How I cut round holes with a jigsaw. I’m sharing a proven method that my father-in-law told me

Hello everyone, dear friends. This is rather my last article here, I think it will be interesting to many. I encountered the following problem: I needed to make an even circle in the plywood under the speakers, but there were no tools for this, this device was invented. The device is very simple, anyone can make it, and it is very easy to use.

For this “device” we need:

- a board 20-30 cm, thickness 2-3 cm - two self-tapping screws - a screwdriver - and something in which the hole will be made

You screw one screw into the middle of the board or a little closer to the edge, as convenient

Next, measure the required diameter, measure it on the board and mark it, screw in the second screw

This is roughly what it should look like

Now we screw the central screw through into the plywood, and slightly unscrew the second one so that its “sting” sticks out slightly from the board.

And we begin to rotate the board, thereby cutting through the board or whatever you call it

Each time, as soon as the board becomes easy to move, we screw the screw in a little inside, and thereby cut further and further into the circle

Here is the final result, the hole has already been cut, everything is perfectly smooth, if desired, you can sand it to give a smoother surface

That's all, we cut an even circle without any costs or special tools.

How to make a round hole in chipboard?

There are a couple of columns to be made, but I still haven’t learned how to cut with a jigsaw. Why does Caliber lead the file to the left? Fiolent is even stable in this regard. How can you make a hole for a speaker with a diameter of about cm. Using a jigsaw with a compass tool!

I just don’t know if there is such a device for the Chinese. A router, with a similar device, if you have a router. Well, actually, using a jigsaw is easiest. Just take a new file and cut without strong feed. If you have a milling machine, then you can use it. The set includes a special lever for circular cuts. And take a small finger cutter. Mill halfway on one side, then on the other. There are also special compass devices for drills.

Enough for 25 cm. But there you need a good stop for the drill, a stand is better. Again, if the chipboard is wide, then the depth of the cutter may not be enough. Then you can try it on both sides. In general, making good speakers is a great skill, incl.

I’m talking about your words - “but I never learned how to saw with a jigsaw.” I make it for myself, so any will be good. I don't have a router. Where to look for them, approximate cost. Such compasses are called “Device for cutting large diameter holes”, or a jig for drilling large diameter holes. In short, this is a special bushing with a drill shank and a cone for centering.

The bushing has a through hole across it into which a long rod is inserted. At the end of this rod there is a rectangular hole for the cutter with a screw for tightening. The diameter of the hole is adjusted by the position of the rod in the sleeve. Set it as needed and secure the rod in the bushing with a clamping bolt.

Well, actually drill. We have seen such devices many times in construction markets. That's where you need to look. This is not homemade, someone makes it on an industrial scale. If you need to make a careful selection for recessing the head flange, which is correct, and for HF it is absolutely necessary, then perhaps this is only with a router. As for the front panel, take Nickel's good advice. Also, a spacer in the case itself would not hurt, especially if it is large and the walls are thin, and the coating with vibration and sound absorbers. I did this.

Types of products and their features

Let's look at what options you can find in our retail network and how they differ from each other.

Feather drills

The most common and budget option, which is quite convenient for even inexperienced craftsmen to work with. And you can also master this simple process with your own hands.

Let's look at the main advantages of this solution:

Large sizes are usually sold individually, small sizes are usually sold in sets.

It is impossible not to mention such an interesting option as an adjustable pen drill; this type of product can make holes with a diameter of 22 to 76 mm. The work is carried out at low speeds using fairly powerful power tools.

Adjustable nib – a new word in products of this type

Forstner drill

This product option is used very widely in furniture production due to a number of undoubted advantages:

Massive nodes are very reliable

Screw drills

This option is very popular among those who drill large-diameter holes in wood to a considerable depth. To use them, you don’t need special instructions; just connect the unit to the power tool and you can start working.

The features include the following:

Spiral fixtures are available in a wide range of sizes

All craftsmen who build log houses use this option.

