Best Way To Cut A Circle

[Staniam]

Hey guys,

    I'm wondering the best, easiest and fastest way to draw out a good circle so I can cut it with my Carvex. I didn't pick up the Accessory kit (bad move in retrospect) so while I have the guide raile base, I don't have the circle cutter. I'm building a cupcake stand for a friend and I need to cut four different sized circles for the four levels. I could drive 45 minutes to my nearest dealer and buy the circle cutter but I don't really feel like the trip plus there's no way I can walk out of that place with just the circle cutter.

    Any quick tips?

 

[VW mick]

Your best bet is to just draw it with a trammel. And just cut it free hand

 

[Staniam]

I actually don't have one of those but I can grab one at a local big box place. I was thinking the whole pencil on a string thing or making a quick pencil jig attached to a long piece of wood. Basically a homemade trammel. Thanks man!

 

[NL-mikkla]

Dont't waist your money on the circle cutter thing, it doesn't work, it's a useless piece of kit.
Sorry, luckely it's the only crappy festool I have

Maybe the router circle cutter thing is a solution?

 

[VW mick]

That's what I meant just use a strip of wood and a pin.

I've not got one but but can't see that jigsaw trammel being much good 

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I actually just had a chance to use my Carvex and circle cutter thing.

I needed a few router templates that were perfect circles.

Worked like a champ once I took a minute to understand how it works.

 

[Brent Taylor]

Use a strip of ply, pin the center & drill a hole for a marker or better yet mount your saw & cut away. Get a guild rail base, it's easy to make jigs off of this base & some clamps to hold the saw down. I think I posted some pic from one jig I made to use the saw inverted, that will show how to mount the saw. ( You seem smarter than the average bear, so I think you will figure it out, I can't wait to see what you come up with.) Have fun.

 

[Staniam]

Well I cut all the straight supports so now it's onto the circles. Gotta couple thoughts in mind thanks to you guys so we shall see shortly.

 

[Staniam]

A little crude and prehistoric, but for two pieces of wood from the wood trash can it makes good circles. Drilled the hole for the pencil with three different size bits so it wouldn't just slip through and wobble. Pocket screwed the two pieces of wood together and used a 1" long screw to attach h the jig to scrap underlayment. Marked some measurements for circle diameter and vwala haha.

 

[Stone Message]

Hey guys,

    I'm wondering the best, easiest and fastest way to draw out a good circle so I can cut it with my Carvex. I didn't pick up the Accessory kit (bad move in retrospect) so while I have the guide raile base, I don't have the circle cutter. I'm building a cupcake stand for a friend and I need to cut four different sized circles for the four levels. I could drive 45 minutes to my nearest dealer and buy the circle cutter but I don't really feel like the trip plus there's no way I can walk out of that place with just the circle cutter.

    Any quick tips?

This may help...

In my Parf Dog video from the 12 minute 10 second point I show a trammel designed for the PSC 420. Although I show a Parf Dog as a trammel point it could also be done with any piece of round dowel.

The trammel is made from a gash piece of MDF. The key element is to make sure that the jigsaw is held securely and that you have adequate clearance for the blade.

Here is the link:



Peter

 

[sancho57]

Last time I had to cut a circle I used the Festool tape measure to draw the circle rough cut it out using my PS and then sanded to the lines using my bench 5" disc / belt sander

 

[rustym]

You can always use a router on a trammel, then you don't have to worry about sanding, you'll have a finished edge after the cut.

Rusty

 

[Grasshopper]

Some good advice here:

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-how-to/best-festool-way-to-cut-a-perfect-circle/msg360120/#msg360120

 

[Birdhunter]

There is a fascinating manual on the MSF400 showing it being used to guide the router to cut circles. I have not yet tried the technique, but it goods very good.