by Glenn W.

Material: Steel

Units: (in)

This Craftsman-style circle cutter is designed to be used in a standard Drill Press or Vertical Milling Machine only.

It is designed for cutting 1″ to 6″ diameter holes in sheet metal, brass, copper, plastic, wood, or other composite materials. You can also cut 1″ to 6″ diameter circular disks or wheels. This tool is only recommended for material thicknesses of 1/8″ or less.

Some examples of practical uses for this tool are:

• Cutting holes in automotive dash panels to fit around gauges.
• Cutting holes in sheet metal where hoses will pass through
• Cutting wheels for toys.
• Cutting round discs in aluminum for making fly-fishing reels.
• Practical uses are endless …

This tool is fully adjustable for cutting diameters from as small as approximately 1″ to as large as approximately 6″.

By simply grinding the proper angles and reliefs on standard 1/4″ HSS tool bits you can cut perfect holes or round discs, depending on the orientation of the tool bit cutting edge.

The attached set of drawings and assembly plans are based on a Sears Craftsman tool, model #25293 (pictured above). However, the design, dimensions, and components have been modified for improved performance and safety.

Proper cutting speeds, cutter relief angles, etc. will need to be established and adjusted according to the job at hand and the material being cut.

Important Notes:

• Speed of drill press or milling machine should NOT exceed 500 RPM when using this cutter.
• Always wear safety glasses when using this tool.
• Use of cutting oil or coolant will greatly improve cutter performance when cutting metals.
• Not recommended for materials thicker than 1/8″.

  Circle_Cutter_Plans.pdf (321.1 KiB, 651 hits)
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Glenn recently made a Nib holder from scratch for his surface grinder. You can buy one from MSC for about $25-35, or you can make one with a few hours of effort out of parts from your scrap bin.

Here’s what Glenn had to say about his Nib Holder:

“I recently made a Diamond Nib Holder for dressing the wheels on my new surface grinder. It’s a very simplistic design derived from the common off-the-shelf Nib holders that you see in MSC, Enco, etc. catalogs. Those, however, are typically castings or welded parts. (see last photo above). My version is fully machined, ground, and bolted together. I used A2 tool steel. The part is approximately 5″ long, 2″ wide, and 1-3/4″ tall. The base plate is 1/4″ thick. The top block is approximately 1-1/2″ square before machining the angle on it.

This tool is a good example of how one might use a 15 degree Angle Block to position the top of the Nib Holder for milling and drilling at the desired angle position for the diamond dresser.

I also used my new surface grinder (new to me, at least!) to put a nice finish on all of the surfaces of the tool.
-Glenn”

Thanks for sharing you plans Glenn!

  Diamond_Nib_Holder_by_Glenn_Woodworth.pdf (213.5 KiB, 240 hits)
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Kyle Crane submitted his drawings for a carriage stop that fits his Grizzly G0602 10×22″ lathe. I also own the G0602 so I was excited to see these plans. As soon as I get my Atlas horizontal mill rebuilt I will be building one of these. Or maybe 2, one as a stop and the other to hold a dial indicator.

If you’re not a G0602 owner you can certainly adjust the size of this stop to fit your lathe’s dimensions.

A few additional pictures and a description of the machining process can be found on Kyle’s site.

Thanks for sharing Kyle!

  Grizzly_G0602_Lathe_Carriage_Stop.pdf (43.4 KiB, 495 hits)
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