Thread: newbie Q - how to make a template of curved object

I'm no expert and I can't make out the shape all that well from the photo but one possibility is to build it up in layers as is sometimes done on furniture mouldings only with each layer being the outline and profile needed at that level.

Not my speciality but try searching compound cuts on the forum or Google. Carvers and scrollsawers use them to make 3D objects. Not sure how else you would do it. Best of luck. Australia is a big place, give us a better idea of where you are, someone close to you may be able to help with hands on if they had a better idea of where you are.
cheers & welcome to the forum,
Ian

Draw it out like you have copied it onto the paper but onto something thicker. I like using masonite painted flat white, if I think it's a nice leg and I may want to use it more than a few times. A stiff cardboard works.
A cabriole leg is done on a square leg blank .

If your parts can be cut from square or rectangular blanks its easy , your going to have to trace the parts and have a common reference point to work from for the two templates , just a pencil mark that both faces line up to . When you mark out the first shape on the new blank mark the reference point , and when the second pattern is laid out make sure that the reference point on it lines up with the first.

Ive never cut parts for a car .It looks similar to chair making and cab legs though . Understanding where your starting from and where it has to be at the end with ways of checking at each stage is the key point. If I just got a twisted old chair and copied its parts I would run into trouble, it wouldn't work.

If it has parts that are out of square like what I think I can see in your picture , it was probably cut square to the larger size and shaved back later , or even just band sawed back at those parts later.
what part of Australia are you in Chris?

It looks like fun, what timber are you cutting it out of?

I used to have a cute as 20 yo teacher and she would drive me home in one of them if I missed the school bus, It may have been a TC. I was 10. 1973, Nice

Rob

Hi Chris,
I would make the flat surface the reference edge, all dimensions in the vertical are taken from this edge, (datum edge) you then select a start point somewhere along the horizontal which could be anywhere along the length, it could be either end or you might make it the at the intersection of the curve where it meets the datum edge, you decide what is easy for you.
From here on it's a whole bunch of measurements from this edge and from the start point.
For the curves you could draw a bunch of known size circles on paper and then compare with the actual piece, I'd try some whole number imperial sizes like 2,3,4..... inches given the make and vintage, and then you can locate the center of the circles relative to the datum points, looks like there might also be an elipse as well on the top side, if so draw up some elipses and compare.
You should be able to mark all this out on some template material and go from there.





Pete

PS We are all gonna want to see a WIP on this restoration so lots of pics

I've made templates of odd shapes by a DIY version of a contour gauge (that gizmo with a lot of sliding fingers).

Set a large piece of masonite at a convenient height from the tabletop, i.e. on thin blocks. Tape small pieces of cardboard to the masonite, reaching the profile. Flip the whole affair, and draw a smooth line tangent to the cardboard edges, on the workpiece or intermediate template material. Do this four times, using square stock large enough to encompass the final shape. Prop the original pattern as needed at each step.

Cheers,
Joe

I made a rifle stock using a similar method to Joe's. I made negative templates for a number of sections along the stock to check the shape as I rasped it down.

One tip you may want to use is to use perspex or similar for the long template, so you can see the grain when you put it over the wood.

Thanks all for your input.

Rob - were you referring to the car or the teacher when you said 'nice'
Im in Surrey Hills Vic and will post a few pics as I make progress - don't hold your breath though as I started this 30yrs ago and made no progress for the past 29.5 yrs.

Taking all the good advice into account I think I'll start by tracing the top-down and side-on profiles onto two pieces of masonite. I'll use a square to drop the wider profiles curves down to the template and mark them to form the outline of the template. might have to make up a square with a marking point at the right angle to make it easier.

I will then transfer template outlines to a piece of square Vic Ash stock. Once cut it will need to either be carved or cut down to form the exact shape - this will be tricky piece and the more I can cut with circles, ovals, or angles the better.

Next stop Bunnings (hardware store) for a bandsaw and some practice stock.

Regards
Chris.

I suggest you add
a surform
rasp
bastard file
coarse mill file
to your shaping kit

try and start with stock that is square on 3 adjacent faces and remove material to get the final shape you need.