How to cut a circle with a hand router. Applications and possibilities

Self-milling wood and wood

Processing lumber, cutting hinges, making technological holes and recesses, wood carving. all this can such a device as a router. And it can be not only professional equipment, but also relatively inexpensive hand copies. But working with a hand router on wood requires knowledge of some techniques and rules. Read about it all in this article.

A router is a device for machining wood or metal. They mill flat and shaped surfaces, also form technological grooves. notches, combs, notches for installing hinges, etc.п. According to the method of installation, there are stationary machines (there are different types for different operations), and there are manual milling machines. Manual electric milling machines are a versatile tool that allows you to perform any operation. To change the operation, you just need to change the nozzle. the cutter and/or its location on the workpiece.

The machines are used mainly in mass production. In these, the cutter is stationary and the workpiece moves by a certain trajectory. When working with a handheld cutter, the situation is the opposite. the workpiece is fixed, the cutter is moved. When processing large volumes of identical parts, it is more convenient to fix the hand milling machine on a horizontal surface, making something like a milling machine.

Homemade milling machine. a horizontal plane with a hole in the middle, to which the hand router is attached from below

There are many different kinds of milling machines, but for the home handyman or semi-professional use, the versatile. They are fitted with various cutters and special attachments, which make it possible to perform any operation. They simply require more time and skill than a specialized machine.

What can be done with a hand router:

• Grooves and notches of any shape (shaped, rectangular, complex shapes);
• through holes and blind holes;
• trim edges and ends (can be made straight, can be shaped);
• cut out intricate details;
• Apply inscriptions, patterns, drawings to the surface;
• copy parts.

Similar operations are used in carpentry, in the manufacture and assembly of furniture. Even cut a lock or hinges on the door. this, too, can a hand router. And it will do it much faster and more elegantly than similar operations, but performed with hand tools.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015.

If a problem arises. Cut a smooth, precise circle (or more circles) out of fiberboard, particle board, or plywood. you can use different methods, from the “core drill” to the “circle cutter”. But more accurate and productive. will be milling, in addition, unlike a core drill with a fixed size. milling allows you to change the size by accurately adjusting the diameter. Many milling machines come with a compass. an additional accessory to the parallel stop, but such a circular cutter allows the milling of larger diameters, larger than the cutter’s platform. And so, to cut to the chase

1. bushing hole. 2. platform (plywood, laminate). 3. pin plate (metal). 4. washer and jam nut. 5. guide pin. 6. screw. 7. pin holes.

Both circuits (with rigid clamping of the cutter and with the copying bush) have advantages and disadvantages. The first circuit. is more accurate, but you need to “run” around the workpiece when milling, as the milling cutter rotates with the compass.

In the second scheme, the milling cutter is positioned in the hole of the circular saw by means of a copying bush, with misalignment of the bush and axis of the mill, the center of the hole and diameter of the workpiece to be cut out will NOT coincide.

But this compass is more convenient and faster to work with. I made both for myself. First. on the basis of a regular parallel stop and a piece of 10 mm thick chipboard. The second. made of plywood, 12 mm thick. For the guide I used a 4 x 20 x 150 plate. The guide pin is made from a nail, 4 mm in diameter, which is riveted into the hole in the plate. clamping screw. M6 x 35, it has the ability to be installed in any of the 4 holes. This way you can extend the capabilities of the circular, without increasing the geometric dimensions of the platform. The platform has a longitudinal groove that, combined with 4 holes, allows you to mill circles with a diameter of 20 to 110 mm, and by flipping the guide the other side. you can mill circles up to 230 mm. Here’s a simple design, which can be done in a couple of hours. Video of my milling circular: = And on this for today. All. Give likes. Write Комментарии и мнения владельцев. Feel free to ask questions. Share with friends on social networks and subscribe to the blog (subscription form. in the right hand corner of the column).

The main stages of the work

Let’s cut a strip of metal of the desired length. We make a marking, drill two holes and use an angle grinder to cut a longitudinal groove.

Next you will need to cut three blanks from a round tube. Weld all the parts into one piece, as shown in the photo below.

In the last step, the only thing left is to install the drill guide and a bolt (for attaching to plywood or particle board).