Circular adjustable designs

The popular name for this device is wood ballerina. The design is a kind of compass, in the middle of which there is a centering drill, and cutting elements move on the crossbar, which can be installed in different positions.

The following factors can be considered features of this solution:

How to cut a circle in plywood without a tool

Usually, in order to cut an even circle from a piece of plywood or board, craftsmen resort to various kinds of routers, use hand or electric jigsaws, and, at worst, take up a hacksaw. Meanwhile, with the help of a simple device, you can cut an absolutely even circle with a circular saw. How to do this in practice, read and see the detailed step-by-step instructions. Before cutting an even circle with a circular saw, make sure you have the necessary materials. You will need very little of the latter:. Step 1: Take a meter and measure the depth, length, and width of the groove on the working part of the table saw. Based on the obtained parameters, cut a block from a piece of plywood of suitable thickness. Step 2.

A little about safety

To protect yourself from injury when working with a jigsaw, following these rules will help:

Carefully study the operating instructions for the tool before using it, check its serviceability and the presence of all components;
stop using unsuitable saw blades;
manual jigsaws cannot be held by the frame; a special handle is provided for this;
In electrical tools, the integrity of the insulation must be checked; its cutting part must be limited by special devices;
When working, you must always use protective equipment - a shield, goggles, a respirator, gloves that will protect you from fine dust and shavings;
at the workplace, be sure to provide good ventilation to remove dust and vapors of paint and varnish substances;
carving is carried out slowly, keeping the distance between the hand and the blade;
all electric heating devices should be located no closer than 5 m to the workplace;
Upon completion of all work, the jigsaw is disconnected from the network.

Perfect circle using a jigsaw

Plywood, unlike other sheet materials, due to its dense and not loose structure, can be easily sawed out and obtained from it into various decorative complex shapes. Possessing a standard set of tools, any home craftsman is able to cut any desired, and even complex, elements from this material. However, in order for the blanks to have a marketable appearance and not interfere with the intended decorative element, you need to take into account some nuances when working with plywood. How to cut an even circle from plywood?

Feather drill

Typically, a feather drill is positioned as a cheap and quite high-quality tool that can be used to drill a hole in chipboard or wood. The length of the shank allows you to go deep into a considerable distance; the choice of diameters up to 70 mm should also please you. However, in our experiment we will also try to make a blind (non-through) hole. So, let's go.

Already at the very beginning of the work, an interesting feature was discovered: on the packaging it was indicated that the drill is intended for drilling 34 mm holes; on the drill itself there is a mark of 32 mm. I had to take a caliper and measure.

The drill actually turned out to be 32 mm, and the indicated figure of 34 mm on the packaging remained a mystery to us for literally the next fifteen minutes. The drill tip allows you to install the tool exactly in the right place, although in our case the drilling did not require it. From the very beginning of work, the pen drill began to bite into the material with enthusiasm (not without our pressure on the drill, of course). After a few seconds, the drill was stopped to make sure that it was possible to make blind holes using a feather drill.

Theoretically, this is possible, but for this you need to have a fairly thick workpiece. Since the pen drill has a long tip, in our case, with a recess of only 6 mm, a small hole of about 2-3 mm appeared in the center on the reverse side.

Drilling a hole in the chipboard yielded the following results (see photo):

Feather Drill Entry Hole

back side

the edges seemed smooth, the inner surface of the hole wall was smooth, and with the stated drill diameter of 32 mm, the hole had a diameter of 31.9 mm. Such results deserve a rating of 5 points out of 5, although this is the first tool and perhaps one of the remaining ones can be even better. In the meantime, we believe that drilling holes in wood, chipboard and other similar materials is quite feasible for a pen drill with good results.

How to cut an even circle from plywood

Electric hacksaw

If you need to cut a round-shaped part and saw a round hole in the workpiece, then an electric hacksaw is the most suitable tool. With its help, you will save effort and time, since such a saw has great advantages over a manual one. Thus, the blade of the electric hacksaw is narrower, which provides increased maneuverability. Further, it has replaceable blades with different teeth, which allows you to process workpieces of any type, that is, wood, plywood, chipboard (it is no coincidence that the tool is also called a jigsaw).

