Can you cut an fairly accurate 45mm hole with a jigsaw?

[Robbie Rollie]

Only got the one attempt so I wouldn't want to try it to find it's not possible to turn that tightly. There's already a 32mm hole where it needs to be.

 

[Stivino]

What material do you want to cut through?
Is it possible to have a dummy run on another piece of material?

 

[Robbie Rollie]

It's a soft wood. Usually I'd wander upto the builder's skip and pick something out of it but it's not really the time. I think I'll just try it. I've got about 7mm to try to see if it will work.

 

[just pumps]

Hole saw.

 

[Tigercubrider]

agree about the hole saw.
You can (if access allows) fit a piece of timber underneath the existing hole in order to have a centre. or cut a fresh plug for the existing hole and glue it back to find the centre.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sourcingma...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
https://www.amazon.co.uk/sourcingma...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

I have never tried it but you might be able to use a bit of 12mm ply/mdf and cut a plate with the 45 mm hole, trim it to position it over the existing hole, and somehow (F clamps?) fix it in position to insert the drill.

 

[just pumps]

agree about the hole saw.
You can (if access allows) fit a piece of timber underneath the existing hole in order to have a centre. or cut a fresh plug for the existing hole and glue it back to find the centre.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sourcingma...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
https://www.amazon.co.uk/sourcingma...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

I have never tried it but you might be able to use a bit of 12mm ply/mdf and cut a plate with the 45 mm hole, trim it to position it over the existing hole, and somehow (F clamps?) fix it in position to insert the drill.

With most of the hole already gone I think there would be a lot of vibration with the first one.

 

[Robbie Rollie]

Thanks for the knowledge and suggestions. In the end I just sketched a 45mm circle and went for it with my jigsaw. It's not a pretty hole but it doesn't need to be and the starlings are circling desperate for somewhere to nest so here it is.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

So what you'd call "rustic", then?

 

[Tigercubrider]

You could have done it with a series of drilled holes and used a rasp or file to tidy it up