BA

Bay Area Dave

19/02/2004 10:35 PM

It pays to get the right tools!

I've been struggling on and off for a couple of days with laying out a
pattern. I just got back from Office Depot with a set of French curves,
and a 24" flexible curve. I was then able to successfully lay out a
complex shape in about 5 minutes! Thanks to all who suggested these items!

dave


This topic has 12 replies

JJ

in reply to Bay Area Dave on 19/02/2004 10:35 PM

19/02/2004 7:12 PM

Thu, Feb 19, 2004, 10:35pm (EST+5) [email protected] (Bay=A0Area=A0Dave)
says:
I've been struggling on and off for a couple of days with laying out a
pattern. I just got back from Office Depot with a set of French curves,
and a 24" flexible curve. I was then able to successfully lay out a
complex shape in about 5 minutes! Thanks to all who suggested these
items!

Boy, easy to tell we live in two different worlds. If I couldn't
freehand the curve I wanted, I'd probably just lay out the curve with a
water hose, and trace around it.

JOAT
Georges Clemenceau supposedly said, "War is too important a matter to be
left to the military". If this is so, it is then obvious that peace is
too precious to be left to politicians.

Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
Web Page Update 19 Feb 2004.
Some tunes I like.
http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofalltrades/SOMETUNESILIKEVOCALS/

MS

"Mike S."

in reply to Bay Area Dave on 19/02/2004 10:35 PM

20/02/2004 12:51 AM

Hi Dave, know the feeling. I've built cabinet frames in the past and glueing
them up with biscuits and trying to keep everything straight while clamping
and waiting for the glue to dry. Today I went to St. Louis Rockler store and
picked up the Kreg pro 2000 and got a free video and large clamp (beside the
one in the kit). Just got in from playing with it and it is sure going to be
a time saver not only in frames but several other things.

--
Mike S.
[email protected]



"Scott Lurndal" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [email protected] (J T) writes:
> >Thu, Feb 19, 2004, 10:35pm (EST+5) [email protected] (Bay=A0Area=A0Dave)
> >says:
> >I've been struggling on and off for a couple of days with laying out a
> >pattern. I just got back from Office Depot with a set of French curves,
> >and a 24" flexible curve. I was then able to successfully lay out a
> >complex shape in about 5 minutes! Thanks to all who suggested these
> >items!
> >
> > Boy, easy to tell we live in two different worlds. If I couldn't
> >freehand the curve I wanted, I'd probably just lay out the curve with a
> >water hose, and trace around it.
> >
> >JOAT
>
> But then you wouldn't have been able to post a mindless gloat to the
> wreck!
>
> scott

JW

Jim Wilson

in reply to Bay Area Dave on 19/02/2004 10:35 PM

20/02/2004 4:28 AM

Bay Area Dave wrote...
> what I was doing was too small for a water hose :)

Impossible to let that one go *completely* unscathed....

Jim

sD

[email protected] (Doug Miller)

in reply to Bay Area Dave on 19/02/2004 10:35 PM

20/02/2004 2:19 AM

In article <[email protected]>, "Mark Jerde" <[email protected]> wrote:
>J T wrote:
>
>> Boy, easy to tell we live in two different worlds. If I couldn't
>> freehand the curve I wanted, I'd probably just lay out the curve with
>> a water hose, and trace around it.
>
>Leftover Romex electric cable works well too. <g>
>
Stranded THHN wire would work better (more flexible). :-)

--
Regards,
Doug Miller

For a copy of my TrollFilter for NewsProxy/Nfilter,
email me at filterinfo-at-milmac-dot-com

bB

[email protected] (BUB 209)

in reply to [email protected] (Doug Miller) on 20/02/2004 2:19 AM

20/02/2004 1:10 PM

>I'd probably just lay out the curve with
>>> a water hose,

add to the list used bandsaw blades and
flexible wall angle molding for suspended
ceilings

JJ

in reply to [email protected] (BUB 209) on 20/02/2004 1:10 PM

20/02/2004 10:28 AM

Fri, Feb 20, 2004, 1:10pm (EST+5) [email protected] (BUB=A0209) says:
add to the list used bandsaw blades and
flexible wall angle molding for suspended ceilings

Yeah, thin tree branch, whatever. Basically, buying something like
that would be about the last option, for me.

JOAT
Georges Clemenceau supposedly said, "War is too important a matter to be
left to the military". If this is so, it is then obvious that peace is
too precious to be left to politicians.

Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
Web Page Update 19 Feb 2004.
Some tunes I like.
http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofalltrades/SOMETUNESILIKEVOCALS/

JW

"Jay Windley"

in reply to [email protected] (Doug Miller) on 20/02/2004 2:19 AM

20/02/2004 1:15 PM

Sounds like the big splines they used to use for laying out ship component
curves. Ever seen how they do that? They used to design the whole ship up
in the lofts of big buildings, on wooden floors. "Loftsmen" were draftsmen
who worked in full scale. After manufacturing, they'd bring the parts in
and lay them down on the loft floor to see if they matched the drawing.

