# band saw circle jig help needed



## Karda (Nov 19, 2016)

Hi I have a 10" band saw with a cut clearance of a little under 6". I want to upgrade or make a new jig
The one I have is 5/8ths furniture board, not sure if it is MDF or just something like it. What I wand to do is put a 1/4 in plywood top over the one I have and build a sliding pin in place of fixed holes. I use this jig for cutting out bowl blanks. Typicaly they are 4"0r under but sometimes close to 6". Will a pin ib 1/4 inch ply hold up to that kind of abuse. or should I build one out of thicker wood and rout it on a TS thanks Mike


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## Rayne (Mar 9, 2014)

Not understanding what you're trying to accomplish. It seems like you're saying you have an existing circle cutting jig and are trying to add to it to create a fully adjustable circle cutting jig? Maybe pictures of your band saw and your existing jig would help.


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## msinc (Jan 8, 2017)

I have a circle cutting jig for my bandsaw….I just googled "bandsaw circle cutting jig youtube" and several videos came right up. There was one standout that included a nice slider to make it adjustable. This was a year or so ago but I am sure it is still there. All that said, I do not use my circle cutter for bowls and such. I just get them close but a little oversize and make them round on the lathe. Draw a circle with a compass and cut it free hand. 
I do use the circle cutter for end grain inlays on the lathe, but that is because they require a nice round circle shape to look right.


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## Karda (Nov 19, 2016)

Hi, I have looked a many on utube as well, I'm not real adventurous. I like to know if something is going to work before I make it. Using 1/4 stock for a top seems flimsy but maybe not. here is a pic of the jig i have, an edge shot that shows the kind of material it is made of. what I was thinking is put a 1/4 inch plywood top on it and make a slider strip about 2" wide where the pin holes are.


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## Rayne (Mar 9, 2014)

1/4" is just not enough material to really lock down on, IMO. You'd have to figure out a way to prevent the slider from moving since it's so thin. What you could do is similar to what I made, but make it wider to cover the blade on both sides. To keep the overall jig thin, you could use 1/4" for the bottom and 1/2" on top, which would definitely be enough to hold down the slider. Mine works great and has come in very handy due to the total adjustability for various size circles.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/289682


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## Karda (Nov 19, 2016)

Hi, I never thought of putting the 1/4 inch on the bottom, that will work better. Thanks for sharing how you did yours. Now i have a good idea how to do mine thanks Mike


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## Karda (Nov 19, 2016)

Hi I found a piece of 1/4 inch cabinet panel I can use for the bottom layer of my circle jig. But I don't know if it will glue. The panel is old style veneer, back when they used real wood. It is glued to hard board. the veneer is pulling of on one side and the other side is smooth so will slide on my table. question,. The hard board isn't smooth it is textured will the plywood I am using for the top glue to the hard board and hold thanks Mike


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

The dowel is overkill IMO and it's width cuts down on your sizing increments and puts a bigger hole in your stock. I use a finishing nail that sits up about 3/8" so I can do 1/8" increments otherwise the sliding jig is the way to go and sturdier.


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## Karda (Nov 19, 2016)

yea I figured that but i haven't got that far yet


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## Furnone (Jan 11, 2018)

> Hi I have a 10" band saw with a cut clearance of a little under 6". I want to upgrade or make a new jig
> The one I have is 5/8ths furniture board, not sure if it is MDF or just something like it. What I wand to do is put a 1/4 in plywood top over the one I have and build a sliding pin in place of fixed holes. I use this jig for cutting out bowl blanks. Typicaly they are 4"0r under but sometimes close to 6". Will a pin ib 1/4 inch ply hold up to that kind of abuse. or should I build one out of thicker wood and rout it on a TS thanks Mike
> 
> - Karda
> ...


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

Here is the one I built: http://lumberjocks.com/topics/69321

I like to extend my jig past the blade, because having the blade run through a kerf greatly reduces the amount of sawdust that lands on the table.

The stop on the front of mine allows me to start with stock not dimensioned to the circle size, since I can slide the wood into the blade and just start spinning when the stop hits the table.

As to the dowel wearing out the plywood, you can always pick up a nut with a hole just smaller than your dowel pin, drill it out, then grind it fairly round on the outside and embed it.


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