To cut a section inside the workpiece, a hole is first drilled for a hand saw. But if you have an electric hacksaw, then this is not necessary. The tool is brought to the workpiece with a slight tilt forward and turned on in this position. The saw will cut the hole itself. Just don’t put too much pressure on the body - this can lead to breakage of the saw blade.

How can you cut a circle with a jigsaw?

Plywood and, to a lesser extent, other sheet materials such as chipboard or oriented strand board have significant decorative potential. If you have a fairly simple tool and certain skills, you can cut almost anything out of plywood. But in order for the parts obtained as a result of such carving to look quite presentable, the master should have a few tricks in stock. We will talk about them in our article. Curvilinear cutting is difficult only at first glance. When starting to work with sheet materials, many craftsmen only have an idea of how to cut in a straight line. Therefore, the question of how to cut an even circle from plywood can confuse many. And indeed, a regular or circular saw cannot cope with the task.

Ways to minimize chipping

An additional reason for the formation of chips may be misalignment of the saw teeth. Therefore, the first thing you need to do is purchase a tool with a straight cut (often Bosh files). However, it should be taken into account that during prolonged use, such files overheat and may even bend during the cutting process. Therefore, it is necessary to take breaks from work to cool the cutting tool.

However, just replacing the saw blade is not enough and in order to cut laminated chipboard (laminate) with a jigsaw without chipping, you need to make minor modifications to the power tool. Namely, make sure that when the saw moves against the inclination of the tooth, the material does not pull out. For this purpose it is enough to make a persistent platform. You can come to this conclusion by trying to cut two sheets of chipboard at the same time. So there will be practically no chips on the lower element.

In order to make a stop pad for a jigsaw, it is enough to cut out a rectangle from any dense material (for example, laminate) with dimensions identical to the dimensions of the sole of the power tool.

Then, along the larger center line, you should make a notch and secure the resulting equipment to the sole of the jigsaw using insulating tape or double-sided tape. All modifications are ready and finishing work can be carried out in compliance with certain recommendations.

How can you cut a circle with a jigsaw?

VIDEO ON THE TOPIC: How to make a hole for a speaker with a drill

When working with different types of wood, you always need to know the detailed variations in its processing. Before you cut a circle in plywood, you need to know all the options, because you often have to adapt to the situation. There are many options for carrying out such an undertaking, and they differ radically. In order to cut a circle from plywood, you can use both professional tools and improvised means.

Installing a sink in a structure made of other materials

Installing a sink in a countertop made of wood or chipboard is not difficult if you have the required tools and basic handling skills. A countertop made of artificial or natural stone installed in the food preparation area will be more durable. It will look more solid, but it will be more difficult to install a sink into it yourself.

The use of sealant not only prevents unwanted water penetration

When purchasing kitchen furniture with such a surface, it is advisable to have a ready-made product that will only require connection to the water supply and sewerage system.

Sealants containing alcohol are more often used for wood and plastic.

If the sink is purchased separately and requires installation, it is advisable to entrust this work to professionals. In a stone processing workshop, craftsmen will perform the required work without damaging the surface. To do this, they have the appropriate skills and have the entire set of necessary tools.

There is a different sealant for different surfaces.

If you decide to cut a hole in the countertop for the sink yourself, you will need a special tool - a grinder with a diamond wheel. Great care is required when working with this tool. You will need to wear protective gloves on your hands, and protect your face with a special transparent mask.

The sealant is used to prevent moisture from entering the areas of contact between the sink and the countertop.

It is better to do this outdoors, as there will be a lot of dust during the sawing process. The sequence and manipulations performed are similar to cutting a hole in chipboard.

The location for the cutout is selected taking into account the minimum distance for draining water into the sewer and connecting the water supply.

