# Cutting circles in felt



## Aberfanturning (Sep 22, 2010)

Dear All

I make pen holders with a round base then I put a circle of self ahhesive felt on the bottom. I like to have the circle 2-3 mm from the edge.

I cut these by hand using a very sharp scalple around a circular piece of wood. The problem I have is they look like they were cut by hand (ie not perfectly round). I was talking to someone the other day and they had a proper tool to do the job but could not remember where they got it. I have looked on the web and I can not find anything.

Can anyone give me advice on how to cut perfect circles on self adhesive felt or point me in the direction of a tool to do the job. By the way I live in the UK.

Yours hopefully.

Sean

www.aberfanturning.co.uk


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## CREID (Sep 22, 2010)

You might try a leather hole punch.
Curt


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## jaywood1207 (Sep 22, 2010)

I have done circles from self adhesive felt with a pair of sharp scissors.  My forstner bits have a plastic cover on them so I pick the one that matches the size I want and use that to trace on the backing and then cut carefully with scissors.  If you don't want to go that way then try the leather punch.


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## SkookumPens (Sep 22, 2010)

How about making your own punch by filing down the teeth on a hole saw? 

Craig Chatterton
Puyallup, WA


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## MIKL (Sep 22, 2010)

i cut circles in leather all the time all you need is a sharp stanley knife and a can the size you want the disk, just run the knife around the bottom edge of the can, even the parts that don't go all the way through can be touched up with a good pair of scissors

MIK


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## capcrnch (Sep 22, 2010)

My wife is a scrapbooker.. She has a TON of "circle cutters" in various sizes (1/4" up to 6").. She said they sell them at Michael's or JoAnn's for cheap.


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## hanau (Sep 22, 2010)

http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-93807097-Circle-Cutter-Replacement/dp/B0006HUJ0S


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## Aberfanturning (Sep 22, 2010)

*circle cutter*

The Fischars circle cutter is exactly what I am looking for.

Thanks for everyones help.

Sean


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## Robert A. (Sep 25, 2010)

Save your money>Just get a piece of metal pipe and file the end sharp.All you need then is a hammer.


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## pensmyth (Sep 25, 2010)

Robert A. said:


> Save your money>Just get a piece of metal pipe and file the end sharp.All you need then is a hammer.



+1 That's how I do it too. I just ground a bevel on one end with a grinder and hammer/punch away!:biggrin:


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## cnccutter (Sep 25, 2010)

I buy them already cut from a cabinet supply place I buy from. they are door bumpers and have an adhesive on the back. might try that and see if they have a size that will work.

another idea would be to contacting  one of our Lazar cutting members. they might be able to help out if they could cut with out setting the whole felt blank in fire.

Erik


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## aplpickr (Sep 26, 2010)

Use the sharpened pipe nipple and an end-grain 4" x 4" as a punching block.


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## redfishsc (Sep 27, 2010)

Robert A. said:


> Save your money>Just get a piece of metal pipe and file the end sharp.All you need then is a hammer.




If you have a jaw chuck, you can chuck the steel pipe slug in the lathe and just mill a bevel on the inside edge of the pipe (using a small bowl gouge, or scraper, CAREFULLY). Just mill a steep bevel from the inside (thus preserving the outside diameter). 


Final sharpening could easily done with sandpaper, using something a bit stiff as a backer. Or perhaps a dremel tool with the pipe spinning at 500rpm.


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