All,
I want to transfer some patterns from a book to life size ..and attach to wood and cut out. I’ve been looking for a source for paper (maybe on a roll) that would have 1″ grid already on the paper. Can anyone suggest a source?…or perhaps explain how they convert book patterns to working templates. thanks
Replies
Depending on size, you can use a copier and enlarge the original to final size. For small items, I scan the image into my drawing program, scale it and print it.
A couple of sources for grid paper:
http://www.paper.com/
http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=360974
Bill Arnold
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
Another would be to buy a roll of vellum and create a graphin the PC to print on it on a wide format printer. Then scetch to the graph
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BArnold,
I like that office depot option...but it is a bit expensive. thanks
How large is the item you need to transfer and scale?
Bill Arnold
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
BArnold,
I'm a basic beginner with woodworking and my sense is it's time to start learning working with templates, then shapeing the wood with spokeshaves and files, and eventually carving. Carbriole legs is my preferred place to start the process and therefore, I need drawings that are about 30" long. In general, however, I need to master the template thing to add a curve to a piece.....arching a apron, etc.
I printed off a PDF grid this morning....but, for some reason the grid was not 1" ...I need to check, maybe the print was at 85% or something...
Edited 9/7/2004 10:18 am ET by BG
Why not just rule the grid on tracing paper or vellum with a pencil and t-square/ruler? You'll have your grid in minutes. Need 30" of paper? Tape the tracing sheets together to desired size.
Hope this helps
Tom
TomT,
Your suggestion is a perfectly good alternative..and I have tried is at least once. As much as anything, I was curious about how others do it and googling on 'graft paper' was getting me no place.
I have some Hallmark wrapping paper downstairs and it is gridded. That'll work best, I think, because I can cut a piece that is about the size I need....which will be easier to deal with on the workbench. I can see in the future a drafting table ...but for right now, I don't have the space in the shop and there is nothing really big enough to draw on with full sheets..
Google for
"1 grid" paper
Five of the first ten hits look like commercial sources.
Uncle Dunc,
I did the search and found some good stuff. Maybe I can print some as Piffin suggested. thanks
Some gift wrap paper has 1" grids on the back. But you may not know which does and does not without buying it first.
Waynel5,
This is probably the least expensive option...if I can just figure out which wrapping paper has the grids on the back. My wife said the grid is there to help cut the paper straight....maybe on solid color wrapping paper the backs are gridded....hmm. thanks
Once the points are transferred to a grid there are two tools which help fair the curves between points. Either would be useful, and both are cheap. One is a French curve, which is a piece of plastic shaped like the design on those old paisley shirts. To use it you move it around by eye until it looks like it fits three or so points. A large size French curve is probably best for your work. The other tool is a flexible curve. It's a square soft plastic rod, about ½" square and a foot long, with a lead core. You bend it to fit the points on the grid, again using your eye until it looks good. It holds whatever bend you give it, and you just draw along the edge.
They can be found at a large stationery store like Staples, an art store, a craft store, or a college bookstore.
Waynel5,
Thanks for the tips, I never would have guessed there are tools like that to help.
"Hallmark" paper has the grid on the back.Joe Phillips
Plastics pay the bills, Woodworking keeps me sane!
BINGO !!....thanks
Any drafting supplies or art supplies store will have what you are looking for. The answer on scaling up is that you overlay the original with a grid then by eye you transfer it to the grid of the larger scale drawing. If relative size of the squares in the two grids are in proportion to the increase in scale.
Check with a blueprint outfit. If they don't have something, you could do a cad file they can print out on sheets - 11x17, 24x36. They may also be able to do vellum for tracing. I usually pay around a $1 a sheet for repro(24x36) from the blueprint shops. FWIW.
My wife does stained glass. She takes the small patterns to Kinko's (a professional copier place). They have sophisticated copiers that can scale patterns up very large. They also manage to keep the aspect ratio. She then attaches the paper to the glass to cut. It's pretty cheap actually.
BG,
Our local Hobby Lobby has poster paper with 1" grids printed on it.
Good luck!
Dan
All,
I grabbed some of SWMBO's wrapping paper (Hallmark) and layed out the cabriole design on that, glued it to some 1/4" ply and cut out the pattern on the bandsaw. I have some scrap poplar which I squared up to 3x3 and by the second attemp....a kinda decent leg started to appear off the bandsaw.
Trying to figure out how to hold the leg for the spokeshave, files, etc. was a real pain. I ended up putting it on the lathe...but ohter ideas would be appreciated. thanks
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