How and with what to cut out curves and circles

Plywood (and to a lesser extent other sheet materials such as chipboard or oriented strand board) has significant decorative potential. If you have a fairly simple tool and certain skills, you can cut almost anything out of plywood. But in order for the parts obtained as a result of such carving to look quite presentable, the master should have a few tricks in stock. We will talk about them in our article.

Curvilinear cutting is difficult only at first glance

Drill saw

Neither a hand saw nor an electric hacksaw will help if you need to cut a small hole in the workpiece - less than 10 cm in diameter. A jigsaw may also be useless if the workpiece is large. In this case, the most suitable tool is a drill saw. With its tip it bites into the wood like a drill and thus makes a “starting” hole for further cutting. Externally, the saw is similar to a round file with the difference that its shaft is surrounded by a spiral around the cutting edge.

Drill saws are available with interchangeable attachments of various diameters, designed for processing both soft and hard wood, as well as a variety of materials made from it.

The working body of a drill saw is a metal rod with a cutting tip, like a gimlet, and a cutting edge that goes around the rod in a spiral.

This is what the narrowest of hand saws looks like. Thanks to the fastening unit, the blades in the hacksaw can be changed depending on the nature of the material being processed.

Cutting Tips

Selecting a tool

When starting to work with sheet materials, many craftsmen only have an idea of how to cut in a straight line. Therefore, the question of how to cut an even circle from plywood can confuse many. And indeed, a regular or circular saw cannot cope with the task. Figure cutting is most often done using the following tools:

Hand jigsaw

Hand jigsaw. The simplest device used for sawing. With the help of a jigsaw, even the most delicate work can be done with your own hands, but for thick material or long cuts it is practically not suitable.
Jigsaws. There are two types of devices you can use here:

regular, with a vertical file;
artistic, in which the role of the cutting element is performed by a steel blade.

Ordinary jigsaws will come in handy when working with thick plywood, for example, when making a bed with your own hands. But if you are looking for a way to cut letters out of plywood or make other complex elements (for example, parts of a children's construction set), then it is best to use a model with a band saw. Model for artistic cutting

Advice! Naturally, for each type of jigsaw there are several types of files and blades. The correct choice of cutting element is a necessary condition for high quality of the product.

In addition to jigsaws, you can use a furniture router for curved cutting. Despite how difficult it is to operate, it is many times superior to most models of plywood saws in terms of the quality of the holes it makes. Using a router, you can make a wonderful rocking chair from sheets of plywood with your own hands.

Special router

A router with a speaker usually already comes with attachments for cutting out circles. This is quite comfortable, but the diameter of the nozzles does not always correspond to the required diameter of the upcoming circle. Therefore, it makes sense to improve the router a little with your own hands.

Improvement is made by making simple overlays. To do this, you need to prepare fiberboard and laminate. These materials will serve as layers that will hold the screw that regulates the diameter. Make markings of the required diameter on the materials and cut them out with a jigsaw or an ordinary knife. Make sure the templates are perfectly identical.

Now you need to mount these pads to the router. First remove the protective cover, after which a circle of fiberboard is applied, which is secured with countersunk screws. They fit flush quite easily. A layer of laminate is attached on top of this, which is also secured with screws, but of a smaller size. Make sure their heads don't show.

During operation, one important point must be taken into account. As a rule, any router has its own size. Therefore, in no case should it be allowed that the edges of the future hole, marked on the interlayers and mounted with screws, do not coincide with the cutting edge of the milling machine. The center of the circle and the fastening central screw must ideally coincide, the edge with the edges of the circle must also be at the same level.

READ Electric reciprocating saw which one to choose

It is very important to be able to correctly select the distance between the center of the cutter and the center of the set screw. So, if you are going to cut a hole, then this distance should be slightly smaller (about the thickness of the edges of the cutter). And if you need the circle itself, and not the hole, then it is best to take the distance a little with a margin.

So, the first method is considered. This is not that difficult to do if you are careful and have some carpentry skills. But still, experts say that working with standard circles, which are included in the corresponding router attachments, is simplified several times.

