# Cutting out small circles?!



## nickonwood (Nov 4, 2011)

I am attempting to cut out small 1/2" circles from a piece of 1/4" plywood. I have been looking for a hole saw this small, but i have only found 3/4" hole saws. Is there a smarter way to extract little circles from wood? 

No, cutting them off of a dowel is not an option here. I must cut them out of this thin plywood.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

You might try a 1/2" plug cutter. :smile:


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## TomBob (Sep 3, 2011)

How about reworking a "Spade Bit"?
Grind away the cutting edges, leaving the center Pilot & 2 "Prongs", looking like a trident! Cut half way from both sides of the wood. 
I used this method to make the "Hubs" rounded on toy wheels, cut out with Hole Saws and finished on a mandrel in a hand drill mounted horizontally on the bench

Good Luck
Tombob


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

I would look for a punch that has a 1/2" center. This type of tool is used a lot around leather work or sometimes in cloth work such as a sail maker.

I think that anything that cuts wood is going to make a mess of that small of a piece of 1/4" plywood. In fact you may even have a problem finding a piece of plywood that is actually 1/4" instead of 7/32".

George


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*make your own hole saw?*



nickonwood said:


> I am attempting to cut out small 1/2" circles from a piece of 1/4" plywood. I have been looking for a hole saw this small, but i have only found 3/4" hole saws. Is there a smarter way to extract little circles from wood?
> 
> No, cutting them off of a dowel is not an option here. I must cut them out of this thin plywood.
> 
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.


A piece of tubing with the correct inside diameter 1/2" can be hand filed into a basic hole saw for use in 1/4" thin material. Start by drilling 2 3/16" holes at 90 degrees at the same location on the circumference about 1/2" in from one end. Then saw away the end leaving most of the hole as the *gullet* of the tooth. File the tooth to a sharp point in the direction of rotation and start drilling slowly, since there is no "set" to the teeth.  bill

To expand on George's idea, you can sharpen a short length of 1/2" ID tubing all around it's circumference and then squeeze the tubing and wood together in a vise to press out the small circle which will then be "wedged" inside the tubing. Knock it out with a dowel.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

GeorgeC said:


> I would look for a punch that has a 1/2" center. This type of tool is used a lot around leather work or sometimes in cloth work such as a sail maker.


+1.:yes: George has the right idea. The punch is called an "Arch Punch". Smacked with a hammer, will cut through 1/4" plywood.
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