Plywood sheets are rarely used in the same format in which they are offered for sale. Most often, plywood is additionally cut. Often the task arises of obtaining a workpiece of a certain shape. How to cut a circle from plywood, even without having a special tool at hand, we will tell you in more detail.
- It is recommended to cut only on dry plywood. Humidity increases the resistance of the board and increases the risk of fractures, veneer delamination and other defects.
- It is better to replace the cutting tool immediately when primary signs of dullness appear.
- When using electric jigsaw In order to obtain the cleanest possible edges of the workpiece, the cutting line should be directed along the grain, but when using hand tools, it should be directed across the veneer. In the latter case, there may be more chips, but the tool most likely will not leave the cutting line.
- When transferring drawings or other elements onto plywood, try to ensure that flaws (spots, knots and cracks on the material) go to waste and not to the plywood itself.
- If the task is complex, for example, cutting out a round product, then you need to think about using a special tool (a circular or ordinary saw will not work) or original improvised means.
How to cut a circle from plywood
The hardest thing to decide is how to cut smooth circle made of plywood, if there is no special tool at hand. But even in such a situation there is a way out - improvised means. What is the essence of the method:
- The main tool is a wooden strip with a pair of nails.
- The first nail must be driven through the strip and then placed in the very center of the plywood piece.
- The second nail should be as sharp as possible. It is driven in at a distance equal to the radius of the circle from the first one. The point should protrude from the strip by about 5-10 mm or more (depending on the thickness of the plywood sheet).
- By rotating the bar relative to the first nail, the second nail forms a groove and gradually deepens in the plywood
- Rotations are carried out until the plywood sheet is completely cut.
Instead of a bar, you can use a high-strength cord, but the principles of obtaining a circle do not change.
More traditional methods for making a circle from plywood using a suitable tool:
- jigsaw - electric or manual. Initially, a sketch is made in pencil (for example, using a template), then a cut is made along the lines, and the finished part is additionally sanded with a file or sandpaper;
- milling cutter. An excellent tool for making a circle from thick plywood. The standard ruler is fixed with a self-tapping screw in the center of the circle. Next, the cutter rotates along a given radius, forming a hole of a regular round shape.
Why do you need a plywood circle?
Before you think how to cut a circle in plywood with a jigsaw, you need to clearly understand why it is needed. Both the resulting round-shaped workpiece itself and plywood sheet with a hole of the correct shape.
Where it might come in handy round blank from plywood:
- for the manufacture of various crafts and templates for them;
- used as a base for a wall clock;
- used for subsequent figure cutting or decoupage;
- act as the seat of a stool, kitchen tabletop or coffee table etc.
- for creating various souvenirs, for example, boxes, etc.
You may also need to cut out the correct circle from plywood for subsequent use of a sheet with a hole:
- installing a mortise sink into the countertop;
- getting a ceiling with a cutout underneath lighting round shape (spotlights or one chandelier);
- for the production of furniture with decorative facades and other elements, etc.
Often, when repairing or installing various wooden products needs to be drilled perfectly round hole. In this article we will try to highlight all the ways in which such a hole can be cut. Options with the use of special tools, as well as without them, will be considered.
How to cut plywood
A hacksaw with a very narrow blade, a jigsaw, a drill saw and a round file are those hand tools, which can be used to cut along a curve.
It is the narrow blade that provides maneuverability to the hacksaw, but for the same reason it is extremely difficult to operate. You must have a steady hand and an attentive eye to prevent deviations from the markings. However, do not try to work quickly. On the contrary, it is better to advance in small spurts. This will help you hold the saw handle more confidently and guide it exactly along the given line.
It is better to cut out small round or oval holes and “narrow” curves using special tools - a drill saw and a round file, which can also be used to clean out curves.
However, the most suitable tool for cutting rounded parts and holes is an electric hacksaw. Its advantage is not only that it saves energy and time. The included set of interchangeable blades with different teeth allows you to choose a blade for sawing almost any type of workpiece, be it wood, plywood or chipboard. In other words, an electric hacksaw can rightfully be called a universal tool.
Round corners of furniture
You can even get injured by hitting a sharp corner of the table. Therefore, we recommend cutting corners where possible. U homemade furniture they need to be rounded off from the very beginning.
