Make perfect wooden circles | jigsaw jig | with(out) center hole

Cutting wooden circles is quick and easy to do with a minimum of power tools.
You draw a circle with a compass and you cut it out with a jigsaw.
Ready!

But what if that circle has to be perfectly round?
And if you want to go one step further, what if this circle should not have a center hole? Not even a tiny nail hole?

Well, do not search any longer because in this blog you will discover the solution for this.

With this jig, you can make perfect wooden circles, any size, with or without a center hole.

On top of that, you can choose to use this jig with a router or jigsaw.

It is recommended to have a jig as versatile as this one in your workshop. With this jig, you can make any imaginable wooden circles!

I’ll show you how to make it!

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Watch the video here & learn how to make this jig

Here you can watch the video and see how to make the jigsaw wooden circles maker.
After watching the video, you can continue reading the step-by-step guide to making this jig yourself. 

How to make a jig to cut wooden circles without center hole

A long time ago I made a jig to make wooden circles. This jig was adjustable, and I was able to make wooden circles with it by connecting the jig to my router.

You can watch the video below and read the blog about this jig here.

By adjusting this jig I now also have the option to make circles with the jigsaw.

Below you can watch the video of how I adjusted the existing jig and in this blog, I will show you step by step how to make this jig yourself.

Building this jigsaw jig step by step

I used a threaded rod and a nut to connect the jigsaw holder to the existing jig.

To fix the threaded rod in the jigsaw holder, I glued it with epoxy glue (more on that later in this blog)

To glue the threaded rod I drilled a hole in the side of the wood.
Note that the threaded rod must line up with the jigsaw’s blade. That way, the jig will work smoothly.

After making the hole, this was the first part I attached to the bottom plate.
For this, I used wood glue and brad nails.

After making the hole, this was the first part I attached to the bottom plate.
For this, I used wood glue and brad nails.

To ensure that the jigsaw is firmly attached to the jig, I made a border all-around. In this way, the jigsaw ends up in a sort of container.
Close the border against the sole of the jigsaw, so that there will be no gaps.

Where the jigsaw blade has to pass through the bottom of the jig I made a 20 mm diameter hole.
By making the hole big enough, the jigsaw is easy to place in the jig, but an additional advantage is that when you have made a mark you can see it through the hole. This allows you to set the jig perfectly before making a cut.

Here I made a small mistake by gluing the threaded rod first. If I made this jig again, I would first trim the edges and then glue the threaded rod.
However, I solved this by placing spacer blocks on my crosscut sled. That way the threaded rod did not get in the way.

The gluing was done with two-component epoxy adhesive for a solid connection.

Whenever possible, I like to work the way to make my workpieces bigger and to cut all edges flush after assembly. In this way, I always have perfect and beautifully finished edges.

To be able to attach the jigsaw holder to the existing jig I used a homemade button in which I attached a nut.

Be sure to check out the blog where you can see how you can easily make these buttons.

The last step in making this jig was the clutch support. To avoid that the point where the connection was made would start to rotate, I attached two small plates on both sides of the connection. This creates a kind of slot in which the connection fits.

How to use these Corner clamps

Making wooden circles with center hole

Determine where the center of the circle should be and drill an 8 mm hole in which the dowel of the jig will fit.
Connect the attachment for the power tool you will be using, the jigsaw or the router.
Place the jig in the drilled center hole.
Extend the threaded rod until the jigsaw blade or router bit is flush with the outside of the circle.
Tighten the nuts so the jig is fixed at the size you want the circle to be.
Now cut out the wooden circle by spinning the jig.

If you are using the router, work in several steps.
Adjust the router bit deeper with each revolution of the jig. Do this until you have completely cut out the circle.

Making wooden circles without center hole

Mark where the center of the circle should be.
Take the disc that will serve as the base for the jig and add double-sided tape on the bottom.
Place the disc perfectly on the marker. I do this by putting my pencil (you can also use a screwdriver) through the hole.
Place the tip of the pencil on the mark, and lower the disc until it touches the wood.
This way you can always be sure that the disc has been placed accurately.

Now take the jig and connect the attachment for the power tool you will be using, the jigsaw or router.
Place the template on the disc by sliding the bolt into the center hole of the disc.
Extend the threaded rod until the jigsaw blade or router bit is flush with the outside of the circle.
Tighten the nuts so that the jig is fixed to the size you want the circle to be.
Now cut out the wooden circle by turning the template.

If you are using the router, work in several steps.
Adjust the router bit deeper with each turn of the jig. Do this until you have completely cut out the circle.