Thread: small circular cut

Well I'll be!

Still reckon it would be easier on a lathe.

Originally Posted by silentC

Well I'll be!

Still reckon it would be easier on a lathe.

I agree if you are a semi-competent turner & you only wanted to make one or two, Silent. You have to decide which of the several possible holding methods you'll use, & it may involve cobbling up an accessory face-plate or attachment, but it would probably still be quicker than making templates & holding jigs for a router.

I confess I tend to put routers at the bottom of any list of choices for most jobs. I have a natural aversion to the screaming, dust-distributing little banshees, but I do have a couple, & there are times when I'm grateful for the rate at which they can remove unwanted wood. And sometimes very annoyed at the rate at which they can remove wood that I didn't want removed! .....

Cheers,

I must admit I allowed my experiences cutting zero clearance inserts with a router and pattern bit to colour my response. Had one or two catch. But then I was thinking about the outside shape of the object, not just the hole in the middle, which now that I re-read the OP I realise is what he was after. "circular whole" threw me I think

So with the benefit of hindsight, I would revise my answer to: If I was making the whole thing, I would do it on a lathe definitely. If I was just cutting the hole and had enough to do to make it worthwhile, I would make a template and use a template guide. Otherwise I would use a forstner bit.