Cutting circles and curved lines is no more difficult than making an absolutely straight cut on a workpiece, but under one condition: in your hands the right tool and you are good at it.
Mark missing parts
It may happen that the holes that you drilled to insert a narrow blade with a hand or electric hacksaw will end up in useful areas. To avoid such mistakes, you should mark all missing parts of the workpiece with shading.
What is suitable for the template
You can make a circle on a workpiece not only with a compass. Any object of a similar shape is suitable for this purpose. This could be a pan, plate, cup or bowl. However, when starting work related to the repair of furniture or some piece of furniture, calculate in advance the need for parts with rounded contours or with round holes. It may be enough to make only minor changes to the design.
Instead of a compass
A school compass can also be useful in a home workshop, but its range of action is small. What if you need to draw a circle of large diameter?
An easy way is to do this with string, a nail and a pencil. The nail is carefully driven into the workpiece, the rope is secured to it at one end, and a pin is secured to the other end. The length of the rope determines the radius of the circle being drawn. The only condition is that the rope must be taut along the entire path of the pencil. Then the distance from the center (nail) to the circle in all sections of the marking will be the same.
Strip of cardboard or slats
An equally simple, but more reliable way is to use a strip of cardboard or, even better, a wooden plank instead of a rope. Drill two holes in this bar (strip) - one, smaller, for a nail, the other, larger, for a pencil. The distance between their tips should correspond to the radius of the desired circle. All that remains is to install the nail in the right place and rotate the bar around its axis.
Two sharpened nails and a wooden strip or a strip of thick cardboard can replace a compass.
How to draw ellipses
An ellipse is a rather complex shape, but to draw it on paper, you only need two thumbtacks, a piece of string and a sharpened pencil.
Attach two buttons to the surface of the workpiece at some distance from each other. Take a piece of rope, tie both ends into a knot and hook the rope onto the button heads. Now, with a pencil, draw a line that the stretched rope allows you to describe. You can change the shape of the ellipse at your discretion.
The distance between the two focal points of the ellipse is indicated by buttons. If you guide a pencil within the boundaries assigned to it by a rope, then the outline of an ellipse will appear on the paper.
The ellipse shape can be larger or smaller, thicker or narrower, depending on the distance between the buttons and the length of the rope.
Templates
Shot glasses, cups, plates, pots or baking dishes - in any household there are many round-shaped objects that can be used to mark a circle. If you are making something and decide to give your product a rounded shape, then first look to see if there is a suitable template among the household utensils. To be sure, select a few items and take them to the workshop. There you can immediately try them on the workpiece and determine what is most suitable. With some practice, you will be able to make rounded lines from several round objects with different radii. Arcs of a circle can be drawn sequentially, or bridges-transitions can be made between individual arcs.
Preliminary drawing
Before attempting to draw a curve on a piece, design it on a large piece of paper or piece corrugated cardboard. Only after the result is satisfactory in all respects can you cut out a template from paper and make markings on it on the workpiece.
You can draw circles and fragments of a circle using a cup or plate by simply tracing them with a pencil.
Inserting a sink according to a template
Washing is one of the most important elements kitchen equipment. If you decide to cut your sink into your kitchen worktop yourself, the first thing you need to do is prepare an exact template.
First, transfer the outer outline of the shell onto a thick sheet of paper. Next, measure the width of its sides, which will rest on the tabletop. Usually this is 2-3 cm. Now step back from the outline drawn on the paper, inward by the width of the side and draw a parallel line. This will be the cutting line.
When applying markings, make sure that the position of the template itself on the plate is correct. Of course, if all the corners of the sink are symmetrical, then nothing bad will happen if, according to the markings, it appears to be in a mirror image. But if the sink has the shape of a trapezoid and the roundings at the front corners differ from the roundings at the back, then under no circumstances confuse the front and back parts.
Using a similar pattern, make templates and cut out holes for the devices. wall lighting or for loudspeaker mounted on wooden panels.
The line drawn around the sink is auxiliary. The second, drawn parallel closer to the center, is the sawing line.
Electric hacksaw
If you need to cut a round-shaped part and saw a round hole in the workpiece, then an electric hacksaw is the most suitable tool. With its help, you will save effort and time, since such a saw has great advantages over a manual one. Thus, the blade of the electric hacksaw is narrower, which provides increased maneuverability. Further, it has replaceable blades with different teeth, which allows you to process workpieces of any type, that is, wood, plywood, chipboard (it is no coincidence that the tool is also called a jigsaw).
