Questions often arise about how to cut a circle with a jigsaw, since many craftsmen only deal with straight cuts of the material. But cutting out varying degrees of curvilinearity seems difficult only at first glance.

For cutting you will need:

• jigsaw;
• plywood or other material;
• special purpose files depending on the material;
• marker;
• sample;
• working surface;
• clamp.

Exist various ways. You can cut a circle with either a manual or mechanical jigsaw. Hand tool is a simpler device than an electric one. It is not suitable for thick layers of material or for long cuts. Jigsaws are divided into ordinary and artistic. The difference between them is in the location of the file: in a regular file, the file is located vertically, and in artistic role The files are made using a steel blade. A regular jigsaw can be used to cut through thick plywood to make a headboard or other furniture. Artistic ones can cut out complex elements, letters, puzzle pieces.

Cutting blades are varied for each type of jigsaw, and they need to be selected according to the material with which you are working.

How to cut out of plywood with a jigsaw?

Before cutting a circle out of plywood, there are a few things to remember: general advice to work with this material. Sawing can only be done on dry material. Wet plywood has increased resistance, and when cut, the veneer will begin to flake, which will lead to damage to the file or even the entire tool in the case of electric models. At the first sign that the teeth are not sharp enough or that some part of the blade is bent, the file should be replaced.

When sawing plywood with a jigsaw, you should, if possible, place the main cutting lines along the veneer fibers.

This will promote clean cut edges. When working with a hand jigsaw, it is easier to cut across the grain. This will not protect you from chips, but there will be less chance that the file will get pinched or it will move along the chip away from the intended line.

Before cutting out the circle, you need to transfer its contours to the plywood. In this case, you need to try to ensure that areas with defects, chips, stains and knots fall outside the cut contour. You can transfer the outline to plywood by tracing it through carbon paper, cutting out a paper outline for tracing, or simply drawing a circle of the required radius with a compass. If necessary, a starting hole in the plywood is made using a thin drill.

To cut a circle with a jigsaw, a blade is inserted into the hole. The free end of the manual model is again fixed in place using a clamp or mounting screw. The workpiece is pressed against the workbench with clamps, and the cut is made according to the transferred line. When the circle is closed, the central element is separated from the sheet and the edges are processed sandpaper or a file.

Before cutting with a jigsaw with an electric motor, you need to install a narrow file on it. There is a special improvement for this tool called a circle cutter, it is installed in the center and work begins. When working, do not put pressure on the tool; this does not contribute to faster movement. As a result of the pressure, the jigsaw blade and even its fasteners can bend and break. If the circle that needs to be cut has a small radius, it is better to do the work in several approaches, since sharp turns can break and bend the blade.

Any design, whether in your home or in production, involves working with metal.

Often, during the operation of this material, the question may arise: how to cut a circle in?

It deserves attention because of the choice the right tool and technology directly depends on the complexity of the process of performing work and the quality of its result.

Metal can be thin or thick and durable, so a variety of tools are used to cut it.

The choice of materials and cutting technology also depends on what diameter the circle is needed and how even it should be.

Using a jigsaw

If you need a perfectly even circle, you can use an electric one to cut it out.

The work is carried out in several stages:

• First, the thickness of the metal is determined and the appropriate saw blade for the electric jigsaw is selected.
• Before cutting a circle in metal with a jigsaw, the outline of the circle that will be cut is drawn on the working plane.
• Using a drill and a drill (with a diameter of eight to ten millimeters), a hole is cut out from which work will begin.
• A jigsaw saw blade is placed in the resulting gap and cutting continues as planned.

Cutting using this tool does not take much time and effort. Moreover, using a jigsaw you can get a circle with perfect edges. But this tool is used only for working with metal of minimal or medium thickness (for example, 2 - 3 mm).

Using an angle grinder

The grinder is used when working with thin metal. Educate with this tool round hole you can by following these step-by-step tips:

• Before cutting a circle in metal with a grinder, markings are made so that its contours are clearly visible.
• Along the entire length of the intended drawing, short sections are cut with a grinder disc, which will eventually be connected.
• The figure will look more like a polyhedron than a circle. Therefore, after cutting is completed, the product is processed and cleaned until the edges become sufficiently even and smooth. You can also use a grinder for processing. If the circle is wide, you can sharpen the contours with a large disk.

When processing a cut circle using a grinder, you should be careful that the disk is inside the hole and, at the same time, is located in the same plane with the work sheet.

Cutting a circle in thick metal

In order to outline the exact contours of the figure that will be cut out of metal, you should use a ruler, a marking compass and a marker.

First, using , the required width of the compass connector is set so that it matches the required diameter of the circle.

Then the center point of the circle is determined on the metal plane.

Contours are drawn from it using a compass.

To make them clearly visible during the work, they should be drawn with a marker.

Application of cutting torch

A circle in medium-thick metal can be cut using a gas cutter. The work takes place in several stages:

• The outline of the circle is outlined.
• The instrument burner lights up.
• The combustion torch is adjustable.
• The torch is carefully and slowly drawn according to the drawn drawing.

