Milescraft 12190003 CircleGuideKit

I was very skeptical after reading some of the negative reviews. I needed a hole jig for a couple of projects and I wanted an infinitely adjustable guide rather than one with 3 million holes. As another reviewer stated, the router base has to be properly set up, just like any other tool, in order to get consistent results. Once I set the guide up correctly and centered (with the included centering tool) , I was able to make about a dozen holes the exact sizes I needed. I did find that the included ruler was nearly perfect. That being said, I would much rather measure and mark the cut line rather than relying on a taped on ruler. Cons: I don’t like the brittle plastic feel, but so far it’s worked fine with no issues. I hated having to screw in a screw each time I wanted to use this. If I have to drill a pilot hole, might as well have a pin rather than a screw. I converted the screw hole to a pin that drops into a drilled hole. Much easier and more consistent results. The base allows for you to buy and use additional guides. I tried one of the guides and I wasn’t impressed. The guilde turned and unlocked after each use. Turned out to be a real pain in the @$$. Tweaks: I used a piece of hard wood with double sided tape for one of the projects and was able to get the perfect circle without drilling in to the workpiece. I taped the hardwood to the workpiece with the other pin mod and it worked perfectly. For me, it’s worth the price I paid. It did what it was supposed to do with the accuracy and repeatable results.

I liked the adjustability of this guide. You can get spot on if you fuss with it a bit. It can slip a little so tighten the clamp well. I ended up using more than one length pivot screw so I could screw into the surface below. The guide is built well and have routed many circles with it. The down side is that it is bulky to use and takes some fiddling to set up. So, 4.5 stars overall. I use my Bosch router with plunge base.

I like making my own jigs; there's something simple and elegant about having and using few tools in clever ways, and a strange sense of tempo when the setup for a cut takes 10 times as long as the cut itself. BUT. Compared to the hours of trouble and relative inflexibility of machining my own circle-cutting jig, the price and ease of this device is TOTALLY WORTH IT. Easy to adjust the radius. Easy to attach to the router. Cuts beautiful circles. I haven't used the small jog or the offset base, but the large jig is a dream. Even the included router bit is good quality. I did have to grease a few pieces so they didn't bind. I'd also recommend measuring the radius independent of the scale on the shaft (obvious, perhaps). But design-wise, this thing is the bees-knees.

This is a great tool and a must have add-on for any router. If you have to cut accurate circles and holes this is a must have tool. Very accurate and repeatable holes made with this Circle Guide Kit and everything is included with the kit, open box and begin cutting holes and circles. Easy to follow directions with great results. If you have a router you need to get this Circle Guide Kit.

Great jig, fair price. Please with my purchase. Easy to set up with the clear directions included. Perfect circles in no time. It'll make you wonder why you didn't buy this sooner!

The circle jig is very easy to use and cuts nice circles. I do want to point out a couple of things for potential buyers. The first is that the included router bit isn't exactly high quality so you might want to upgrade it to something else. The second is that the included center screw is quite short and the included bit for drilling for it is perhaps a bit too wide. That problem can be solved by using a smaller diameter drill bit or a longer screw (it's a #6; I found out because when I went to cut my second circle the screw just popped right out. The next time I use this kit I will use a smaller diameter drill bit, but now I do have some longer #6 screws as well. Yes, it's probably my fault for drilling a tad too deep, but I think I was also lucky that little screw stayed put the first time around as well). I would buy it again though. It made beautiful cutouts for a speaker baffle, and I plan to put to other uses as well. I really like that it can cut small circles up to quite large ones. Aside from circles I would like to build some furniture with nice arcs on the sides of the tops of dressers or even shelving.

I kind of like Milescraft kits because they are usually very complete - and this one is no exception. It comes with a 1/4" straight router bit and even a Brad point 1/8" drill bit (to drill a hole for the center pin). There are also some instructions in the box and the general quality is quite alright. Generally speaking, you would want to use this kind of jig, as opposed to a jigsaw, whenever you do not have clearance for the jigsaw blade underneath the part you are making. Likewise, you can expect the routed edge to be cleaner and more accurate than what jigsaw would normally produce. However, in an obvious attempt to accommodate as many routers as possible and make the jig suitable for small and large circles, it's gotten overly complicated to the point of being unwieldy and flimsy at the same time. First, the product photo does not really convey the size of the plate that connects to the ruler bar - it is really closer in size to a dinner plate than a router base. The reason for that, no doubt, is that the plate consists of two parts - the bigger one that you see on the photo that attaches to the ruler bar and a smaller inner mount that clicks into place on top of the larger one. Once assembled, the whole thing gets grotesquely big - to the point that if you are cutting a smaller hole, the jig will entirely cover the hole and possibly your work piece too - with no room left to clamp it down. More seriously, as others hove noted, with this arrangement, you are dealing with two extra connections - between the bar and the plate and between the plate and the inner mount - each just begging to get loose once the router gets up to speed. Considering that you are supposed to remove the native router plate anyway - what's the reason to make the mount a two part system? I eventually settled instead on using a piece of thick acrylic ($5) just wide enough to fit my Ridgid trim router and a threaded center pin ($1) which is drilled in spot and is guaranteed not to drift anywhere regardless of vibration, dust and what not. I would probably rate the kit 3.5 but since there aren't half-star ratings, 3 it is.

Wow! That works very well and your not being beat over the head with having to pay big $$$. The manufacture title is incomplete...it should be called a “Circle Guide and Offset Router Kit”. At the beginning it was not very easy to understand the black and white illustrated cartoon graphics. But once you figure it out for the first time....it’s easy for future usage. The only issue is the measuring tape glued to the arm which immediately started to peel off the metal arm. Will try to restore the hold length of tape by trying to re-glue the measuring tape to the metal arm with heavy duty thin double sided adhesive tape. This jig is better than those DIY jigs. I would buy again!