How do you cut out a perfect 12 inch circle??
Question:i was making a speaker box for 12 inch speakers and messed up on the circle and i dont have one of those circular cutting machine so i had to cut it witha saw soo 1.how do you make a twelve inch circle 2 what is the best way to cut it??
Answers:
Hi, if you don't have the money to buy one,use a sharp object like a nail. Then tie a string to it and a pencil to the string. Measure the string and pencil to 12 inches, nail the nail to the middle and you can draw a complete circle.Cut it out carefully, with a saw,scissors,razor knife or whatever you need to cut the material your using.Hope this helps.Bye
Use paper as a template - use a sheet of newspaper something at least 16". Fold the paper in quarters...now unfold it to a half...from your center point measure 6" down...now, use a dinner plate.lay the plate face down on the paper with the curved edge meeting your 6" mark ...I hope this is making sense.trace the plate ...lift the plate off the paper, cut the paper along the curved line...unfold the paper.you should then have a 12" circle! I make paper templates for many things.if the explanation didn't work for you...email and I'll try again! Good luck!
Can you find a compass with a 6 inch spread?.... I didn't think so.
Find a nail and a piece of string and a pencil (sharpened).
Find the center of your speaker box, tap in the nail.
Tie the string loosly to the nail and tie the pencil at the other end 6 inches from the nail.Keep the pencil straight-up and trace your circle..Borrow a drill and a sabre saw and have at it. not only will you have made a perfect hole,but You have entered the wonderfull world of geometry...
You can use the string and nail approach, or, if you have a router, you can make an attachment like the one pictured at the link below. With the "router compass" secured at the center, you end up with a perfect circle.
Oh, by the way, you can get a couple of attachments to fit on a dowel rod, that turn it into an oversized compass.if you're inclined to cut this out with something other than a router. Hehehe... there's even a "beam compass" out now, looks like a tape measure with a hole in the middle of the case, and a pencil holder where the hook at the end of the tape would be. Rockler has it too, hehehe. Those are all tools to help you DRAW a perfect circle... but for CUTTING a perfect circle, you can't beat a router. If you don't own one, you can most likely rent one from a local tool supplier.
Have Fun
first off there is no perfect 12" circle lol
the best way i know is find the center of you radius cut ( the circle ) and drive an 8 penny nail. then take a tape measure and pull it out to 12". hook your tape measure on the nail and hold a pencil next to the 12" mark on tape. move in a circle around the nail being careful (move slowly till you get the hang of it ) so as not to pull the tape out. then when you have your cut line drill a hole on the inside of the line but not right next to the cut line (maybe 2" if you're a beginner) and put a jig saw into the hole. gently twist the blade on the jig saw till you hit the line you drew. follow that line until you get full circle. pat yourself on the back you just got "er done... repeat as necessary
what did you use already when you messed up the cut? you can buy a guide for most jig saws that will allow you to cut a circle. you could cut it out with a router and a guide for it. or one of those rotozip tools. depends on what you have or how much you have to spend to make the cuts. check the website of the manufacturer of your tool of choice for guides for cutting circles. and for the other guy, if you are going to trace out a 12" circle from a nail in it's center, you only go out to the 6" mark on your tape measure. good luck, hope this helps.
tie a string to a pencil..measure across the circle , find the center, put the end of the 6 inch string in the middle and make a circle with the pencil.
or use a dinner plate.
a compass and a jig saw
If you cant afford to buy the tool for your neeed try your local hardware the rent them for pennys. and it will save you time.
The string and pencil works, but I like this more. Get a small scrap of wood, a bit over 6" like 7-8", put a small finish nail 6" from the end, poking through a bit, find the center of the circle, and use the scrap lumber as a compass. Cut with a jigsaw. It's not perfect, but for speaker box it is close enough. To cut a near perfect circle, you can make a jig, and use a bandsaw, but that's overkill. And that's assuming you have a bandsaw, and you can get the wood in there.
plenty of ideas on how to draw the circle. A jigsaw would be the best tool, if you don't have that you could drill a bunch of holes around the circle and use your hand saw to finish cutting between the holes. It won't be a smooth hole but if the speaker will hide the edge it would work. If the speaker won't hide the edge you will need to get the proper tools
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