I made this jig yesterday. It was easy and works great. Thank you very much for your knowledge. I used scrap 1/4 inch mdf. All I had to buy was a t nut and a carriage bolt...I had washers and threaded handle from old lawn tractor air filter. Total cost was $1.10...doesn't get any better.
Hi Colin I really enjoyed making the trim router circle cutter, Thanks alot for that. I also made a couple of improvements that might help others to. I'm hoping to attach them for review.
I want to make a turn table for my train layout and thanks for the knowledge I am going to have some fun making the reduction pullies and the turn table itself
Colin, I like this jig, just finished making - and just put the first coat of yellow paint on it. Since the t-nut is a tad bit larger I did two passes - slides with no play. Thanks for sharing.
What is the smallest circle you can make with this jig? I need to make a 4" circle but not all the way through. Like a forstner bit would do. I want to embed a cordless phone charger in a table that i'm making and it's exactly 100 mm diameter. I'd ask Colin, but it doesn't look like he's answering peoples questions. Thanks.
I watched several videos on how to make various forms of this jig and this was by far the easiest. Well worth the minor effort required to save $50 buying one at the woodworking store. I don't know why I never even thought of using a circular saw blade on my table saw. I found all of the hardware needed at HD for $1.18/4 packs. I used a 1/4in-20x2 1/2 bolt (In a bag 3 nuts/bolts for $1.18) instead of the ready-rod and didn't bother to cut off the head - because that was a little easier. I made two pivots - one with a sharpened end (end sharpened using 80 grit paper on a disc sander) and one with a threaded end. Also, I could not get the barbs on the tee-nut to flatten, so I just kept bending them back and forth with needle-nose pliers until they fell off. I then tried using a file to make it smooth - and finally decided it didn't matter if it was smooth. The little bit of bumps that were left behind are used to further reinforce the wing nut clamping. Great video! Thank you for sharing.
This is probably good for 3mm thick ply, but nothing thicker as the angle of the bit is not at a 90 deg angle in the wood because the pivot hols it at a weird angle
Another great little jig to add to the shop Colin. Like the ease of working with a Trim router will have to check them out. Thanks for sharing your designs.
Colin, I've been out of woodworking for a while, due to a move, and have not watched a single video. Once I got the spark this was the first video. I got a thumb that is still a tiny bit sore after four years; I got too close to the blade on my table saw. Fortunately the blade was only sticking through the work about a 1/8". I hate the safety police even more than I hate the damn metric system. But, I would have raised the blade while counting the number of revolution I spun the elevation crank. I would not have had the blade higher than about 3/4" above the top of the board I was cutting. I would have used a 4x4 for my pusher which would have completely enclosed the blade. I am fortunate to still have all my fingers after 50 years of messing with power saws. Actually the worst cut I ever got was from a freshly sharpened handsaw that jumped out of the kerf onto my thumb, it cut into the bone. Ole Frank said, "Eddy, let the saw do the work, quit pushing it." Lesson learned. I like the jig, may make one for my little Bosch plunge router.
This is a very timely video for me, Thank you!!! I have some logs that I want to cut to length then put a hole in one end that will hold flower pots. This jig will allow me to create that hole just the right size for the various pots. THANK YOU!
*I'm guessing you could use the router-table with stop-blocks to cut the slot with a small straight cutter.* *Great video-tutorial Colin, as I've been wondering how to do this.*
I have the same router and made I circle cutter with plexiglass , works great, 6minuts and 20sec into your video I noticed your finger almost went in the opening, while using mine my pinky finger went in the opening and got cut pretty bad well luckily I still have my finger so I installed a gaurd so it doesn’t happen again, you should maybe make one or I’ll be glad to send you pictures
Nice presentation…..appreciate you keeping is short but think you should lengthen it and add a little more information,….. such as how thick of material it is effective with, the size and type of router bit you used. Noticed it wasn’t laying completely flat. Forgive me, don’t mean to be critical as I was impressed with your video but as a pro myself, these thoughts come to mind. Thanks again!
Nice jig Colin! However, won't the edges of the cut circle be angled since you were cutting at an angle to begin with? I guess that it wouldn't matter unless one needed the walls of the circle to be at ninety degrees to the surface. Just curious...........
Sorry Colin, but this jig is poor design for me, as it introduces some tilt to the router, especially when cutting small circles. A recess groove for that T-nut would fix it.
Couple of solutions. Have a smaller point and hammer it in flat. Or. Cut halfway through. Then use a bearing flush cut router bit and finish the other side.
Great jig, Colin. Using it on a trim router makes a lot more sense than on a full size one.. Have you checked to see what the smallest diameter circle you can cut with it is?
