Thread: How can i make a simple Handheld Circle router/Cutter??

What you have linked to appears to just be a commercially available (local Hardware shop) circle cutter designed for drill press or hand drill use, with a wooden handle attached

Hi Ankit,

Here are some handmade cutter ideas for you, guitar-maker.blogspot.com/ most of the way down the page. Here is the famous Ibex Gamil type cutter, pluckandsqueeze.com/Mac%20project/Binding.htm also, kevinkastning.com/photos/DKK-12_cutting_purfling_channel.jpg and frets.com/FRETSPages/Museum/SpecialItems/GezaBurghardt/GezaViews/geza04.jpg There is also a ice cream stick type cutter made by drilling a hole into one end of an ice cream stick, jamming a nail in the hole. Than jam a razor blade into the side of the stick at the radius you need. You drill a hole in your soundboard and insert the nail. Gently spin the blade and cut into the soundboard.

The construction is discussed in Cumpiano's or Benedetto's book. I'll see if I can scan the page for you,

Thanks a Ton Sebastian. That would be really helpful. I have infact ordered Cumpiano's book but im in India and i think itll take a cpl of weeks to get here .
Being in India and also being on a budget is a big reason as to why i dont have access to a lot of stuff. But im drawing inspiration from sources and ppl whove worked with very little and still had amazing results.
I do have another question on handtools that im posting on the forum. would really appreciate ur views on it.

Thanks,
Ankit

Hey Ganeshaa

You could copy one of these as I intend to but modify it for a Makita trimmer I own.
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Sp...s.html#details

You might find it difficult to get many things where you are but I suspect you will if you look for it find that you have access to unique and quality materials that we in the west have difficulty finding or affording like Padauk from the Andaman Islands, Local varieties of Rosewood, Himalayan Cedar, bone, Shell and I am sure a lot more. Your country is vast in size and resources and has a long history of fine craftsmanship so I am sure if you can make contact with the right people you will find a great bounty of materials.


Ross

Router Compass? http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=50372

Might be modified for the Dremel router base, but could still be too big. In that case, a router with a round base (no flat edge), large or Dremel, could ride around the inside of a circular template of appropriate inside diameter. [Not actually adjustable, but how many different sizes are needed?]

Joe

Hey guys. Thanks for the reply. I found some nice cutting blades at the tool shop i bought my new #4 jack plane from so i think im gonna try and make a simple radius cutter like sebastian said was mentioned in Cumpiano's book. I hope he sends me a scan of the plan .
And yea Ross i know wht you mean about materials and resources. India is probably one of the most abundant in terms of all the materials being available in some excellent quality. But it isnt as organised an infrastructure as some of the other places where you have ready access to all material and it gets delieverd to your doorstep. For me i had to look around evrywhere and i couldnt find quarter sawed wood because half the ppl here didnt understand wht i was talking about. ppl who have sawmills and wood godowns. But i finally found a person who deal in Kashmir spruce and Red Cedar but he still didnt know wht quarter sawn was. He happened to know wht i wanted cause he's supplied in the past to some local guitar making factory.
THough he did give me enough free rough sawn spruce for my first guitar top which has just been planed and stuck like 10 minutes ago. And i found another guy who deals in some killler rosewood backs and sides and ebony finger boards (well he happened to know wht he was talking about cause he deals only with "international customers in bulk" ) But he was also nice enough to promise me a set of rosewood sides and back and fretboard maybe one in ebony too :P for free cause the wood here is really cheap. For the spruce tops if i did end up paying i would have just had pay like 80 rs max or less and 80 bucks here is like lesser than 2 dollars for a 3 peice top.
So yea i know wht u mean about resources but its taken a bit of an effort to find them. Hope it pays off

Originally Posted by Ganeshaa

Hey guys. Thanks for the reply. I found some nice cutting blades at the tool shop i bought my new #4 jack plane from so i think im gonna try and make a simple radius cutter like sebastian said was mentioned in Cumpiano's book. I hope he sends me a scan of the plan .
And yea Ross i know wht you mean about materials and resources. India is probably one of the most abundant in terms of all the materials being available in some excellent quality. But it isnt as organised an infrastructure as some of the other places where you have ready access to all material and it gets delieverd to your doorstep. For me i had to look around evrywhere and i couldnt find quarter sawed wood because half the ppl here didnt understand wht i was talking about. ppl who have sawmills and wood godowns. But i finally found a person who deal in Kashmir spruce and Red Cedar but he still didnt know wht quarter sawn was. He happened to know wht i wanted cause he's supplied in the past to some local guitar making factory.
THough he did give me enough free rough sawn spruce for my first guitar top which has just been planed and stuck like 10 minutes ago. And i found another guy who deals in some killler rosewood backs and sides and ebony finger boards (well he happened to know wht he was talking about cause he deals only with "international customers in bulk" ) But he was also nice enough to promise me a set of rosewood sides and back and fretboard maybe one in ebony too :P for free cause the wood here is really cheap. For the spruce tops if i did end up paying i would have just had pay like 80 rs max or less and 80 bucks here is like lesser than 2 dollars for a 3 peice top.
So yea i know wht u mean about resources but its taken a bit of an effort to find them. Hope it pays off

Hey you might even be able to set youself up as a supplier of rosewood and ebony to instrument makers over here!

Ross

The simplest cheapest circle cutter.....a paddle pop. Im sure you have icecreams on sticks on India.

Take a paddle pop...drill a 3/16" hole through one end and also drill same size hole in centre of the soundhole on your top. Stick a scalpel blade through the other end at the appropriate radius and depth. Push the 3/16" drill bot through the hole in the end of the paddle pop and then push it into the hole on your soundboard. Rotate the paddle pop around the drill bit and Bobs your uncle.

The best part of this technique of course is enjoying the ice cream before you get started!

AND!!! If you dont have access to a scalpel layin about the house... get an old jigsaw blade or such and grind it down to a blade If I recall Derek made some knives using jigsaw blades should be a thread hereabouts somewhere... or being in India shouldnt it be pretty easy and cheep to have some backyard roadside bloke to whack one up from a pic and a few measurements? from what Ive seen and heard those fellas are bloody awesome with what they have and can do!

Anyway the pic of the cutter shown shouldnt be too hard to print out and doing a bit of mental mathematical gymnastics you could probably come up with something that would be workable? mmm maybe adapting an old measure marking thingy would do the trick?

Good luck
Shane

Hi Ganeesha,

I didnt find more detail than is already provided in those link, sorry,