Using this method, you can cut a hole in metal that is about four or five millimeters.

Application of welding machine

If in home arsenal There is no gas cutter, you can use a welding machine.

It needs to be adjusted to the most high level current

Then the burning arc is placed against the contour and held there until a hole is formed.

Then you just need to slowly guide it along the drawing until it works smooth circle.

But the most important thing is to correctly adjust the power of the tool.

For example, if metal about four millimeters thick is used, a device operating at about 150 amperes is required. If the metal is thicker, the power of the tool will be greater.

To speed up the process, it is better to use thin electrodes. However, they burn out quickly and need to be replaced. Because of this, there will be a need for frequent heating of the metal, since during the replacement of the electrode it will have time to cool down.

How to cut an even circle from metal with a cutter is shown in the video:

Plywood (and to a lesser extent other sheet materials such as chipboard or oriented strand board) has significant decorative potential. If there is enough simple tool and certain skills, you can cut almost anything out of plywood.
But in order for the parts obtained as a result of such carving to look quite presentable, the master should have a few tricks in stock. We will talk about them in our article.

Getting started with sheet materials, many craftsmen only have an idea of ​​how to cut in a straight line. Therefore, the question of how to cut an even circle from plywood can confuse many. And indeed, a regular or circular saw cannot cope with the task.
Figure cutting is most often done using the following tools:

• The simplest device used for sawing. With the help of a jigsaw, even the most delicate work can be done with your own hands, but for thick material or long cuts it is practically not suitable.
• Jigsaws. There are two types of devices you can use here:
  • regular, with a vertical file;
  • artistic, in which the role of the cutting element is performed by a steel blade.

Regular jigsaws will come in handy when working with thick ones. But if you are looking for a way to cut letters out of plywood or make other complex elements (for example, parts of a children's construction set), then it is best to use a model with a band saw.

Advice! Naturally, for each type of jigsaw there are several types of files and blades. Right choice cutting element is a necessary condition high quality product.

• In addition to jigsaws, you can use a furniture router for curved cutting. Despite how difficult it is to operate, it is many times superior to most models of plywood saws in terms of the quality of the holes it makes. Using a router you can.

Also, do not forget about available devices, but we will talk about their use in the appropriate section.

Cutting from plywood has several nuances that the master needs to take into account:

• Firstly, you can only cut on dry material. High humidity leads to an increase in the resistance of plywood, therefore, with excessive force, either the veneer will begin to delaminate or the file will break.
• Change the saw or cutting blade it is necessary immediately after the first signs that the teeth have become dull appear.
• If we are cutting from plywood using a jigsaw, then to obtain cleaner edges, the main cutting lines should be placed along the grain of the veneer. But with hand files it is easier to work across the grain: there will be slightly more chips, but there is less risk of the file getting pinched or moving away from the intended line.

Advice! When transferring designs for cutting from plywood onto the workpiece, try to place the template in such a way that the elements to be removed fall on areas with defects: knots, chips, stains, etc.

Shape cutting technologies

Jigsaw

As we noted above, a jigsaw will come in handy if we are looking for how to cut a word out of plywood or make other parts of complex shapes:

• We transfer pre-printed drawings or templates onto the workpiece using carbon paper.

• If the structure has through sections, we do it thin drill starting holes.
• Insert a file or jigsaw blade into the hole. Secure the free end of the file with a fastening screw or clamp.
• We make a cut along the intended line, pressing the workpiece to the workbench. The saw moves either automatically (for electric jigsaws) or manually.

After all the arc elements have been sawn, we remove unnecessary areas and process the finished part with a file or sandpaper.

Fraser

A furniture router is great for cutting out thick plywood. Certainly, complex shape You can’t make it with it, but you can easily cut an arc or circle:

• We fix the standard ruler included in the router in the center of the circle using a self-tapping screw.
• If the length of the ruler is not enough, you can assemble a simple bracket from metal profile or wooden planks.
• By rotating the cutter along a fixed radius, we select a groove along the circumference, resulting in an almost perfect hole.

Note! When calculating the diameter of the circle, you should take into account the dimensions of the working cutter. Exact numbers The instructions for the device will tell you.

In this way, you can cut not only circles, but also individual arcs - for example, in order to make grooves for furniture brackets.

Using improvised means

For curly elements it is advisable to have special devices, but any craftsman may need to make a round hole in a slab of laminated veneer. Below we will tell you how to cut a circle from plywood when you have nothing at hand.
Well, almost nothing:

• To cut plywood, use a wooden strip with two nails.
• One nail is driven through the strip into the workpiece, exactly in the center of the hole being made.
• We drive the second nail into the bar so that the point protrudes on the wrong side by at least 5-10 mm. The distance from the first nail should be equal to the radius of the hole being made.
• Rotating the bar, use the tip to draw a groove on the plywood, deepening it with each turn.
• Instead of a stick, you can use a strong cord. The operating principle remains unchanged.

