dD

[email protected] (Don from Maine)

28/11/2003 10:04 AM

Child's Building Blocks -- Roman Arches & Half Arches

Help!! I've started making a nice set of unit building blocks for my
niece and grandson out of 6/4 walnut and cherry. The unit block size
is 1-3/8 inches by 2-3/4 inches by 5-1/2 inches and all my other
blocks will be multiples of it. I want to make some of the Roman
arches and half arches out of a unit block. The problem I have is
that I don't know how to make each of them look exactly like the
other. Has anyone designed a jig which can be used on a band saw or
with a router to cut these shapes out? I want to make about 10 of
each. Thanks.


This topic has 4 replies

JT

in reply to [email protected] (Don from Maine) on 28/11/2003 10:04 AM

28/11/2003 2:52 PM

Fri, Nov 28, 2003, 10:04am (EST-3) [email protected]
(Don=A0from=A0Maine) says:
<snip> I want to make some of the Roman arches and half arches out of a
unit block. The problem I have is that I don't know how to make each of
them look exactly like the other. Has anyone designed a jig which can be
used on a band saw or with a router to cut these shapes out? I want to
make about 10 of each. Thanks.

Check google, with "routing small pieces" and "rout small pieces"
to start.

I'd probably make a large, easy to handle, master.

JOAT
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dD

[email protected] (Don from Maine)

in reply to [email protected] (Don from Maine) on 28/11/2003 10:04 AM

01/12/2003 7:07 AM

Thank you all for your input! I'll give the ideas a try and see how
it goes. Thanks again for your help, the kids should love the blocks
and I'm glad there are still people out there in this high tech world
willing to give others a hand :-)

Happy Holidays!, Don

bR

[email protected] (Robert Bonomi)

in reply to [email protected] (Don from Maine) on 28/11/2003 10:04 AM

29/11/2003 4:06 PM

In article <[email protected]>,
Don from Maine <[email protected]> wrote:
>Help!! I've started making a nice set of unit building blocks for my
>niece and grandson out of 6/4 walnut and cherry. The unit block size
>is 1-3/8 inches by 2-3/4 inches by 5-1/2 inches and all my other
>blocks will be multiples of it. I want to make some of the Roman
>arches and half arches out of a unit block. The problem I have is
>that I don't know how to make each of them look exactly like the
>other. Has anyone designed a jig which can be used on a band saw or
>with a router to cut these shapes out? I want to make about 10 of
>each. Thanks.

A roman arch is a simple half-circle above the opening.

A 'gothic' arch has arcs that are the full width of the opening


the 'easiest way to get roman arches, is with the proper size drum
on a spindle sander. Ditto if you're making blocks with a quarter-circle
'bite' out of one corner.

Saw on the 'waste' side of the arch line,
Clamp a couple of stop-blocks to the sander table,
And then 'introduce' the block to the sander, until it hits both stops.

Voila!

Mi

"Mike in Mystic"

in reply to [email protected] (Don from Maine) on 28/11/2003 10:04 AM

29/11/2003 12:16 AM

I would set up a sacrificial fence on your drill press and use large
fortsner or saw-tooth bits to cut half-circles. Use a stop block and you'll
get identical parts. You could also make the parts twice as wide as needed
and drill a circle centered across the width and then just rip the part in
half on the table saw.

Mike

"Don from Maine" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Help!! I've started making a nice set of unit building blocks for my
> niece and grandson out of 6/4 walnut and cherry. The unit block size
> is 1-3/8 inches by 2-3/4 inches by 5-1/2 inches and all my other
> blocks will be multiples of it. I want to make some of the Roman
> arches and half arches out of a unit block. The problem I have is
> that I don't know how to make each of them look exactly like the
> other. Has anyone designed a jig which can be used on a band saw or
> with a router to cut these shapes out? I want to make about 10 of
> each. Thanks.


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