The principle of operation of this handy thing is quite simple. we drill a hole in the sheet material, put the bolt with the guide.

Afterwards, fit the drill bit into the chuck of an electric screwdriver, and insert it into the guide bush.

Now you can cut a circle. Simply guide the guide clockwise and use the drill to cut the workpiece.

By repositioning the bolt inside the groove of the guide, you can set the desired diameter.

For details on how to cut a circle from plywood or particle board with an electric screwdriver, see the video below. The idea was shared by the author of the AX Creates YouTube channel.

Make or buy, whichever is better

Buy special devices or make their own, each master decides for himself. In some cases it is possible to make a tool without spending money to buy it. This is especially useful for a one-time job.

Also, the need for a homemade nozzle can arise when it is simply impossible to buy in the store. After all, manufacturers can not take into account all the possibilities of the milling machine. In this case, the only option is to make the necessary fixture yourself.

And sometimes it’s easier to buy a suitable device for a hand router on wood, than to do with their own hands. After all, the time spent on its manufacture, can be used more rationally.

Additional devices for such a tool as a milling machine are simply necessary, they help to significantly expand the functionality of the tool. You can make them yourself if you need to. The main thing is to take into account the peculiarities of the design and clearly observe the attachment of parts.

How to set the tool?

As mentioned above, first you need to determine the depth of cut, for this purpose, a lifting mechanism is designed, which can be used to connect the base and the electric drive. To adjust the parameters, you need to set the desired distance from the washer to the pin, they are near the motor.

The machine has a straight guide that provides exposure during the movement of workpieces. There are models on the market that are equipped with a circular guide for working with circles. When it comes to small dimensions, the equipment is equipped with technological holes, where the pin is installed at the required distance.

How to make a hole of any diameter in laminated chipboard, plywood using the cutter

Whatever equipment the craftsman is working with, he knows that the first thing to do is to set up the setup in order to start the process later. In the case of the router, remove the collet safety nut in order to make a test cut by starting the tool. Screws must be well clamped, the same goes for threaded parts. Make sure there is no excessive protective grease on the tool, this could interfere with the machining of workpieces.

A common mistake of beginners is not knowing how to hold the machine firmly in their hands, or they do it too diligently. It is necessary to guide the router firmly but not too much in the right direction and do it smoothly to get the desired result. Do not slow down on the turns, because the machine heats up during the process and can leave a burn on the wood.

How to cut a circle with a cutter in several ways

The problem of how to correctly and beautifully cut a circle from plywood, board or other similar material using a milling machine has always been acute. And quite often people by their ignorance did such work not quite right, which led to spoiling the material and a lot of frustration.

To cut a circle with a cutter, you need to take a little distance to spare.

Today there are 2 simple and accessible ways to cut circles with a router. Let’s look at them in more detail. One of them will be based on the work with a special milling machine, where the speakers are attached, and the other. on the work with any milling machine.

Let’s make a guide rail with a busbar

In the next step we proceed to the manufacture of the guide. It consists of 4 aluminum profiles, arranged crosswise. Plywood is used as the base for the guides.

Putting it all together. Inside the profiles we install two sliders, to which the bar is attached. The hand router is already attached to it.

Homemade attachment for extending the capabilities of the router

The tool will gain new capabilities with the following simple attachment. The base of it will be a narrow and long piece of fiberboard. Its width should be equal to the width of the machine’s soleplate. The contour of the sole is transferred to the end of this piece, and holes are drilled for fastening. These holes must be countersunk, so that the screw heads do not protrude beyond the surface. It will not scratch the original workpiece.

Then a hand router is placed with the sole plate upwards and the wood-fibre board strip is screwed to it.

After fixing the fiberboard on the base plate, the construction is placed on some thick wooden support and the router makes a hole, which then allows it to do the basic work.

As a result, a manual milling machine with a homemade device installed on it will look like this:

How to cut a round hole in plywood

First drill a hole into the workpiece to match the diameter of the dowel.

After that we insert the pin into the hole, set the required size (depending on the diameter of the circle to be cut), and use the cutter to cut the circle.

For more information on how to make this device for a hand router, see the author’s video below.