Anyway, the basic geometry was laid down on the floor, and then they'd bring
in big flexible strips of steel that had, at intervals, places where ropes
could be tied. You tied a rope to the spline at a particulat place and
stretched it across the floor to bend the spline in some particular way.
You just kept doing that -- pulling segments of the spline this way and
that -- until you got the curve you needed. You would also use heavy
"ducks" (weights) to establish points that the curve had to pass through.
The spline could be threaded through the ducks left and right, or held
against the ducks by the ropes. The spline would only bend so far, so that
gave you the smoothness for interpolating through your basic points.

When the spline was the way you wanted it, you drew along the edge with
chalk and then sometimes actually cut into the floor along the chalk line to
permanently preserve the curve after you cut the spline loose. When a new
design came along, you had to plane off the old design or replace the
floorboards in the shipwright's loft.

In modern CAD/CAM software you have the same ideas. Mathematical curves
"splines" are given "ducks" and "knots" to control their layout, and the
inherent degree of freedom in the curve dictates its springiness.

--Jay

JJ

in reply to "Jay Windley" on 20/02/2004 1:15 PM

20/02/2004 6:27 PM

Fri, Feb 20, 2004, 1:15pm (EST-2) [email protected] (Jay=A0Windley)
claims:
Sounds like the big splines they used to use for laying out ship
component curves. <snip> they'd bring in big flexible strips of steel
that had, at intervals, places where ropes could be tied. <snip> You
would also use heavy "ducks" (weights) to establish points that the
curve had to pass through. The spline could be threaded through the
ducks left and right, or held against the ducks by the ropes. <snip>
When a new design came along, you had to plane off the old design or
replace the floorboards in the shipwright's loft. <snip>

You've been reading different books than I have. I never read
about steel splines, ropes, threading thru the ducks, planing off the
olde design or replacing the floor (you did say they chalk the pattern,
easy enough to clean up chalk).

What I read was wood spines, held in place by nailing, at times,
and/or ducks - a lead weight, with a bent wire, that put weight on the
spline, holding it in place.

If you want to try it, here's instructions. Course you may wind up
with a Viking longship, but that's not a bad thing.
http://www.digitalnorseman.com/bcvsp/loft.html

JOAT
Georges Clemenceau supposedly said, "War is too important a matter to be
left to the military". If this is so, it is then obvious that peace is
too precious to be left to politicians.

Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
Web Page Update 28 Feb 2004.
Some tunes I like.
http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofalltrades/SOMETUNESILIKEVOCALS/

MJ

"Mark Jerde"

in reply to Bay Area Dave on 19/02/2004 10:35 PM

20/02/2004 12:39 AM

J T wrote:

> Boy, easy to tell we live in two different worlds. If I couldn't
> freehand the curve I wanted, I'd probably just lay out the curve with
> a water hose, and trace around it.

Leftover Romex electric cable works well too. <g>

-- Mark

sS

[email protected] (Scott Lurndal)

in reply to Bay Area Dave on 19/02/2004 10:35 PM

20/02/2004 12:35 AM

[email protected] (J T) writes:
>Thu, Feb 19, 2004, 10:35pm (EST+5) [email protected] (Bay=A0Area=A0Dave)
>says:
>I've been struggling on and off for a couple of days with laying out a
>pattern. I just got back from Office Depot with a set of French curves,
>and a 24" flexible curve. I was then able to successfully lay out a
>complex shape in about 5 minutes! Thanks to all who suggested these
>items!
>
> Boy, easy to tell we live in two different worlds. If I couldn't
>freehand the curve I wanted, I'd probably just lay out the curve with a
>water hose, and trace around it.
>
>JOAT

But then you wouldn't have been able to post a mindless gloat to the
wreck!

scott

BA

Bay Area Dave

in reply to Bay Area Dave on 19/02/2004 10:35 PM

20/02/2004 1:36 AM

what I was doing was too small for a water hose :)

dave

J T wrote:

> Thu, Feb 19, 2004, 10:35pm (EST+5) [email protected] (Bay Area Dave)
> says:
> I've been struggling on and off for a couple of days with laying out a
> pattern. I just got back from Office Depot with a set of French curves,
> and a 24" flexible curve. I was then able to successfully lay out a
> complex shape in about 5 minutes! Thanks to all who suggested these
> items!
>
> Boy, easy to tell we live in two different worlds. If I couldn't
> freehand the curve I wanted, I'd probably just lay out the curve with a
> water hose, and trace around it.
>
> JOAT
> Georges Clemenceau supposedly said, "War is too important a matter to be
> left to the military". If this is so, it is then obvious that peace is
> too precious to be left to politicians.
>
> Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
> Web Page Update 19 Feb 2004.
> Some tunes I like.
> http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofalltrades/SOMETUNESILIKEVOCALS/
>

BA

Bay Area Dave

in reply to Bay Area Dave on 19/02/2004 10:35 PM

20/02/2004 1:39 AM

I used some solder like someone suggested, but I prefer the stuff I
bought today. I got JUST the curves I needed.

dave

Mark Jerde wrote:

> J T wrote:
>
>
>> Boy, easy to tell we live in two different worlds. If I couldn't
>>freehand the curve I wanted, I'd probably just lay out the curve with
>>a water hose, and trace around it.
>
>
> Leftover Romex electric cable works well too. <g>
>
> -- Mark
>
>


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