Hi Colin, I have enjoyed this video as much as I have your other ones, you are very good at explaining things in a way that we "not so experienced people" know what you are talking about. Would a possible solution for the little "perpendicular problem" look like a shim sled installed next to the router to adjust the hight of the jig to level? Well done anyways, I will build one myself.
I realize this video is 3 years old but as evidence by my finding it today while building my own circle routing template- people will locate this video.. and I just wanted to chime up about that table saw push-stick use in this video- It's possible to do it this way, with the positioning on the left of the blade while the fence is on the right but it is EXTREMELY dangerous. If you were to push just enough of the slot you're cutting, or if the wood was under some sort of unknown tension (ask me how I know this, trust me- it happens and I was lucky), the blade slicing through could be pinched by the wood since the force being applied is towards both the blade and through the cut- and it could bind up and kick back at the operator. There is always a chance of kickback, but using the push stick on the right side of the blade, next to the fence is far safer than the left side where you could be adding a force pushing wood into the blade.
Great vid! Sorry for the newbie question but can you give some tips on determining how far the router bit should go so that it will be able to cut out the circle, please? Thanks!!
Hi Colin, I know this isn’t the right place but, if I were to cut a circle ring out of plywood with a router circle jig, do I cut the outside of the ring first then the inside or the vice verse, thank you for your time
Can I use trim router atttached to a piece of plywood without that groove or this pivot point , just a nail instead? Did you use straight bit without bearing?
Hi Colin I'm a fairly new woodworking and have been following your channel for a little while now. This may be a stupid question but how to you grind the ready rod to a fine point like you did for this jig? Thanks!
Now quick question say my piece of wood was 1.5” thick is there a 1/4” bit for this trim router that would go all the way through and still be able to cut a circle?
Hi colin, I just recently found your videos and I like them very much, I am going to buy a router soon and need to do a circle and this fixture looKS great but I don't understand what you did with the sharp points on the bottom insert your using on the bottom for the pointed screw, do you grind those off ?
I realize this is an old video, but I watched a few days ago - several times. It all looked clear and simple. But. I’ve been working on making this jig for the past two days. I’m an experienced woodworker, and I’m always looking for creative jigs to support my projects. This one looked like easy peasy. Not so much. First, there are no specifications or measurements for anything. Figure it out. Second, my trim router ( and your trim router) are not your trim router. It’s not one size fits all. Finally, the jig is at an angle because the needle point is elevated. So, the edge of the circle is not 90 degrees. Very disappointing. I have always expected better from Colin. Second,
I made this jig yesterday. It was easy and works great. Thank you very much for your knowledge. I used scrap 1/4 inch mdf. All I had to buy was a t nut and a carriage bolt...I had washers and threaded handle from old lawn tractor air filter. Total cost was $1.10...doesn't get any better.
Thank you, sir. Simple and practical.
Hi Colin I really enjoyed making the trim router circle cutter, Thanks alot for that. I also made a couple of improvements that might help others to. I'm hoping to attach them for review.
I want to make a turn table for my train layout and thanks for the knowledge I am going to have some fun making the reduction pullies and the turn table itself
Best design among all posted on youtube, thank you
Always like watching keep up the good jobs thanks for sharing
Greetings from Belfast, Northern Ireland--many thanks for making this video-found it very useful-
Colin, I like this jig, just finished making - and just put the first coat of yellow paint on it. Since the t-nut is a tad bit larger I did two passes - slides with no play. Thanks for sharing.
What is the smallest circle you can make with this jig? I need to make a 4" circle but not all the way through. Like a forstner bit would do. I want to embed a cordless phone charger in a table that i'm making and it's exactly 100 mm diameter. I'd ask Colin, but it doesn't look like he's answering peoples questions. Thanks.
Easy jig thanks
I watched several videos on how to make various forms of this jig and this was by far the easiest. Well worth the minor effort required to save $50 buying one at the woodworking store. I don't know why I never even thought of using a circular saw blade on my table saw. I found all of the hardware needed at HD for $1.18/4 packs. I used a 1/4in-20x2 1/2 bolt (In a bag 3 nuts/bolts for $1.18) instead of the ready-rod and didn't bother to cut off the head - because that was a little easier. I made two pivots - one with a sharpened end (end sharpened using 80 grit paper on a disc sander) and one with a threaded end. Also, I could not get the barbs on the tee-nut to flatten, so I just kept bending them back and forth with needle-nose pliers until they fell off. I then tried using a file to make it smooth - and finally decided it didn't matter if it was smooth. The little bit of bumps that were left behind are used to further reinforce the wing nut clamping. Great video! Thank you for sharing.
I like the fact that no hole is needed to be drilled into the work piece with your jig. Thanks for sharing : )
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
Simple y efectivo. Buen diseño, gracias.
