Hi,

I need to cut a piece of wood to fit in a brick
archway. How to I find the curve to make it
fit perfectly in the archway? It is 35" wide
and the center of it curves inward 3" high.

Thanks.

Make a cardboard template.

Art

"js5895" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I need to cut a piece of wood to fit in a brick
archway. How to I find the curve to make it
fit perfectly in the archway? It is 35" wide
and the center of it curves inward 3" high.

Thanks.

How exactly do you do that?

Hold the cardboard up to the brick, and trace the opening with a pencil or
pen onto the cardboard, then take the cardboard down and cut it along the
line you traced. Check the fit of the cardboard template by holding it back
up to the brick and trim as needed. Once you are happy with the template,
trace it onto the board and cut the board along the line you traced.


"js5895" wrote in message
oups.com...
How exactly do you do that?

If you mean take a piece of cardboard and place
it over the archway then, I can't, because the
ceiling is in the way of it, blocking it completely.

Cut the cardboard so it's close to the desired shape.
Hold it in place and scribe it to fit. Cut it on the
scribe line. This should get it near perfect. If not,
tweak it 'till you're happy with it then use it as a
template.

Art

"js5895" wrote in message
oups.com...
If you mean take a piece of cardboard and place
it over the archway then, I can't, because the
ceiling is in the way of it, blocking it completely.

js5895 wrote:
Hi,

I need to cut a piece of wood to fit in a brick
archway. How to I find the curve to make it
fit perfectly in the archway? It is 35" wide
and the center of it curves inward 3" high.

Thanks.

Get you a strip of hardwood say 1/8" thick by 5 or so feet. Tie a string
to one end. Now loop it around the other end and form a bow. Put it in
the arc and let it spring fit to your opening. Tie off the sting so the
bow will not spring back when removed. Mark the center of the bow from
the center of the arc. Do the same with the ends. All you do then is lay
it on your wood and trace.

Jody wrote:
js5895 wrote:
Hi,

I need to cut a piece of wood to fit in a brick
archway. How to I find the curve to make it
fit perfectly in the archway? It is 35" wide
and the center of it curves inward 3" high.

Thanks.

Get you a strip of hardwood say 1/8" thick by 5 or so feet. Tie a string
to one end. Now loop it around the other end and form a bow. Put it in
the arc and let it spring fit to your opening. Tie off the sting so the
bow will not spring back when removed. Mark the center of the bow from
the center of the arc. Do the same with the ends. All you do then is lay
it on your wood and trace.

Elegant solution, Jody!

Subject

Hire someone who is competant to do the job.

It will be less expensive in the long run.

Lew

Dhakala wrote:
Jody wrote:
js5895 wrote:
Hi,

I need to cut a piece of wood to fit in a brick
archway. How to I find the curve to make it
fit perfectly in the archway? It is 35" wide
and the center of it curves inward 3" high.

Thanks.

Get you a strip of hardwood say 1/8" thick by 5 or so feet. Tie a string
to one end. Now loop it around the other end and form a bow. Put it in
the arc and let it spring fit to your opening. Tie off the sting so the
bow will not spring back when removed. Mark the center of the bow from
the center of the arc. Do the same with the ends. All you do then is lay
it on your wood and trace.

Elegant solution, Jody!


but unlikely to make more than an approximation of the curve.

On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 12:45:08 -0700, "Wood Butcher"
wrote:

Make a cardboard template.

That's the only way to do it, and at the same time to nicely avoid one
of those endless discussions on how to find the radius from a perfect
arc.

Well now, you failed to mention that, didn't you. Perhaps you should be a
little more specific with your questions. If all you ask is 'how do I cut a
piece of wood', don't be surprised when all of the responses are 'with a
saw'.


"js5895" wrote in message
oups.com...
If you mean take a piece of cardboard and place
it over the archway then, I can't, because the
ceiling is in the way of it, blocking it completely.

"Hire someone who is competant to do the job."
I've had city workers, power company people,
carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and all of
them botched the work, I'm more competent then
they were.

Rumpy, how can I get any more specific, all I
need is to cut a piece of wood to fit inside of
a brick archway.

Lew, your calling me incompetent when you didn't
even spell it correctly.

"js5895" wrote in message

Lew, your calling me incompetent when you didn't
even spell it correctly.

Might I suggest that if "you're" going to correct someone's spelling, you
don't make worse any errors yourself.

In article .com,
js5895 wrote:
If you mean take a piece of cardboard and place
it over the archway then, I can't, because the
ceiling is in the way of it, blocking it completely.


Look up "scribing" to fit and you'll get some ideas on how to do this.


--

Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland

Rumpy, how can I get any more specific, all I
need is to cut a piece of wood to fit inside of
a brick archway.

Great, then trace it and cut it. Not being able to get a pencil in to trace
it is an important detail that you left out. Peoples answers will only be
as good as the question you post. I'm not trying to rude, I'm just saying a
picture or a better description would help. The way the original question
was stated, it sounded like a no brainer, just trace it.