To cut a section inside the workpiece, a hole is first drilled for a hand saw. But if you have an electric hacksaw, then this is not necessary. The tool is brought to the workpiece with a slight tilt forward and turned on in this position. The saw will cut the hole itself. Just don’t put too much pressure on the body - this can lead to breakage of the saw blade.
Lead in a circle
This device, simple in design, makes cutting out round holes or arcs much easier. It is enough to mark the center of the circle on the workpiece, fasten the device along the mark and connect the rod coming from it with an electric hacksaw. The divisions on the rod help set the saw blade at the required distance from the center of the circle. As a result, without preliminary marking, you can cut a circle or saw an arc with a radius of 5 to 20 cm.
The device (more precisely, its “sole”) is attached to the surface of the workpiece with screws. They should be well tightened. If the fastening is not rigid and starts to wobble, then an even circle will not work.
Suitable for lefties too
Left-handers can also use the device, since the guide rod is attached to the movable unit both on the left and on the right. So cut at your own discretion - clockwise or counterclockwise.
Using such a device, you can cut a round hole with a diameter of 10 to 40 cm in the workpiece without preliminary marking.
Jigsaw
When cutting holes or curves in small workpieces, sometimes you can’t do without a jigsaw. Replaceable blades with teeth of different shapes and locations allow you to work with wood of different densities. However, it should be taken into account that the depth of the cut is limited by the arc of the jigsaw, that is, the saw blade will not be able to move further than 30 cm from the edge of the workpiece.
Very thin, narrow saw blades can be easily damaged if the jigsaw is used incorrectly. The saw must be operated with careful, methodical movements. The main thing is to prevent the canvas from skewing. Otherwise, small and light workpieces will begin to move with the saw, which may ultimately lead to the blade bursting.
The thinnest jigsaw blade will “master” the narrowest curve, but only in small workpieces, since the advancement of the blade is limited by the arc of the jigsaw.
Drill saw
Neither a hand saw nor an electric hacksaw will help if you need to cut a small hole in the workpiece - less than 10 cm in diameter. A jigsaw may also be useless if the workpiece is large. In this case, the most suitable tool is a drill saw. With its tip it bites into the wood like a drill and thus makes a “starting” hole for further cutting. Externally, the saw is similar to a round file with the difference that its shaft is surrounded by a spiral around the cutting edge.
Drill saws are available with interchangeable attachments of various diameters, designed for processing wood, both soft and hard rocks, as well as a variety of materials made from it.
The working body of a drill saw is a metal rod with a cutting tip, like a gimlet, and a cutting edge that goes around the rod in a spiral.
This is what the narrowest one looks like hand saws. Thanks to the fastening unit, the blades in the hacksaw can be changed depending on the nature of the material being processed.
Drill attachment
One of the most popular and convenient options The hole is cut using a special attachment on the drill. It is made in the form of a crown comb and has a rounded shape. With this attachment, cutting holes occurs quickly, and they turn out quite smooth.
drill bit for holes
Nozzles come in different diameters, which allows you to cut a hole of the required diameter. If you have already prepared a hole, we can advise you to try your hand at options trading.
Drill
Cut big hole You can also use a drill. To do this, it is necessary to pre-mark the outline of the hole to be drilled. Next, use a small drill to drill along the contour prepared in advance, through holes. Next, using a jigsaw or a very sharp knife, we cut off the holes, thereby connecting the holes. After which you can smooth the circle using sandpaper of various grain sizes.
Chisel
You can also cut the required hole using a chisel. It is enough to remove the wood layer by layer along the contour. This option least suitable for interior decoration. The hole must be smooth, which cannot be achieved by using materials at hand and unsuitable for the job. The best option will be using a bit on a drill. The hole is even and has smooth edges.
Thus, to summarize, it becomes clear that you need to choose a tool for cutting a hole based on your goals. If necessary high-quality cut, then you can’t do without a special tool.
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. 
When starting to work 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, ordinary or circular saw can't 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 You can do it yourself, but it’s practically unsuitable for thick material or long cuts.
- 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 from plywood or make others complex elements(for example details children's construction set), then it is best to use a model with 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.
