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It pivots on a little 1/8" pin that you insert into the hole in the jig that corresponds to the diameter of the circle you want to cut. I think I'm going to glue a piece of 1/4" acrylic to the top with a hole for a bushing. If you have a vacuum attachment on your plunge base, this means you'll probably have to remove the attachment in order to retrieve the pin. Simple.Problem #1: The pin holes in the jig go all the way through.
That way the jig itself will be free to pivot and I'll be able to maintain a constant router orientation without offending my vacuum hose. The upshot is that the pin has a tendency to simply push through the jig rather than down into the hole. Grrrr.A -much- better design would be to use a bushing or to require a pattern bit (one with a bearing near the top of the bit as opposed to a flush trim bit with the bearing at the tip). As mentioned, the jig screws to the base of the router and pivots on a little pin set to the size of the hole you want to drill. Worse, if you're using a vacuum attachment, you're going to be fighting with the vacuum hose which probably won't like being forced to twist. The 400J circle jig works as advertised but it suffers from a few design flaws, one of which had me cursing within seconds.The jig screws onto the base of your router in place of the router's normal base plate.
These pin holes are not as snug as the 1/8" holes I drilled. Since the jig is made of soft plastic, I figure this problem will only get worse as the pin holes see additional wear. The bushing or bearing fits into a center hole so that as the jig pivots around the 1/8" pin, the router itself maintains the same orientation with respect to the operator.The 400J itself won't allow this since it has that weird cutout at the center. So if you can't walk around your workpiece, you'll have to take your hands off the router at some point. So drill a 1/8" hole in the workpiece (with a drill press to ensure vertical), insert the pin in the jig, position the router+jig so that the pin fits in the hole you drilled and cut your circle. Guess you could use a slightly larger drill bit for the hole (5/32 or maybe 9/64).Problem #2: This is the one that had me cursing.
Oh, and this also solves problem #1 since it would prevent the 1/8" pin from pushing completely through the jig.So, 3 stars since the jig does work as advertised but there's plenty of room for improvement. This means that the router itself rotates 360 degrees as you progress around the perimeter of the circle.
Following the instructions leaves no questions unanswered and it performs perfectly. It also comes with a small tube to hold all the screws which is something that ever tool should come with. The reason is that otherwise the wood will come off center as you are about to complete the circle and you'll get a lump in the side. This is an absolutely jig and its amazing that it doesn't exist at the local stores. In recessing holes it produces absolutely repeatable results. Absolutely worth the price if you plan on cutting more than one diameter circle. I used this to recess and cut holes for a set of speakers I find the only thing to keep in mind is that when completely cutting a hole out it would be beneficial to make one pass that nearly cuts through and then plunge the router further to make the final cut through.
It's the kind of tool after using I'd consider paying 3 times the price to get one in laser etched anodized aluminum rather than plastic. This thing works great, is precise, and repeatable (which is it's primary value over some other jigs including homemade ones) Unfortunately, the material is just not up to being mounted and dismounted a lot, so use care and watch the torque when mounting it.It's one of those odd tools. Given the fragility of the material, and the fact the cheap materials means there has to be a HUGE markup, it is overpriced. I give it only 3 starts becuase made out of acrylic, it's essentially a consumable and WAY too pricey for that. However, it works very well if you don't break it.
The Pivot Pin Is A Tight Fit, No Play With this Little Feller. Nothing Worse Then A Botched Up Front Baffle For Your New Speaker System.This Unit Is For Plunge Routers With A 1/4" Collet And The Use Of A 1/4" Router Bit. This Jig Is A Must If You Are A DIY Speaker Builder. Unit Is Made From Acrylic Plastic So A Little TLC Is Required For Years Of Trouble Free Use. Just Follow The Directions If All Else Fails And You Will Be Up and Running Shortly. For First Timers, It Takes Abit Getting Used To And Highly Recommend Doing Some Practice Work On Scrap Stock To Get Comfortable With It. As An After Thought The 1/8" Drill Bits Extra Length Is Easier To Work With Then The Pin.
This Jig Will Route Very Accurate Recessed Areas and The Cut Out Area Also, For A Very Professional Look.The Unit Was Very Easy To Install And Align On My Skill 1823 Plunge Router. Do Recommend Having A Spare Pin Or 1/8" Drill Bit Laying Around For BackUp. A Good Buy. For Routing, A Standard 1/4" Bit Will Work Fine, But A 1/4" Upper Cut Spiral Bit Is A Better Choice.
I use it with a Bosch 1617EVSPK plunge router. Don't try this with anything larger or you'll lose the ability to center the jig on the router base using the supplied calibration disk.The jig does a nice job, works easily, and does what it's advertised to do. By enlarging the center opening, I lost the 1", 1-1/16", and 1-1/8" pin holes, but for holes this small I'd probably just use a hole saw anyway. I bought the Jasper model 400 circle jig for a DIY loudspeaker project to cut holes and to provide countersink lands for the drivers. I appreciate the supplied calibration disk and 1/4" pin that allows the jig to be centered easily on the router base.The jig is designed to be used with a 1/4" diameter cutting bit but I wanted to use a 3/4" diameter bit for a large woofer countersink land. I'd buy another in a heartbeat when this one breaks or wears out, especially for Amazon's current price of just under $20 bucks. I quickly discovered that the 1/4" bit specification is for real because the 3/4" diameter bit wouldn't pass through the opening on the jig.No problem - just plug in the router, dial in a slow speed, and plunge the 3/4" bit through the jig itself.
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