A jigsaw can quickly cut circles or large holes with this simple trammel made from scrap plywood. Cut the trammel leg to any convenient length, and make the head large enough so that you can saw a notch in it to seat the jigsaw. With the saw in place, draw a line perpendicular to the front edge of the blade and extend the line down the trammel’s leg. Drill a pivot hole at the appropriate distance down the line, using a finish nail for a pivot pin. If you are going to save the circle you are cutting out, the kerf left by the saw must be outside the circle’s circumference. The length from the center of the pivot pin to the side of the blade closest to the pin equals the circle’s radius. If you are cutting a hole (the cutout will be scrap), the kerf must be inside the hole’s circumference. In both cases, apply pressure downward and outward while cutting.

William S. White, Longwood, Fla.

Fine Woodworking Magazine, October 1988 No. 72

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