What would be the best tool to use?

[cartpauj]

I'm a Power Tool newbie for sure...if this post doesn't prove it  !

QUESTION:

my wife wants us to do a "project together"...ya we all know how that's gonna all play out! She wants to make one of those circular clocks.  So I went to Home Depot to look for parts and I found what I need but I'm not sure what tool would work best to make a cutout on the back of the clock for the plastic clock housing?

Any help is much appreciated thanks!

[qadsan]

hi,

Do you have a wooden fixture that needs a round hole cut in it so the clock can fit inside the hole? 

How thick is the wood that needs to be cut and what kind of wood is it or do you know?

How large of hole do you have to cut (diameter)?

Does the cut have to be precise or does the clock have a 1" lip that would fit over the face of the hole to cover up any inaccuracies with the cut?

Or do you have a round piece of wood that you're putting a non-round clock (i.e. square, triangular, etc) inside of?

And do you need a tool that's just good enough for this job and maybe a little more use at home or do you want a pro grade tool that's more accurate and meant for long lasting commercial use or something in between?

If you're needing to cut a round hole into wood, a hole saw would be your best option.  You can find inexpensive hole saws up to 5" diameter for less than $20.  If you're cutting wood and have to make a hole larger than 5", then you may want to consider a circle cutter.  You can find inexpensive circle cutters up to 8" diameter for under $20.  You can also find an inexpensive circle cutter attachment from Dremel that will cut holes up to 12" diameter.  Check out eBay auction 200322051077 that has a Dremel circle cutter attachment for $13.99 delivered.  You'll need a Dremel tool to make this work, but Dremel tools come in handy for all kinds of things around the house (at least they do for me). 

Once we know a bit more about what you're doing, we can probably give you better info.  Good luck with all this.  Working on projects with my wife is lots of fun    :-X

[cartpauj]

I'm using a large round piece of Particle board.  Basically I need to put this into the back of the clock.

http://www.clockparts.co.uk/clock%20movements%20side.jpg

I need a square cutout that doesn't go all the way through the particle board.  Just enough to allow the clock to hang straight on the wall.

I'm just looking for just enough tool to get the job done.  I don't do a lot with power tools and unless I somehow get really rich I probably never will  .  I've got a lot of friends and family members who live and die by DeWalt so if I do purchase any tools I'd most definitely go with DeWalt.

Thanks for your quick response and any additional help.

[qadsan]

My advice would be to buy an inexpensive router with the appropriate bits for this job.  It would allow you to cut into the board at the depth you set.  You can buy an inexpensive trim router with bits from Harbor Freight Tools for $25 or you can step up to their 1.75HP plunge router for only $59.99 + the cost of bits.  DeWALT also offers routers, but they're much more expensive.  But they do offer a 1/4" compact trim router model # D26670 for about ~$100 and that would also do the job nicely.  DeWALT also offers this same router in a kit D26670K and it costs about ~$200.

You could also do this by hand with a good set of chisels, but using chisels for this task won't be easy if you'eve never used a chisel before and have to learn as you go.  By the time you buy a good set of chisels and related tools, you could have probably bought an inexpensive router that would do the job much faster and more accurately. 

My recommendation would be to trace the clock into the board.  Then draw this same shape inside, but about 1/16th of an inch to the inside.  Set the depth of the router to how ever deep you want it to cut.  Cut to the inside line as your first cut so that if you make a mistake, you still have room to fix it.  Check the fit and make any adjustments to where you need to cut.  Now do the final cut carefully so that the fit is perfect.

I've got to run, but hopefully this gives you some quick ideas to ponder.

[cartpauj]

Thanks for the help! As soon as this semester of college is over, my wife and I will probably get to it.  I'll let you know how it goes and maybe post some pics of the final product.

Thanks again!