Given what we now know, it is going to be a little more difficult than that.
How tight do you want the fit? Do you intend to actually perfectly match
the brick with protrusions on the wood to fit tight against the mortar
joints, or are you just trying to get the basic shape? Given the nature of
brick, I would be willing to bet a cheese burger that the arch is not
perfectly circular or parabolic or any thing else that could easily be
reproduced mathematically, so one way or the other, you will need a
template. As someone else has suggested, roughly cutting a piece of
cardboard to fit the opening, then scribing an exact cut line onto might be
the way to go. Another idea might be to buy a large flexible drawing curve,
(one of those plastic coated wire things), and bend it to match the contour,
then trace it. For that matter, maybe just a piece of wire would do.

Not sure if this is large enough, but it's the type of thing I'm thinking
of:
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=425

Here are a few scribes while I'm at it:
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=438

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5056

Rumpy, I know I'm not going to get a perfect fit,
there's going to be gaps, as specially because it's
an old house. I just thought instead of always scribing,
there was a mathematical approach, thanks.

Upscale, at least my sentences make sense.
"you don't make worse any errors yourself"

js5895 wrote:
Rumpy, I know I'm not going to get a perfect fit,
there's going to be gaps, as specially because it's
an old house. I just thought instead of always scribing,
there was a mathematical approach, thanks.


there are some mathematical approaches that make sense in various
situations. some of them could be described as advanced scribing
techniques.

for your situation and what I percieve to be your skill level, the
snipping away at a piece of cardboard approach is effective and
straightforward.

"js5895" wrote in message

Upscale, at least my sentences make sense.
"you don't make worse any errors yourself"

When editing it, I neglected to remove either worse or any. And you did
understand what I was saying even though I left the sentence uncorrected.
Better be prepared to get criticised for those things that you criticise
others on or you're not going to do too well here.

Well, ok, if it is truly circular, and you have a 3" segment rise over a 35"
chord length, the radius of the curve is close enough to 52-1/2". I suppose
you could either use a circle cutting jig on a router or a string and pencil
to draw it. Either way, if it's not close enough, post more accurate
measurements and I, or some one, will find the radius for you. (I will be
out of town all of next week, fwiw).

BTW, I admit I cheated and drew it in AutoCAD. Not long ago there was a bit
of discussion here on how to calculate. Maybe some one else will re-post
it.


"js5895" wrote in message
ups.com...
Rumpy, I know I'm not going to get a perfect fit,
there's going to be gaps, as specially because it's
an old house. I just thought instead of always scribing,
there was a mathematical approach, thanks.

Upscale, at least my sentences make sense.
"you don't make worse any errors yourself"

Yes, there is a mathematical approach. If you know the length and height of
the arc, it is easy to calculate but Rump is quite correct in stating that
it will be less than perfect. In my experience when trying to fit anything
to an existing architectural element, throw out the calculator and do it
manually, it will fit better.

"js5895" wrote in message
ups.com...
Rumpy, I know I'm not going to get a perfect fit,
there's going to be gaps, as specially because it's
an old house. I just thought instead of always scribing,
there was a mathematical approach, thanks.

Upscale, at least my sentences make sense.
"you don't make worse any errors yourself"

Excuse me Rumpy, I forgot the "y". Wasn't trying to be a smart **s.

"CW" wrote in message
nk.net...
Yes, there is a mathematical approach. If you know the length and height
of
the arc, it is easy to calculate but Rump is quite correct in stating that
it will be less than perfect. In my experience when trying to fit anything
to an existing architectural element, throw out the calculator and do it
manually, it will fit better.

"js5895" wrote in message
ups.com...
Rumpy, I know I'm not going to get a perfect fit,
there's going to be gaps, as specially because it's
an old house. I just thought instead of always scribing,
there was a mathematical approach, thanks.

Upscale, at least my sentences make sense.
"you don't make worse any errors yourself"

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:52:30 GMT, "CW" wrote:

In my experience when trying to fit anything
to an existing architectural element, throw out the calculator and do it
manually, it will fit better.

While I agree that, with the problem as originally posted, a perfect
arc will probably not fit into most work done by a mason, I'll have to
disagree with your statement above.
With the with design and manufacturing techniques used today there are
a lot of instances where the mathematical solution will yield very
good results when trying to work with existing architectural elements.
I was part of the earlier discussion about finding a radius for a
window while knowing just the cord length and height of the arc. I
can testify that not only did the formulas work great but the
resulting jam extensions and trim pieces were very accurate. The time
savings involved in not making a template (or using trial and error to
find the radius) makes it well worth keeping a few formulas in the
notebook along with the calculator.

Mike O.

Rumpy is actually the name of one of our cats. We call him Rump all of the
time, so it's not offensive. ;-)


Excuse me Rumpy, I forgot the "y". Wasn't trying to be a smart **s.

You have to be a pretty good guy, you have cats. I've got five.

"Rumpy" wrote in message
...
Rumpy is actually the name of one of our cats. We call him Rump all of
the
time, so it's not offensive. ;-)


Excuse me Rumpy, I forgot the "y". Wasn't trying to be a smart **s.