Shape cutting technologies

Jigsaw

As we noted above, a jigsaw will come in handy if we are looking for how to cut a word out of plywood or make other parts of complex shapes:

We transfer pre-printed drawings or templates onto the workpiece using carbon paper.

Figured carving with a jigsaw: photo of the finished product

If the structure has through sections, we make starting holes with a thin drill.
Insert a file or jigsaw blade into the hole. Secure the free end of the file with a fastening screw or clamp.
We make a cut along the intended line, pressing the workpiece to the workbench. The saw moves either automatically (for electric jigsaws) or manually.

After all the arc elements have been sawn, we remove unnecessary areas and process the finished part with a file or sandpaper.

Finished hole

Fraser

A furniture router is great for cutting out thick plywood. Of course, you can’t make a complex shape with it, but cutting an arc or circle is easy:

We fix the standard ruler included in the router in the center of the circle using a self-tapping screw.
If the length of the ruler is not enough, you can assemble a simple bracket from a metal profile or wooden planks.
By rotating the cutter along a fixed radius, we select a groove along the circumference, resulting in an almost perfect hole.

Bracket for router: with it you can cut a disc of almost any diameter

Note! When calculating the diameter of the circle, you should take into account the dimensions of the working cutter. The instructions for the device will tell you the exact numbers.

In this way, you can cut not only circles, but also individual arcs - for example, in order to make grooves for furniture brackets.

Using improvised means

For shaped elements, it is advisable to have special devices, but any craftsman may need to make a round hole in a slab of laminated veneer. Below we will tell you how to cut a circle from plywood when you have nothing at hand. Well, almost nothing:

To cut plywood, use a wooden strip with two nails.
One nail is driven through the strip into the workpiece, exactly in the center of the hole being made.
We drive the second nail into the bar so that the point protrudes on the wrong side by at least 5-10 mm. The distance from the first nail should be equal to the radius of the hole being made.
Rotating the bar, use the tip to draw a groove on the plywood, deepening it with each turn.
Instead of a stick, you can use a strong cord. The operating principle remains unchanged.

Diagram of "threading" using nails. The sharper the nail used, the faster the hole will be made. It should be noted that although the price of such a device is low, it is worth using it only when other methods are not available: the edges still turn out to be far from ideal.

Templates

Shot glasses, cups, plates, pots or baking dishes - in any household there are many round-shaped objects that can be used to mark a circle. If you are making something and decide to give your product a rounded shape, then first look to see if there is a suitable template among the household utensils. To be sure, select a few items and take them to the workshop. There you can immediately try them on the workpiece and determine what is most suitable. With some practice, you will be able to make rounded mowing lines from several round objects with different radii. Arcs of a circle can be drawn sequentially, or bridges-transitions can be made between individual arcs.

Key rules

To make the sawing process simple and fast, you must follow the basic key operating rules:

To ensure that the edges of the plywood are even, it is better to cut along the blade.

You can only work with dry material, since humidity increases the resistance of the material, as a result of which the veneer may begin to delaminate;
it is necessary to change the cutting blade immediately after the first signs of dullness of the teeth appear;
It is better to work with a jigsaw along the fibers of the material, so the edges will be smoother;
Use a hand jigsaw to cut across the grain of the veneer.

To ensure safe work, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

securely fasten the sawing table and the file in the frame;
the jigsaw must have serviceable and well-fitted handles;
You should not press the jigsaw too hard, trying to “help” it, this will only lead to an acceleration of dulling of the working blade;
It is best to make straight and long cuts with a wide blade, so the cutting process will go faster;
You must always see the markings, so sawdust must be removed from the material being cut by hand, and under no circumstances should you blow it away, as it can get into your eyes.

Following these simple rules will help a beginner learn how to cut circles with a jigsaw and make his work easier.

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Professional secrets

It is necessary to check how firmly the canvas is fastened.

This mechanism may have its own characteristics depending on the manufacturer.

