Shift wheel-making into high gear
I was determined to rout a profile around a 2" disc, but equally insistent on keeping all of my fingers firmly attached. So I devised a jig that holds the disc and also has a platform that steadies the router when using piloted bits. I routed an ogee, but you could use a round-over bit and this approach to make wood wheels.
Here's how to build the jig for yourself: Center a 4"-diameter hole in a square piece of 3⁄4 " plywood. The drawing below gives you all the construction details for the support platform as well as how you attach the plywood square to it.
To use the jig, clamp its cleat into your vise, and apply a piece of double-faced tape to the jig's hardwood center post to keep the disc from spinning. Secure the disc with a machine screw, and adust your router's depth of cut to produce the profile you want.
—Clifford Loiselle, Largo, Fla.