I needed to cut a 6-in.-dia. hole through a 3/4-in. plywood subfloor in a bathroom, but the tools on hand were limited. Lacking a big hole saw or a jigsaw, I had to come up with another method.
I drilled a 1/8-in.-dia. hole near the end of a pivot arm made from a scrap piece of plywood. I ran a screw through this hole into the center of the hole to be in the subfloor. Then I ran another drywall screw through the pivot arm 3 in. from this centerpoint until the screw just poked through into the subfloor. Rotating the arm and driving the screw a half-turn after each revolution, I was able to cut through the plywood slowly. Once I cut about halfway through, I repeated the process from the other side. The cut took about 10 minutes total and came out pretty well considering the crude technique.
This method will never replace the right tools, but it did the job. It probably could be used to cut circles in other materials, such as drywall or insulation board.
Vince Catich, Roseville, CA
Edited and Illustrated by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #189
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