Photos: Larry Hamel-Lambert; Illustrations: Scott BricherOrder of Work
- Size sled to fit your saw.
- Rout slot and drill holes.
- Make pivot bar and
mount miter bar. - Make and mount travel stop.
- Prep for use.
Circle-Cutting Jig
Round out your shop with this bandsaw sled
By Bill SchneiderW
hen it comes to making circu-
lar discs, I find routers outfitted
with trammels to be loud and
messy. I prefer to use my bandsaw, which
I have outfitted with this very versatile jig.
Basically a plywood sled that registers in
my saw’s table slot, the jig makes for fast,
safe, reliable work. In use, the workpiece
rotates on a pivot pin that projects froma sliding bar, allowing lateral adjustment
for circles of varying diameters. On my
Laguna model 14-12 saw, I can cut disks
from 3" to 30" in diameter. I use a ¼" blade
for most cuts on this jig. Capacity may vary,
depending on the size of your saw’s table.
The jig isn’t hard to build, and it will
be an afternoon’s work well spent toward
expanding your woodworking capabili-ties. I’ve used it to make cutting boards,
tabletops, and circular steam-bending
forms. A recent large telescope proj-
ect required 23"-diameter disks for its
rotating base. In another project, I made
round ice-skate drying racks for a local
club’s fundraiser. With this sled in your
shop, you’ll have the excuse to explore
the world beyond rectangles.52