Gil from Miami Posted March 10, 2023 Report Share Posted March 10, 2023 Quick question I am grappling with: I am building 8 outdoor speaker boxes from ¾ marine plywood. Each box holds 2 – 12” speakers so for this project, I need to cut 16 holes into 16 – 20 x 22 inch panels (one hole per panel). How would you cut 16 holes like this in the center of the panels, would you use a jig saw with a circle jig or a router with a circle jig, and based on your choice, which blade or router bit would you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted March 10, 2023 Report Share Posted March 10, 2023 Welcome. I've built several speakers myself and I use a Jasper Jig and router for cutting out perfect circles. I secure a backer board to prevent the center cutout from shifting when the cut is complete. I use a 1/4" straight bit, which is what the Jasper Jig is calibrated for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted March 10, 2023 Report Share Posted March 10, 2023 I prefer to use a router with a circle jig for circle cuts like that. A jigsaw is possible but i've never had good luck getting holes that are round and smooth enough for my liking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted March 10, 2023 Report Share Posted March 10, 2023 If you don't want to buy the commercial jig, and you're only going to do a run of one size, you could easily make a single radius base. Use this for ideas: https://jaspertools.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted March 10, 2023 Report Share Posted March 10, 2023 A circle jig is your best answer IMHO. An alternate would be to jig saw a template and rasp it to final shape. Make your first cuts with a short template bit, cut out the bulk of the waste with a jig saw and flush cut the final size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted March 11, 2023 Report Share Posted March 11, 2023 I'll add another vote for a template and router. Setting up a trammel to cut one circle is easy enough, but doing it over and over gets tiresome. Make one oversized panel with the hole template, and frame at least one corner to capture the actusl panels into the correct position. Zip around with a pattern bit or guide bushing, easy-peasy. Remember to oversize the template hole appropriately if using a guide bushing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted March 11, 2023 Report Share Posted March 11, 2023 Be sure to share some pictures when your done. Progress shots are welcome, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted March 11, 2023 Report Share Posted March 11, 2023 You should be able to do a Google search and find several woodworkers building speakers and the techniques they use to cut out the circle.. Even I’ve made speaker cabinets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlesR Posted March 21, 2023 Report Share Posted March 21, 2023 Router and simple jig all the way. I use a trimming router and slowly dial it down. And yup drzaius, I wish someone had mentioned backer board to me before my first try! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calmudgeon Posted March 23, 2023 Report Share Posted March 23, 2023 My go to would be rough out the hole with the jigsaw and then refine it with a template and a flush-trim bit in the router. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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