To work with any cutting tools, the fastening of the blade, its general position, is really important.

A useful device will be one that is responsible for removing sawdust. Its operating principle is very simple. There is a flow of air from the fan cooling the motor.

It is used to remove debris. The removal system makes the cut line more visible to the master's eye.

The drill can be easily changed when cutting holes using a technique called "pocketing". To do this, just tilt the jigsaw forward, then the rounded tips will rest on the surface being cut.

The blade should be positioned above the future cutting line with maximum accuracy. You need to lower the support saw horizontally, and then continue to practice.

For such work, marks are first made inside the material, and then, following them, the tool itself is drawn. If the shape is square or rectangular, the blade is pulled back slightly before the craftsman moves the tool to the next side. And so all four are processed.

The use of plunge cutting is permissible if it is impossible to create holes of the required dimensions. To do this, the jigsaw tilts forward until the file reaches the workpiece. Gradually during this process a through hole appears.

Instead of a compass

A school compass can also be useful in a home workshop, but its range of action is small. What if you need to draw a circle of large diameter?

An easy way is to do this with string, a nail and a pencil. The nail is carefully driven into the workpiece, the rope is secured to it at one end, and a pin is secured to the other end. The length of the rope determines the radius of the circle being drawn. The only condition is that the rope must be taut along the entire path of the pencil. Then the distance from the center (nail) to the circle in all sections of the marking will be the same.

Strip of cardboard or slats

An equally simple, but more reliable way is to use a strip of cardboard or, even better, a wooden plank instead of a rope. Drill two holes in this bar (strip) - one, smaller, for a nail, the other, larger, for a pencil. The distance between their tips should correspond to the radius of the desired circle. All that remains is to install the nail in the right place and rotate the bar around its axis.

Two sharpened nails and a wooden strip or a strip of thick cardboard can replace a compass.

Conclusion

Now you know about all the features of plugs for wires on the table and you can choose the best option yourself, and if you wish, install it without any problems. The video will help you better understand some aspects, and if you have questions, write them in the comments under the review.

Cutting round holes in plywood

Often, when repairing or installing various wooden products, it is necessary to drill a perfectly round hole. In this article we will try to highlight all the ways in which such a hole can be cut. Options with the use of special tools, as well as without them, will be considered.

How to cut plywood

A hacksaw with a very narrow blade, a jigsaw, a drill saw and a round file are among the hand tools that can be used to cut curves.

It is the narrow blade that provides maneuverability to the hacksaw, but for the same reason it is extremely difficult to operate. You must have a steady hand and an attentive eye to prevent deviations from the markings. However, do not try to work quickly. On the contrary, it is better to advance in small spurts. This will help you hold the saw handle more confidently and guide it exactly along the given line.

It is better to cut out small round or oval holes and “narrow” curves using special tools - a drill saw and a round file, which can also be used to clean out curves.

However, the most suitable tool for cutting rounded parts and holes is an electric hacksaw. Its advantage is not only that it saves energy and time. The included set of interchangeable blades with different teeth allows you to choose a blade for sawing almost any type of workpiece, be it wood, plywood or chipboard. In other words, an electric hacksaw can rightfully be called a universal tool.

Round corners of furniture

You can even get injured by hitting a sharp corner of the table. Therefore, we recommend cutting corners where possible. For homemade furniture, they need to be rounded from the very beginning.

Cutting circles and curves on a mowing line is no more difficult than making an absolutely straight cut on a workpiece, but under one condition: you have the right tool in your hands and you are good at it.

Sources:

https://ingener-pto.ru/2019/12/12/kak-vypilit-krug-bez-lobzika/ https://profistroy74.ru/masteru/kak-vyrezat-krug-iz-dereva.html

Conclusion

	Aluminum . A modern solution with an attractive appearance and good performance characteristics. Aluminum products weigh little, retain an attractive appearance for a long time, but are also much more expensive than standard plastic.
	Steel . Another metal option, which is strong and durable and at the same time costs significantly less than its aluminum counterparts.