So simple can't wait to make one
Very good idea
Beautiful
This is probably good for 3mm thick ply, but nothing thicker as the angle of the bit is not at a 90 deg angle in the wood because the pivot hols it at a weird angle
Another great little jig to add to the shop Colin. Like the ease of working with a Trim router will have to check them out. Thanks for sharing your designs.
Thanks for watching Ron. Yes, these mini routers do make life easier on many projects!
Great job Colin.
I'm glad you liked it.
Thank you! Good thing is for taking ideas from your work.
Very well done
Simple and effective. Thanks Colin
You're welcome Peter!
That all looks easy. Cheers
Colin, I've been out of woodworking for a while, due to a move, and have not watched a single video. Once I got the spark this was the first video. I got a thumb that is still a tiny bit sore after four years; I got too close to the blade on my table saw. Fortunately the blade was only sticking through the work about a 1/8". I hate the safety police even more than I hate the damn metric system. But, I would have raised the blade while counting the number of revolution I spun the elevation crank. I would not have had the blade higher than about 3/4" above the top of the board I was cutting. I would have used a 4x4 for my pusher which would have completely enclosed the blade. I am fortunate to still have all my fingers after 50 years of messing with power saws. Actually the worst cut I ever got was from a freshly sharpened handsaw that jumped out of the kerf onto my thumb, it cut into the bone. Ole Frank said, "Eddy, let the saw do the work, quit pushing it." Lesson learned. I like the jig, may make one for my little Bosch plunge router.
Simple, precise, and useful. What more could you want!? And technically that's a counterbore, not a countersink ;)
Thanks for the nice words and I think technically you're right.
No problemo Sir! keep up the fun content.
I have the same router Colin. Wouldn't it be better to use the router to cut the slot. It comes with a fence.
I was thinking the same
@@ChrisChronos Me too, hvile I have a Makita router.
This is a very timely video for me, Thank you!!!
I have some logs that I want to cut to length then put a hole in one end that will hold flower pots. This jig will allow me to create that hole just the right size for the various pots. THANK YOU!
You're welcome Bud. Thanks for watching.
I need to cut some 12" dia holes for my next small project and this should do the trick. Thanks for the video.
Hope it helps! Thanks for watching!
*I'm guessing you could use the router-table with stop-blocks to cut the slot with a small straight cutter.*
*Great video-tutorial Colin, as I've been wondering how to do this.*
*me too*
I have the same router and made I circle cutter with plexiglass , works great, 6minuts and 20sec into your video I noticed your finger almost went in the opening, while using mine my pinky finger went in the opening and got cut pretty bad well luckily I still have my finger so I installed a gaurd so it doesn’t happen again, you should maybe make one or I’ll be glad to send you pictures
Thanks for the tip and thanks for watching!
Trim routers are expensive (like $300 where I live), but they look so cool. I've got one my wish list though. Thanks for the video, and the nice tips!
Thanks for watching! Hope you get one soon.
try harbor freight, good and cheap!
Thanks!
Thank you
Another great little jig. I’m making a coffee table with 300mm circles in all sides. This will be what I’m doing tomorrow 😊
Happy new year
Thanks for watching! Happy New Year to you, too!
I like the jig & I know how I would remedy the tilt, very simple no need to explain. I have a small trim router & may make this jig.
Nice jig. I have that router so I will definitely try this one.
I hope it works well for you.
Nice presentation…..appreciate you keeping is short but think you should lengthen it and add a little more information,….. such as how thick of material it is effective with, the size and type of router bit you used. Noticed it wasn’t laying completely flat. Forgive me, don’t mean to be critical as I was impressed with your video but as a pro myself, these thoughts come to mind. Thanks again!
nice job Colin--don't pay any attention to the negative commets
Thanks Tim! There's always going to be a few people people out their that have to put their negative 2 bits in.
very good ad
Thanks a lot for your video!
You're Welcome. Thanks for watching.
Great video Colin, you make it look so easy, but very good.
Thanks for watching
Perfect
Thank You!
Pretty cool
Thanks!
Nice jig Colin! However, won't the edges of the cut circle be angled since you were cutting at an angle to begin with? I guess that it wouldn't matter unless one needed the walls of the circle to be at ninety degrees to the surface. Just curious...........
same question
I have the same router, good job!
Sorry Colin, but this jig is poor design for me, as it introduces some tilt to the router, especially when cutting small circles. A recess groove for that T-nut would fix it.
What about the angle that you are getting because the jig is not touching the table?
Couple of solutions. Have a smaller point and hammer it in flat.
Or. Cut halfway through. Then use a bearing flush cut router bit and finish the other side.
Very Nice!
Thanks!
Hi, it seems to me that you have not explained how you temovef the hooks of the tnut bolt. Thx, Loris from Treviso
Great jig, Colin. Using it on a trim router makes a lot more sense than on a full size one.. Have you checked to see what the smallest diameter circle you can cut with it is?
