This bandsaw circle-cutting jig, which uses the blade-mounting slot in the saw’s table, is made of readily available 1/8-in.-thick aluminum flat bar and angle. The pivot point is the shank of a broken 1/16-in. drill bit, pointed on a grinding wheel while being held in a drill motor. Construction is straightforward, as shown in the sketch above. Drill and tap the side of the bandsaw table to hold the angle clips. You can cut the slot in the adjustment bar with either a jeweler’s saw or with a power jigsaw. This jig will cut circles from 1/2 in. to 16 in. To cut the larger circles, simply reverse the adjustment bar in the slot. When not in use, store the bar with the pin pointing down.
Regardless of the board’s grain, this jointer produced excellent results. Its fence was totally flat, worked smoothly, and locked well, staying in place even after jointing multiple edges. Getting the fence to 90° was very easy, but the 90° stop was a little tricky to set and the fence did not go back to square when using it. For those who would use it, there is also a digital depth-of-cut scale.
This is the saw I want in my shop. For one, it’s easy to use. All of the controls are easy to reach and manipulate, and the glide mechanism is both robust and smooth. The handle works well for righties and lefties. Then there are added bonuses that no other saw has. For instance, its hold-down is superb, as it can move to different locations, hinges for a greater range of coverage, and actually holds down the work. In addition, the saw has two points of dust collection, letting it firmly beat the rest of the field. The one downside was the saw’s laser, which was so faint we had to turn off the shop lights to see it. Still, all these pluses in a package that fits tight to the wall? That’s a winner for me.
With its graceful curves, cabriole legs, and ornamental back splat, a Queen Anne side chair is a bucket list build for many woodworkers. Dan Faia had a very specific Queen…
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