Making Templates
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Tagged: Template
- This topic has 8 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 6 months ago by aarontobul.
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9 October 2015 at 7:18 pm #131185
Hello all. I’ve been working on the dining chair and had to create templates for the curved upper back rails. So I went to a “Michael’s” craft store and got a couple of things to try out. First, I tried some “foam board”, which is about 3/16″ thick, some kind of foam sandwiched between two layers of a plasticized (?) paper. The other was a “mat board” which is basically some thick cardboard, approx 3/64″ (= 0.050″, = 1 1/4 mm). You can see the relative thicknesses in the pictures.
I didn’t like the way the foam board cut. I used a razor knife. The foam inside didn’t cut cleanly and left a rough surface as can be seen in the photos. I thought it was a bit thick to cut accurately with a pair of scissors.
The mat board cut nicely with scissors and it is nice and flexible when I need to mark a curve on an already curved surface, as in the upper back rail of the dining chair.
I’m interested in knowing what others use for templates. Some templates need to be able to bend, others don’t (so maybe thin plywood or Masonite is good for those).
What say you?
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You must be logged in to view attached files.13 October 2015 at 6:30 am #131276Just bumping this to the top. Anyone else want to comment on what they use for templates?
13 October 2015 at 12:26 pm #131281I typically use thin 4mm plywood as well. You can purchase 2’x2′ or 2’x4′ sheets at the home centers for about the same cost as the items that you purchased at the craft store. The plywood cuts easily and can be “adjusted” with a rasp and sandpaper.
13 October 2015 at 4:23 pm #131287I’ve used thin MDF as well. The only issue I found was that the edge can crumble with repeated use. Coating the edge with shellac helps with that.
15 October 2015 at 11:40 am #131360Matt, I use Masonite. At Home Depot I think they call it Tempered Hardboard. This is “harder” than regular Masonite and fairly cheap.
15 October 2015 at 12:39 pm #131362I have seen some luthiers use templates made of plexiglass. It seems like more work to make, but it could be useful in certain situations when you need to see the wood under the template to help align it.
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