cut speaker opening with router

[gychang]

My Hitachi router just arrived and I will be using it to cut out speaker holes on the plywood.

Is there a jig or a nonexpensive gizmo to help cut out a circle?

thanks,

gychang

[mpauly]

Jasper Circle Jig is fairly cheap, pretty straight forward to use and has (I think) 1/16" increments so you can cut lots of hole sizes.

Here's a review on PE
http://www.partsexpress.com/Tech/365-250.html
and their pricing (though you may find better elsewhere)
http://www.parts-express.com/webpage...per+circle+jig

As for speaker boxes, I'd suggest MDF though. It's denser and more uniform (no voids).

[dsellinger]

I never wanted to pay $40 for a router hole cutting jig so i just made one.

I had a smallish rectangle of 1/4" plexy laying around so I just made one end fit my router base, and then on the other end i drill holes as needed for various size projects. Works pretty well.


As a note on use; don't ever cut all the way through on your first pass. I always try to cut it so that there will be 1/32 or so of material left on my last pass. (never take much more then 1/4 at a time either) After you have that thin layer holding the center circle in place then you can pop it out.

[gychang]

I never wanted to pay $40 for a router hole cutting jig so i just made one.

I had a smallish rectangle of 1/4" plexy laying around so I just made one end fit my router base, and then on the other end i drill holes as needed for various size projects. Works pretty well.


As a note on use; don't ever cut all the way through on your first pass. I always try to cut it so that there will be 1/32 or so of material left on my last pass. (never take much more then 1/4 at a time either) After you have that thin layer holding the center circle in place then you can pop it out.

that's it, low cost solution. thanks. gychang

[gimpy]

gychang, what size holes are you cutting? There are two different Jasper jigs, one for larger hole sizes and one for smaller holes (< four inches, I think?). If you are planning on buying one? Myself, I made my own.

I have the Ryobi router and it comes with an "edge guide". I used the holes that the edge guide goes into and bought a length (used as the arm for the length of the circle you wish to cut) of threaded rod (actually two/one for each hole) (could use wooden dowels, also). For the other ends of the rods, I drilled holes through a small wooden block and attached the rods to it. Then, just drill a small hole for a pin in the center of the block (midway between the two rods) to attach to the work piece.

I adjust the circle radius (diameter) the same way as adjusting the edge guide. You can make the circle as big as you want (use longer rods). I haven't tried to make small circles (less than 6 or 7 inches, I don't think you can with this jig), though.

Hope this is not too confusing. (also, I saw a jig for making much smaller holes in one of the magazines ("ShopNotes", issue 83 Sept/Oct. 2005)). It makes holes up to 4 inches in diameter, but it looks like it is quite a bit more involved in its design. It uses a "lazy susan" and might be more dollars than the Jasper Jig.

Good Luck,
Frank

by the way, what speakers are you considering on building? Would love to know.

[gychang]

want some speakers?, here...

gychang, what speakers are you considering on building? Would love to know.

I am nearly finished with tall speakers, called Bigger Is Better (BIB), u can read about it here.

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/forum...?s=&forumid=51

I finished my first one below, sounds divine..., proper cabinet (from computer simulated calculation) does wonders for these speakers.

For both speakers, holes were cut with jig saw, works but not precise. My speakers are less than $20 each, so the plywood cost is more. To me sounds better than the Best Buy stuff at much higher cost...

gychang