Several companies make french curves, but their offerings usually look similar. Are there “standard” patterns for french curves? If so out of curiosity anyone know how they originated? Thanks.
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Replies
Don,
Bridgette Bardot had nice French curves.
Ray
Completely off topic, completely indisputable, and the chuckle and smile greatly appreciated.While here, anyone on the other (gender) side of the wood shop care to offer a balancing entry?Now that I see the "call for entries" my title has presented, can't wait for Sgian to finish his ale and add his comments...Still curious about the original post, too.Don
Don,
The gender issue was addressed by "The Big Bopper", (or was it Jerry Lee Lewis?) in the song, Chantilly Lace": "Baby, if you've got the curves, I've got the angles!"
Cheers,
Ray
You cant go wrong with Staedler or Alvin , goggle those and you'll some bench marks.
..
I asked the question on your behalf yesterday at the family Thanksgiving dinner.
One uncle worked his way up from mail room to draftsman on to senior design engineer. age 80 and sharp as they come. His dream is to manage the Boston Red Sox for a year. My other uncle just retired from a major aircraft products manufacture at 82 years of age, he worked in the engineering dept. for 62 years. He was in the battle of Midway on a carrier. He's wondering what he can do for his second career.I wish you were there to sit in on this conversation....!French curves you say, where? Well, I could tell you about french curves, but you aunt would kill me....ha ha ha, no uncle, not that kind of french curve, the plastic design shapes used for drawing soft flowing lines, is there a standard, I give them an example.Dinner plates get pushed aside and pens come out, napkins, we need more clean napkins...please! I'm thinking to myself, now I've done it. Well never be allowed to sit together again, what a depressing thought. MORE WINE PLEASE.The conversation that ensued was beyond the scope of lay people. So Don, I don't have and answer for your question, what's more, I now know less about french curves now than I did before I asked the question. They surmised the answers to "Standard" French Curve Shapes? " "After much discussion, we have decided, We hope not, and there shouldn't be, after all there a french curve"I want to thank you for you question, as it provided our end of the table with a masterful discussion by two wonderful gentlemen. Every conversation with them is a life's experience.
Thanks again Ron
French Curves? DO you mean Fredom Curves?
Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
Are those the ones with low trans-fats?
Rich
Natural Soy oil, thank you very much. Of course afterwards it is converted for use in disel engines.Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
In my experience, the different manufacturers will pretty much make up the size and shape that they can sell. The point of them is to help with the fairing of curves in drawings. So you may have one that is "standard," but if it doesn't work for what you are drawing, what is the point?
The deal with the french curve, as far as I know, is that it is an ever-decreasing radius.
So most manufacturers will include one large outside shape, then make a lot of little shapes within the body of the curve to be used as needed. There are even reverse curves, and no, this doesn't mean flipping the french curve over.
I have found that the best thing to do is to buy all of them, as well as some good quality ships curves. The ships curves are a bit larger and tend to have the curve drawn out farther.
You can also draw and cut out your own if you are good with geometry.
Hal
http://www.rivercitywoodworks.com
Thanks to all. The questions were posed because I'm curious about the background, and because I didn't want to purchase from multiple manufacturers if there would be duplication. Think I'll just try to purchase a full set of Staedtler curves, and look into the extremely large set of 3 curves from http://www.woodhaven.com.
Au revoir ...
I have that set of big french curves from Woodhaven, and for most cabinet work, I find them way more useful than the much smaller conventional set of french curves. ...... is the "f" capitalized?********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
For my drafting classes, I purchased a "standard" set of eight. I believe that having a set means that you can reproduce any curve that exists. While makers may have subtile differences, somewhere in the set will be the "curve" that you need.
No finite set of curves can reproduce any curve. They may be able to come close depending on you definition of close, but not reproduce all curves exactly.
Example - draw a portion of an circle with constant radius. Then look for a portion of a French curve with that exact radius. I don't think you'll find it.
"They may be able to come close depending on you definition of close, but not reproduce all curves exactly."
And that's the key phrase. In Drafting (Mechanical Drawing), French curves are used to approximate curves that cannot be drawn with other instruments.
There's a variety of curves used depending on the industry. Naval architects traditionally used a different set of curves called "ships curves" which are a completely different shape than French curves. Also used in various industries were sets of spiral curves.
Far be from me to destroy any fantasies (;-), but there was a gentleman by the name of French who wrote a manual on drafting in the early 20th century and went through a number of editions. For many years his book was the draftsman's bible, at least in the U.S. Of course after Computer Aided Drafting took over the trade drafting schools stopped teaching students how to be draftsmen. Instead they taught them how to be computer operators who new a drafting software.
It could be possible that the drafting tool known as the French curve could be named for him. I've never heard of any set standards regarding the design of the French curve.
-Chuck
The standard french curve shapes were "discovered" by a French mathmatician who soaked strands of string in wheat paste and then dropped them off a balcony...aloowing them to dry before he picked them up and transferred the "natural" shapes to cardstock...creating the first "french curves" and the shapes we still use today.
Pick up an old drafting dook to learn how to use them...one size fits all.
Wow, that's a good one!
I'm not doubting you at all. I just really like a great story. It's even better if it's true.
I promise not to think about curvy women anymore.
Ha Ha! No Way!! I'm not dead yet, not even close.
Hal
http://www.rivercitywoodworks.com
Edited 11/28/2006 3:30 pm ET by Hal J
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