The sharper the nail used, the faster the hole will be made.
It should be noted that although the price of such a device is low, it is worth using it only when other methods are not available: the edges still turn out to be far from ideal.

Similar materials

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Usually, in order to cut an even circle from a piece of plywood or board, craftsmen resort to various kinds of routers, use hand or electric jigsaws, and, at worst, take up a hacksaw. Meanwhile, with the help simple device You can also cut an absolutely even circle with a circular saw. How to do this in practice, read and see the detailed step-by-step instructions.

Materials

Before cutting an even circle with a circular saw, make sure you have necessary materials. You will need very little of the latter:

• a piece of plywood;
• meter;
• the circular saw itself;
• nails or screws.

Step 1. Take a meter and measure the depth, length and width of the groove on the working part of the table saw. Based on the obtained parameters, cut a block from a piece of plywood of suitable thickness.

Step 2. Insert the timber into the gutter and adjust the edges if necessary. The timber should slide easily along the gutter without catching it.

Step 3. Leaving the block in the gutter, place a square piece of plywood on top of it. Install it so that it does not interfere with the operation of the saw itself.

Step 4. Using self-tapping screws, firmly screw the plywood to the block. When choosing fastening materials, pay attention to their length. Self-tapping screws should not damage the surface of the desktop when screwing in.

Step 5. Take a piece of plywood or board from which you need to cut an even circle. Adjust it to the shape of a square. Place the plywood on top of the prepared structure and drive a nail exactly in the middle. Do not drive the nail all the way in. The plywood from which the circle is to be cut should rotate freely, and the nail itself will need to be carefully removed upon completion of the work.

Step 6. Rotate the square in a circle, cutting off its corners to create an octagon.

Step 7. Continuing to rotate the square further, cut off its sharp corners. At the end of the work, carefully sand the slightest irregularities. Yes, without extra effort you will get an even circle cut from a board with a regular circular saw.

Often the question of how to cut even circles from plywood with a jigsaw confuses novice craftsmen. After all, doing this is much more difficult than a simple straight cut; no saw will help here.

Most often, a jigsaw helps to cope with the task of figure cutting. Jigsaws can be manual or electric. A manual jigsaw consists of a frame with blade clamps and a handle. Main disadvantages hand jigsaw: low mechanical strength canvases and small size framework. As a result of this, the blade often breaks and it is impossible to cut at a large distance from the edges of the part. These jigsaws are usually used for processing wooden products. There are regular jigsaws, in which the saw is positioned vertically, and for artistic cutting, where the cutting element is a steel blade. Electric jigsaws usually used when working with thick material.

Key rules

To make the sawing process simple and fast, you must follow the basic key operating rules:

To ensure that the edges of the plywood are even, it is better to cut along the blade.

• You can only work with dry material, since humidity increases the resistance of the material, as a result of which the veneer may begin to delaminate;
• it is necessary to change the cutting blade immediately after the first signs of dullness of the teeth appear;
• It is better to work with a jigsaw along the fibers of the material, so the edges will be smoother;
• Use a hand jigsaw to cut across the grain of the veneer.

To ensure safe work, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

• securely fasten the sawing table and the file in the frame;
• the jigsaw must have serviceable and well-fitted handles;
• You should not press the jigsaw too hard, trying to “help” it, this will only lead to an acceleration of dulling of the working blade;
• It is best to make straight and long cuts with a wide blade, so the cutting process will go faster;
• You must always see the markings, so sawdust must be removed from the material being cut by hand, and under no circumstances should you blow it away, as it can get into your eyes.

Compliance with these simple rules will help a beginner learn how to cut circles with a jigsaw and make his work easier.

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Cutting instructions

Before starting work, you need to drill a hole in the plywood for the jigsaw blade.

To cut even circles with a jigsaw quickly and beautifully, you don’t have to be an expert in this field, but for a beginner it can be a very difficult task. The main thing in this matter is patience and, of course, the availability of the necessary related tools, such as the jigsaw itself, a file, a compass, a simple pencil and devices for polishing the surface.

The first thing to do is draw a circle on the surface of the material you will be working with. It would be best to use a compass or select a suitable circle and trace it. You need to trace with a pencil so that traces of it can be erased in the future.

If you need to cut a circle inside the surface, you should make a through starting hole. Next, you need to insert a jigsaw blade or file into this hole and secure the free end of the file with a clamp. It is recommended to cut while sitting. First of all, you need to secure the file in the jigsaw using a key, keeping in mind that the teeth of the file should be directed downward. You need to cut from top to bottom. The tool should be held straight to avoid nicks and bevels.

The main thing in this process is not to rush and cut smoothly without sudden movements.

It is necessary to take short breaks during the sawing process, as the file may overheat and break. Now the circle is ready. Now it is recommended to use a file to straighten the edges, erase the markings left by the pencil and polish the part. If necessary, it can be varnished.

Of course, it requires certain dexterity and skills, but everything comes with experience. Therefore, following the recommendations described above should help the novice master in mastering this interesting and exciting activity.