- You need to change the saw or cutting blade 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 make starting holes with a thin drill.
- 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 curved 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. Of course, you can’t make a complex shape with it, but cutting an arc or circle is easy:
- 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. The instructions for the device will tell you the exact numbers.
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 shaped 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 plank so that the tip faces wrong side 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
Usually, in order to cut an even circle from a piece of plywood or board, craftsmen resort to various kinds 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 circular 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 it off 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.
Plywood, unlike others sheet materials, due to its dense and not loose structure, can be easily cut out and obtained from it into various decorative complex shapes. With a standard set of tools, everyone House master capable of cutting out of this material any desired, and even complex elements. However, in order for the blanks to have a marketable appearance and not interfere with the intended decorative element, you need to take into account some nuances when working with plywood. How to cut an even circle from plywood?
Many people cut parts out of plywood more than once, but mostly they had to make straight cutting lines. It is not often necessary to cut out round or wavy parts; few people dare to make a circle out of plywood. Therefore, this task at first glance may seem impossible. For figured sawing You will need the following tools:
- An ordinary jigsaw. A tool often used for DIY sawing of thin sheet materials. However, thick thicknesses are beyond his strength;
- Jigsaw. Such power tools are divided into two types of devices: conventional, in which the file is located vertically, and for artwork, in which the working element is a steel sheet, as can be seen in the photo. Suitable for working with thick plywood regular jigsaw, but you won’t be able to use it to make an even circle of plywood. But curved elements, such as letters, can be cut out artistic jigsaw, which is equipped with a band saw. Thus, for quality performance various types work, the appropriate device is selected.
- With more complex equipment, such as a router, a circle of plywood can be cut very smoothly. It is of course more difficult to control, but it can be used to cut a circle of plywood from sheets of sufficiently large thickness. The quality of work on such a machine is superior to other cutting methods, and the cut of the wheel is smooth.
- Templates for drawings should be placed on the workpiece sheet so that areas with damage and flaws then go to waste, and clean areas are located under the drawing, that is, they later become a finished product;
- Before cutting a circle from plywood with a jigsaw, you need to make sure that the material is completely dry. Since humidity increases the resistance of plywood, and as a result, either the veneer may delaminate or the tool may break;
- To ensure that the edges of the cut are free of notches and burrs, you need to cut it with a jigsaw along the grain of the veneer. With a hand jigsaw, on the contrary, you need to cut across the veneer fibers, although chips may form, but there is no risk that the file will deviate from the cutting line;
- As soon as it becomes noticeable that the cutting teeth have become dull, you immediately need to change the working blade or saw.
Curly cutting methods
When starting to cut out with a jigsaw, a sketch of the design is first applied to the sheet using carbon paper. The initial holes are drilled with a drill. A file or working element of a jigsaw is inserted into it and the free edge of the file is fixed using a clamp or screw. Next, sawing is done according to the template transferred to the plywood. Then unnecessary elements are removed, and the workpiece is sanded along the edges with sandpaper or processed with a file. The video shows this process.
A furniture router is not suitable for cutting out complex shapes, but cutting a circle out of plywood evenly is very easy. The standard ruler of this machine is fixed in the center of the circle using a self-tapping screw. When the cutter begins to rotate along a given radius, a completely even circle is cut out. To correctly calculate the diameter of the circle, it is necessary to take into account the dimensions of the cutting cutter. You can correctly navigate this issue by first studying the instructions for the equipment.
How to make curly blanks using various instruments, and the machines described above, and if you don’t have anything at hand, how to cut a circle from plywood without a jigsaw.
Here simplest technology cutting a circle from a slab of plywood, having a few simple items available:
- Take a wooden plank and two nails. The first nail is driven into the center of the intended circle through the bar. The second nail is driven into the plank so that its sharp edge extends five to ten millimeters beyond the limits of the plank;
- The distance between the fixed nails will be the radius for the required circle;
- By making rotational movements, a line is made on the plywood. By wrapping the bar many times, the furrow is made deeper and deeper.
- The sharper the nail is chosen, the sooner the drawn line will receive a recess;
- The bar is easily replaced with a cord; the following cutting steps remain unchanged.
The above method is one of the least effective, but also has a right to exist. And if you have a jigsaw, cutting out a circle with your own hands will not be difficult.