Only five, don't you like them :-). We now have only eight, all registered
PixieBobs. We did have nine. I hope you do not know what FIP is and I hope
you never find out.

This is the Cattery all of our blood lines are from, (not our site):
http://www.pixiebobs.com/

Rumpy is in the gallery pages a few times, (as are most of our cats), but I
cannot seem to send you a link to just one picture. He's the one on splash
mountain at Disneyland, but I think the picture of him sitting up on the bed
in a pile of catnip is a better one.

"CW" wrote in message
link.net...
You have to be a pretty good guy, you have cats. I've got five.

"Rumpy" wrote in message
...
Rumpy is actually the name of one of our cats. We call him Rump all of
the
time, so it's not offensive. ;-)


Excuse me Rumpy, I forgot the "y". Wasn't trying to be a smart **s.

I'm a machinist. Your idea of fit and mine obviously differ. At work, I have
two calculators. One at each end of the shop and they are used extensively.
At home, to fit something like what was under discussion, I would not
blindly rely on the numbers, even though I know they are correct,
Variations are very common. In the case of your windows, you have a lot
better chance of getting a good fit by formula when fitting to factory made
windows which are jig built and machine made. With something that was built
in place, I wouldn't chance it. A test piece would be a good idea and don't
be surprised if hand fitting is needed.

"Mike O." wrote in message
news
On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:52:30 GMT, "CW" wrote:

In my experience when trying to fit anything
to an existing architectural element, throw out the calculator and do it
manually, it will fit better.

While I agree that, with the problem as originally posted, a perfect
arc will probably not fit into most work done by a mason, I'll have to
disagree with your statement above.
With the with design and manufacturing techniques used today there are
a lot of instances where the mathematical solution will yield very
good results when trying to work with existing architectural elements.
I was part of the earlier discussion about finding a radius for a
window while knowing just the cord length and height of the arc. I
can testify that not only did the formulas work great but the
resulting jam extensions and trim pieces were very accurate. The time
savings involved in not making a template (or using trial and error to
find the radius) makes it well worth keeping a few formulas in the
notebook along with the calculator.

Mike O.

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 22:48:19 -0500, Mike O. wrote:

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:52:30 GMT, "CW" wrote:

In my experience when trying to fit anything
to an existing architectural element, throw out the calculator and do it
manually, it will fit better.

While I agree that, with the problem as originally posted, a perfect
arc will probably not fit into most work done by a mason, I'll have to
disagree with your statement above.
With the with design and manufacturing techniques used today there are
a lot of instances where the mathematical solution will yield very
good results when trying to work with existing architectural elements.

You are correct. There has to be an element of both; practical and
theory for the best advantage. Been there, done that in the steel
business. In particular I assisted my brother [structural steel] by
doing calculations on an arch for the recovery after the 911 disaster.
His practical knowledge far exceeded [he's now passed on] mine, but he
said I saved him many hours of work. On another occasion he couldn't
get the CAD dawings to give him what he expected. I saw the flaw
through calculation that the had been given two sets of unmatching
detail on two different drawings. Both are necessary for a better
job: practical experience and base theory. He knew there had to be a
mistake, and I found it. It's not enough to use a sledgehammer to get
the motor started. You have to know where to hit it.

Thanks for the link. I enjoyed that site.
"Rumpy" wrote in message
...
Only five, don't you like them :-). We now have only eight, all
registered
PixieBobs. We did have nine. I hope you do not know what FIP is and I
hope
you never find out.

This is the Cattery all of our blood lines are from, (not our site):
http://www.pixiebobs.com/

So CW, Do you know of a formula?

Yes, posted to A.B.P.W.

"js5895" wrote in message
oups.com...
So CW, Do you know of a formula?

On 31 Jul 2005 14:25:21 -0700, "js5895" wrote:

So CW, Do you know of a formula?

See if DJ's site will help.
http://www.delorie.com/wood/chord-radius.html

Mike O.

On Mon, 01 Aug 2005 21:58:04 -0500, Mike O. wrote:

On 31 Jul 2005 14:25:21 -0700, "js5895" wrote:

So CW, Do you know of a formula?

See if DJ's site will help.
http://www.delorie.com/wood/chord-radius.html

Here's the math:

Radius = R, center height = h, full chord length = C.

Pythagoras: (R - h)^2 + (C/2)^2 = R^2

Simplify: R^2 - 2Rh + h^2 + C^2 / 4= R^2

2Rh = h^2 + C^2 / 4

R = (h^2)/(2h) + (C^2 / 4)/(2h)

* ******************* *
* R = h/2 + C^2/8h *
* ******************* *

This can be combined into one fraction, but why bother ...just stick
the numbers in the above.

So with h = 3" and C = 36", you'd have

R = 3/2 + (36 x 36)/(8 x 3) = 55 1/2"

Also easily checked with a CAD program.

Thank you, I very appreciate it.

In article . com,
"js5895" wrote:

Rumpy, I know I'm not going to get a perfect fit,
there's going to be gaps

They sell caulk by the truckload.
Rabbit

--
--
Lon Marshall