What tool to cut baffle holes?

[kvk]

I supposed a Jasper Jig is probably the best tool for routing baffle holes for drivers but it's about $40 which is a fair amount if you are only building one pair of speakers.

Are there any cheaper options? Does someone make something like a cheapo adjustable jig for routers?

I do have a router and bits already.

[Jan Dupont]

Drill a lot of holes in a circle............

[EC8010]

Originally posted by kvk
Does someone make something like a cheapo adjustable jig for routers?

I do have a router and bits already.

Last Wednesday I made a trammel for my router and cut two perfect circular holes with rebates in plywood without any splintering. All you need is a strip of something reasonably rigid (I used 1/4" SRBP, but you could use aluminium). You screw the router to it, and at the right distance from the cutter, you drill a hole for a bolt to go through the centre of the circle you want, drill a hole that size in your baffle. Then, with great trepidation you gently lower the bolt into the hole in the baffle, switch the router on, and cut a perfect circle.

[john blackburn]

Try using the shank (blunt) end of the drill bit as a pivot rather than a bolt, it will be a tighter fit and wont allow any "wander" whilst cutting.

[cuibono]

I do the same as the above two. Not perfect, but decent.

[loninappleton]

If you are doing anything over 5" the above methods work well.

Hole saws are available up to 5".

What makes the Jasper work is that the center pin goes into
a metal shank and so the router will not pull out of round.

Using a circle cutter with just a pin through wood has not worked very well for me.

Other method not discussed yet is the jig saw with circle jig.
the circle jig attaches and goes for about $7 USD here.

[Cloth Ears]

I used the Jasper last weekend for the first time, and the ease and accuracy of the cut pays foir itself with just the four holes and rebates. Anything new I do is just going to be a bonus, I reckon.

I dunno why I tried all those other methds beforehand - the wastage of wood and time seems like such a silly thing to have gone through.

[loninappleton]

Jont,

As I recall Jasper had some complicated calculation to do circles.

Did you center and eyeball the right calibrated hole or use the
Jasper system?

BTW, Jaspers go on deal once in a while and as a set with a larger and smaller one.

I have some better bits now so I may give my small roto tool a whirl at doing circles with it's kit again. The pin in that rig fits snugly into a
certain gauge of T-nut. But I'm still using 4 in speaks so never did a finished circle cut with that rig.

[Nanook]

jobmate cutout tool

Haven't tried it, but my cohort just bought one, will try it out on some small OB speakers.

stew

[vitalstates]

I've used this for the last 5 years with no problems at all. Pic shows the jig upside down. Its best used if the target piece is placed ontop of a piece of scrap so you can drill the centre of required hole thru both pieces.

for duplicating holes I find it much easier to cut a template with the jig tool and then just used the template.

Ed