holes for woofer

[hacknet]

how does one cut holes in the wood to put in a 12' woofer?

[plasmodium]

(1) if you have a router.....

make a circle-cutting jig - a what??? - easy!

I got a strip of perspex about 130mm wide and as long as you like, depending on the radius of your cut. I picked up a scrap out of a shopfitters acrylic bin.

my router has a plastic base plate, held by 5 little bolts - removed this.... use this as a template and transfer these holes to perspex (and coutersink them) - make sure you have cut a hole in the centre of the perspex for the cutting bit to hang through.

Attach this to the router with the bolts - you now basically have a long baseplate.... by drilling holes in the long part of the plate, you can form a kind of compass

ie use a nail in the centre of your proposed circle as a pivot point through a hole in the long end of circle jig, plunge router to required depth and simply guide it around the circular path..... done.

just get a roughish measurement from the outside edge of the cutting bit to your centre hole, cut a rough hole on scrap, then adjust the position of the hole.....

I rout an 18mm square trough to about 5mm depth, then jigsaw out a roughish hole for the driver to sit in..... nicely flush mounted, obviously you can't see the crappy jigsaw hole! You could also rout a deeper trough at the inside diameter instead of jigsawing, but jigsawing is quicker, easier and cleaner!

(2) if you dont have a router....

good luck! any suggestions (you could surface mount by jigsawing, don't know how you would neatly flush mount.)

lee

[plasmodium]

5 countersunk holes for router....

big chunked out hole for cutting bit....

two round holes for small circles - drill small hole in actual router base and pivot on this....

One I saw in a book was about a metre long, for table tops...... the circles come out perfectly, my first example one is shown.

[hacknet]

i dun think i have a router... do u have an illustration of the actual cutting or how to lay the perspect out on the wood...

i think the only useful tool i have now iz a drill...

[jmiyake]

The task you wish to accomplish can be done most ideally with a router. If there is a way to get ahold of one, then that would be the best way to do it.

It can also be done with a jig saw or sabre saw. These are more commonly available than routers, however they are difficult to use to cut circles since they want to cut straight. So likely your circle will end up a bit less than round.

You could concievably do this cut with a drill. You would need to turn the drill into a router. You would have to mount is on a steady little platform that would keep the bit straight up and down. You would need a saw - bit and then you will need to make a circle jig like you would for the router. You will end up with the slowest flimsyest router in your part of the world. But it could be done.

Your best options are to borrow, rent or buy a router.

One more thing.
You need to know how to operate power tools safely. Each one is dangerous in their own way. And anything that can slice through MDF will not slow down upon hitting flesh and bone.

Good luck,
James

[Bill Fitzpatrick]

In my life I have cut hundreds of woofer holes and have never bothered with a router. Just mark where you want to cut, drill a hole for a sabre saw blade and away you go. . . 3 minutes for the entire operation.

[SkinnyBoy]

I use a jigsaw.. once... never again.. well maybe.. but its mesy...

[hacknet]

i thought about using a jigsaw but wont it frill the edges... and i dun think u can file MDF rite?

[pinkmouse]

Use a new sharp blade in your jigsaw, then any tear out will be minimal, and will easily sand down

[hacknet]

are these the routers u are talking about?