# Photo Paper



## JohnB2764 (Aug 17, 2014)

Hi Can any one help?

I have bonded an image printed on photo paper onto plywood and want to use the router to cut a circle. No problem cutting the circle but the paper edges are very rough.

I had hoped I could cut a neat circle.

JohnB


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

John wouldn't it have been easier to use a circle jig attached to your router and cut out a perfect circle out of the wood first , then glued the photo to the wood. Once the photo is glued you could have it face down and go around the wood perimeter with a utility knife making an accurate clean cut of the photo. 
Or am I misunderstanding the thread as always ?


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## fire65 (Oct 29, 2008)

Welcome to the forum John. I have to agree with the circle first going off the info provided.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Btw welcome to the forum John . There's some smart cookies here so is I suspect your going to like it here as much as I


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

Hello John, glad you found us, it's great to have you as a member of the community, welcome to Router Forums.


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Welcome to the forum John.


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## JohnB2764 (Aug 17, 2014)

Why does the obvious seem so hard to realise until someone else suggests it? 

Thanks guys. I will cut the wood first!

The actual project is to produce a 22 piece circular jigsaw 2ft x 2ft. My thinking had been to bond the artwork, cut the circle and then (with scroll/fret saw) cut the jigsaw pieces.

With your input I'll now I will cut and assemble ALL the pieces first then bond the picture and then (with a scalpel) cut to the final result.

Thanks again

JohnB


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

JohnB2764 said:


> Hi Can any one help?
> 
> I have bonded an image printed on photo paper onto plywood and want to use the router to cut a circle. No problem cutting the circle but the paper edges are very rough.
> 
> ...


clean up the fuzzies w/ a hand sanding block loaded w/ fine or finer sandpaper...
use a light touch down ward sidewards sweeping motion...
do not seesaw the sanding...


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## jaximus (Aug 25, 2014)

might be difficult to cut the picture cleanly and accurately if you cut all the pieces first. there really is not easy way about this. if you glue the picture before cutting you run this risk of your table/safety forks scuffing/scratching the picture. if you cut first and then glue, youd have to cut with an exacto blade using a backlight or on a window so you can see where the joints are. a horizontal glass surface with a backlight is best as then gravity isnt closing up all the cuts on the upward side (if you make the cuts on a vertical surface)

good luck!


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## JohnB2764 (Aug 17, 2014)

*Photo Paper Solved!*

Thanks everyone for their input.

The project is now complete. The solution was to use a Jigsaw, or my friends over the pond might say a fret saw, to cut the circle. The vertical movement of the blade left the paper cut real sharp. However a router will always cut a circle better than a jig/fretsaw even when using a steel rod. I discovered this pretty soon!

I decided then to make a vertue out of the inexactitude and cut the circle "freehand" with a deliberate wavy motion; this enhanced the look of the puzzle.

The router was used to make the tiny holes for magnets to be placed in each of the puzzle pieces and another set of magnets dropped into a backing board in register with those in the respective puzzle pieces. 

A strong magnet mounted on retractable car arial type device became the "magic wand" to remove pices from the puzzle.


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## lenh (Feb 27, 2009)

JohnB2764 said:


> Thanks everyone for their input.
> 
> The project is now complete. The solution was to use a Jigsaw, or my friends over the pond might say a fret saw, to cut the circle. The vertical movement of the blade left the paper cut real sharp. However a router will always cut a circle better than a jig/fretsaw even when using a steel rod. I discovered this pretty soon!
> 
> ...



That is neat idea, John


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## PopFinch (Feb 26, 2014)

I cut jigsaws with a srollsaw and i stick a scrap piece on top of the picture taped down. this seams to work for me. no damage to the picture.


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