Bay Area Dave wrote:

thanks! [thinking out loud]I wonder if Office Depot carries any
drafting supplies like the flexible strip you mentioned? (I'm about 5
blocks from OD) I remember using a French Curve in grammar school, but
of course it wasn't near the size that I'd need. I'll definitely take
your advice on making a template. I don't have a pattern maker's rasp,
so I'll look that up to see if I've got anything similar. I DO have a
Surform rasp which is about an inch and a half wide and maybe (going by
memory) about 10 inches long.

For something this long I take it that it wouldn't be a good idea to use
my new handy dandy OSS to smooth out such a gentle curve?

A thin strip of wood would work well. If you go the Office Depot
route, an inexpensive flexible ruler would probably work as well.

The spindle sander should make the job of smoothing the part
easier. Just remember to take your time (or you'll be re-making
the part.) Plan to do the final shaping by hand with a sanding block.

Woodcraft, Lee Valley, et al carry bendable curves that make this
kind of layout fairly easy. I have one but am usually more
comfortable with the wooden strip approach.

--
Morris Dovey
West Des Moines, Iowa USA
C links at http://www.iedu.com/c
Read my lips: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.