Hi Colin, I have enjoyed this video as much as I have your other ones, you are very good at explaining things in a way that we "not so experienced people" know what you are talking about.
Would a possible solution for the little "perpendicular problem" look like a shim sled installed next to the router to adjust the hight of the jig to level?
Well done anyways, I will build one myself.
Beatiful, Thanks.
You're Welcome. Thanks for watching!
Great video, thanks
You're welcome Jose.
I realize this video is 3 years old but as evidence by my finding it today while building my own circle routing template- people will locate this video.. and I just wanted to chime up about that table saw push-stick use in this video- It's possible to do it this way, with the positioning on the left of the blade while the fence is on the right but it is EXTREMELY dangerous. If you were to push just enough of the slot you're cutting, or if the wood was under some sort of unknown tension (ask me how I know this, trust me- it happens and I was lucky), the blade slicing through could be pinched by the wood since the force being applied is towards both the blade and through the cut- and it could bind up and kick back at the operator. There is always a chance of kickback, but using the push stick on the right side of the blade, next to the fence is far safer than the left side where you could be adding a force pushing wood into the blade.
Great vid! Sorry for the newbie question but can you give some tips on determining how far the router bit should go so that it will be able to cut out the circle, please? Thanks!!
Not sure if I missed it, but what router bit would one use for this? Excellent tutorial, thank you.
-Steven
a straight plunge bit
I want to cut a 1/4” deep groove into a 1” thick piece of wood. 3” circle.
Can I set the depth of a router?
Just what I was looking for. Great video!
I wanted ask if cutting circle the router go clockwise or anticlockwise
Hi Colin, I know this isn’t the right place but, if I were to cut a circle ring out of plywood with a router circle jig, do I cut the outside of the ring first then the inside or the vice verse, thank you for your time
What that a straight bit? Thanks
Maybe you said what type of router bit to use and I missed it?
Why not use the router to make the center groove instead of the table saw?
Оригинальное решение
Hi How do you make a small step in the inside of a 5" small circle that is about quarter of an inch all the way around thanks
Hi. What bit did you use for this?
Why didn't you use a router to cut the slot in the jig?
Seems odd that a router wasn't used to make the slot....
That was going to be my comment! it's pretty ironic! Great video though.
Very nice video, and very helpful. Well done! :)
Thanks for the kind words.
Could that trim router be used to cut thru a 3/4 " plywood to make a 6" hole in a corn hole board?
Yeah, but you'll want top make multiple passes taking off a little more material on each pass
@@SwansonHD Great, Thanks for the reply.
Can I use trim router atttached to a piece of plywood without that groove or this pivot point , just a nail instead? Did you use straight bit without bearing?
Hi Colin I'm a fairly new woodworking and have been following your channel for a little while now. This may be a stupid question but how to you grind the ready rod to a fine point like you did for this jig? Thanks!
I think you skipped a few steps. Like how wide and how long is the jig?
Can you use 3/4 inch pine as a base? ty
I'm very new to WW what style bit do I use? Thank you
What bit you using?
Now quick question say my piece of wood was 1.5” thick is there a 1/4” bit for this trim router that would go all the way through and still be able to cut a circle?
1/4" bit is the diameter of the shank of the bit
I need to see 5inches circle.
?? how can that cut straight, look height where pin is, at least 15mm higher than router, bevelled circle.
Hi colin, I just recently found your videos and I like them very much, I am going to buy a router soon and need to do a circle and this fixture looKS great but I don't understand what you did with the sharp points on the bottom insert your using on the bottom for the pointed screw, do you grind those off ?
what's a "ready rod"?
I think it's just a threaded rod that he sharpened one end of
"This trim router is only quarter of a horse. In fact, you can call it a miniature donkey."
It look to me that you just adjust the bolt, to get it flat.
Great, what trim router is that "Ridgid?
Yup, It's a Ridgid. The model is R2401.
Me aproximé bastante
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
👍
The Ridgid trim router has 1-1/2 hp, not 1/4 hp as stated.
I am going 2 make me one of these I would rather make one then 2 spend money on one some ive seen are $70
I made one 3 foot big wheels LOL
Now that's a big jig!
I realize this is an old video, but I watched a few days ago - several times. It all looked clear and simple. But.
I’ve been working on making this jig for the past two days. I’m an experienced woodworker, and I’m always looking for creative jigs to support my projects. This one looked like easy peasy. Not so much.
First, there are no specifications or measurements for anything. Figure it out.
Second, my trim router ( and your trim router) are not your trim router. It’s not one size fits all.
Finally, the jig is at an angle because the needle point is elevated. So, the edge of the circle is not 90 degrees.
Very disappointing. I have always expected better from Colin.
Second,
What kind of stupid are you using? I am super new at this.