Noods
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Something I learnt which I thought I would share..
If you have as an example a flat but unsquare stock sheet, be it paper, wood or metal this is an easy way to get a square shape out of it, I know if found this frustrating in the past, anyway, this is easier actually to do than my explanation will seem trust me..
Step 1
You have your unsquare stock, in this case a rough piece of ply, works just as well with steel or ss etc. Make a rough sketch of the dimensions of the piece you wish to finish up with, in my case a rectangle size = 30cms x 12cms, you can do a square shape if you wish..
draw a straight line along the base ( the full length ) with a straight edge.
Step 2
Time to do a little maths but don't panic, just use your calculator or your smart phone.
Drawn a triangle shape as per pic below which represents the rectangle you wish to make ( not to scale just a rough) give each side a identifying letter, here I've given the height D the length E and the diagonal F..
Now white down the dimensions for your final piece piece in cms..
mine..
D = Height = 12cms
E = Length = 30cms
F = Diagonal which were about to find ...
Now, to find the diagonal we use this formula..
D sq, + E sq = F sq ( sq = squared)
So D being 12 sq is 12 x 12 =144
E sq = 30 x 30 =' 900
Now D sq + E sq which in this instance is .. 144 + 900 = 1044
Now all we do is google .. the square root of 1044? It comes back as ... 32.31 and that is your diagonal in cms or if you prefer, 323mm
So add that figure to .. your diagram, in this instance F = 32.3 cm
Step 3
Get yourself a length of material that a little longer than your largest finished dimension..
Draw a line with a straight edge.
Mark a start point at the beginning of your line approx 1 cm in from ghe edge.
Now from that point mark out your other 3 dimensions.. DE and F..
Drill a small screw hole in rack of these points and add screw one screw into your start point and one into your length point.
Stage 4
Once you have this on your project piece again mark a start point on your base line approx 1 cm in from the edge, screw in the start point ( this will. E your pivot) of your scribing length into this point on your project piece..
Now with another screw in your length hole on your scribing stick allow it to just protrude through like a compass point..
Scribing onto material above..
Now scribe along the base line, this will give you your rectangles length.. again with the pivot point attached as before move the scribing screw into the height hole position and again scribe a mark. This done now again move this screw only and this time into the diagonal hole and scribe a mark..
Now, you simply do exactly the same again, scribing from your 3 hole positions, but, from the opposite end of your base line, using the point where your length scribe mark, scribes through the baseline, this is now your pivot point number 2.
Attached in its new position make your 3 new scribes..
With the scribe length removed, with a pen, mark your intersecting scribe points..
Now use a straight edge and join these all up . You should now have a perfectly square shape which you can cut out..
Here I've cut my shape out leaving the waste so you can see how it's come out of the unsquare original piece..
Here I've done exactly the same to cut this rectangular piece of SS from an unsquare stock piece.. I've still used screws, just had a waste piece of ply under the SS to screw it too.. when cutting SS out I've clamped a metal straight edge along my lines before using my angle grinder with a cutting
blade..
I hope this may help you to get a little more out of your offcuts etc, it certainly has helped me.
Any Q just fire away... ..
X
If you have as an example a flat but unsquare stock sheet, be it paper, wood or metal this is an easy way to get a square shape out of it, I know if found this frustrating in the past, anyway, this is easier actually to do than my explanation will seem trust me..
Step 1
You have your unsquare stock, in this case a rough piece of ply, works just as well with steel or ss etc. Make a rough sketch of the dimensions of the piece you wish to finish up with, in my case a rectangle size = 30cms x 12cms, you can do a square shape if you wish..
draw a straight line along the base ( the full length ) with a straight edge.
Step 2
Time to do a little maths but don't panic, just use your calculator or your smart phone.
Drawn a triangle shape as per pic below which represents the rectangle you wish to make ( not to scale just a rough) give each side a identifying letter, here I've given the height D the length E and the diagonal F..
Now white down the dimensions for your final piece piece in cms..
mine..
D = Height = 12cms
E = Length = 30cms
F = Diagonal which were about to find ...
Now, to find the diagonal we use this formula..
D sq, + E sq = F sq ( sq = squared)
So D being 12 sq is 12 x 12 =144
E sq = 30 x 30 =' 900
Now D sq + E sq which in this instance is .. 144 + 900 = 1044
Now all we do is google .. the square root of 1044? It comes back as ... 32.31 and that is your diagonal in cms or if you prefer, 323mm
So add that figure to .. your diagram, in this instance F = 32.3 cm
Step 3
Get yourself a length of material that a little longer than your largest finished dimension..
Draw a line with a straight edge.
Mark a start point at the beginning of your line approx 1 cm in from ghe edge.
Now from that point mark out your other 3 dimensions.. DE and F..
Drill a small screw hole in rack of these points and add screw one screw into your start point and one into your length point.
Stage 4
Once you have this on your project piece again mark a start point on your base line approx 1 cm in from the edge, screw in the start point ( this will. E your pivot) of your scribing length into this point on your project piece..
Now with another screw in your length hole on your scribing stick allow it to just protrude through like a compass point..
Scribing onto material above..
Now scribe along the base line, this will give you your rectangles length.. again with the pivot point attached as before move the scribing screw into the height hole position and again scribe a mark. This done now again move this screw only and this time into the diagonal hole and scribe a mark..
Now, you simply do exactly the same again, scribing from your 3 hole positions, but, from the opposite end of your base line, using the point where your length scribe mark, scribes through the baseline, this is now your pivot point number 2.
Attached in its new position make your 3 new scribes..
With the scribe length removed, with a pen, mark your intersecting scribe points..
Now use a straight edge and join these all up . You should now have a perfectly square shape which you can cut out..
Here I've cut my shape out leaving the waste so you can see how it's come out of the unsquare original piece..
Here I've done exactly the same to cut this rectangular piece of SS from an unsquare stock piece.. I've still used screws, just had a waste piece of ply under the SS to screw it too.. when cutting SS out I've clamped a metal straight edge along my lines before using my angle grinder with a cutting
blade..
I hope this may help you to get a little more out of your offcuts etc, it certainly has helped me.
Any Q just fire away... ..
X
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