George Vondriska

How to Make a Circle with a Framing Square

George Vondriska
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Description

There are a handful of ways to make large circles; a string and a pencil, a tape measure with a pencil taped to it, a beam compass, trammel points…Did you know you can make a circle using a framing square? Not a common technique, but it works, and works well. If you’ve got a framing square in your shop, you can produce perfect circles.

Sequence of Events

Start by tapping nails into your work piece. The distance from nail to nail must equal the diameter of the circle you need. With the inside legs of the square resting against the nails, maneuver the square in an arc, while at the same time holding a pencil at the inside corner created by the legs of the square. Yeah, it sounds like it can’t possibly work, but it does. It’s easiest if you do ¼ of the circle at a time.

More Geometry

If you enjoy this work around for creating circles, Woodworkers Guild of America has more shop geometry that you can use. On Must-Have Workshop Math and Geometry, we cover:

  • Bisecting lines and angles
  • Board foot calculations
  • Drawing an ellipse
  • Equally dividing the circumference of a circle
  • And more!

Framing Square Tips

A framing square is an incredibly versatile tool. There are so many layout tasks it’ll take care of for you. You’ll also love this great technique that allows to turn a simple square into a framing square cutting guide.

Share tips, start a discussion or ask other students a question. If you have a question for the instructor, please click here.

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One Response to “How to Make a Circle with a Framing Square”

  1. Md.Robiul islam

    I am interested

In all honesty, this next tip could be one of the more obscure and arcane things that I've ever shown you. But I think it's pretty cool. Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna use a framing square standard off the shelf square, there's no magic here in order to make a circle. Here's how it goes.

First thing on your work, mark out the diameter of the circle that you're trying to produce. Then tap a finishing nail on the extreme here, And on the extreme there, then grab your square, and the square goes up against those nails. Now for this next step, you gotta kinda rub your head and pat your stomach at the same time. That's gotta ride the nails, a pencil has to live inside that inside corner, and we wanna have a little bit of pressure this way, so that we keep the square snug to the nails, and a little bit of pressure this way, so the pencil stays square or tight to that inside corner kinda like this. You gotta watch close, cause this is weird, but it works.

Quarter done. See if I can do it left-handed I'm so dominantly right-handed. Oh! Broke my lead but we can keep going. How's that?

Aint that weird? And it works. It's cool. It's STEM, sorcery, trickery and Chapman and magic. So next time you need to make a circle.

If you've got a framing square, you're gonna be in good shape. Try this technique out.

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