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Chuck Banshee posted on February 3, 2012, 11:17 pm
I can't believe I'm having trouble with drawing parallel lines of un-
square objects such as for cutting flagstone. What tool do you use?
Here's a sample problem I had today:
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/7485167/img/7485167.jpg
All I wanted to do was draw a line parallel to the edge of the stone
which was further out than the width of the ruler.
None of the edges are square, so the square failed me.
Ace Hardware said they had no tool for drawing parallel lines. At Home
Depot, I bought this "angle-ize" contraption - but it stinks like you
can't believe (for a whole bunch of reasons).
http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/7485171/img/7485171.jpg
So, may I ask ... what tool do YOU use to draw parallel lines (where none
of the angels are square)?
PS: I ended up marking distance from the edge and drawing the lines
connecting the dots ... but there MUST be a better way.
square objects such as for cutting flagstone. What tool do you use?
Here's a sample problem I had today:
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/7485167/img/7485167.jpg
All I wanted to do was draw a line parallel to the edge of the stone
which was further out than the width of the ruler.
None of the edges are square, so the square failed me.
Ace Hardware said they had no tool for drawing parallel lines. At Home
Depot, I bought this "angle-ize" contraption - but it stinks like you
can't believe (for a whole bunch of reasons).
http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/7485171/img/7485171.jpg
So, may I ask ... what tool do YOU use to draw parallel lines (where none
of the angels are square)?
PS: I ended up marking distance from the edge and drawing the lines
connecting the dots ... but there MUST be a better way.
Vic Smith posted on
Re: What tool do you use to make parallel lines when cutting flagstone (or anything)?
Measuring tape, pencil dots and a line drawn between dots using a
straight edge is about as simple as it gets.
I've got an adjustable angle taker, basically a "square" with a
wingnut lockdown at the corner.
A simpler version of this,
http://www.harborfreight.com/multi-square-1701.html
Only time I use it is to check when cutting duplicate angle cuts.
Which is never.
The straight edge is only about 6" long.
But it is designed to lay flat on the work like a try square.
That's the closest I've seen to what you're talking about.
There's bigger stuff like this,
http://tinyurl.com/78vpe6h
But just measuring pencil dots and connecting the dots with a straight
edge line is what I'd do.
Anything that's adjustable flexes, and can lose the adjustment.
A straight edge is a thing of beauty.
--Vic
Ran Garoo posted on
Re: What tool do you use to make parallel lines when cutting flagstone (or anything)?
Look at step by step directions
http://www.mathopenref.com/constparallel.html
http://www.mathopenref.com/constparallelrhombus.html
HeyBub posted on
Re: What tool do you use to make parallel lines when cutting flagstone (or anything)?
Now that's using real math's (if you consider plane geometry real math). I
like it.
Robert Green posted on
Re: What tool do you use to make parallel lines when cutting flagstone (or anything)?
You can use a straight edge and a triangle like this:
http://flyhi.de/modellbau/modellbau_03.html
You can lay out parallel lines with a straight edge and a compass (make
several sweeps at points along the baseline at the required width, draw a
line tangent to the tops of all the arcs made by the compass). For
stonecutting, I'd make a cardboard template to overlay the stone.
You can also build a pantograph - two strips of wood connected by two more
smaller strips by bolts - the larger strips of wood can only move parallel
to each other. They look something like this:
http://www.1920-30.com/toys/things-to-make/pantograph.html
--
Bobby G.
micky posted on
Re: What tool do you use to make parallel lines when cutting flagstone (or anything)?
With so many flagstone walks not using parallel sides, and this being
your first time, why not only make the outer edge of the walk
straight, and use odd shapes everywhere else. It would look more
traditional, more like you made it yourself, more real, not like you
bought premade platic-flagstones. And take a whole lot of less time,
plus no wastage, which is bound to happen even for a pro trying to
make parallel lines.
Re: What tool do you use to make parallel lines when cutting flagstone (or anything)?
Oh, you're not making a sidewalk. (it doesn't say in this thread)
Never mind.
wrote:
Nate Nagel posted on
Re: What tool do you use to make parallel lines when cutting flagstone (or anything)?
Maybe I'm missing something, but why not use a square on the straight
edge, then drag a line with a pencil held at the 2" mark (or whatever?)
nate
--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel
Metspitzer posted on
Re: What tool do you use to make parallel lines when cutting flagstone (or anything)?
Just Googling images for "flagstone" shows almost none with parallel
lines. Like you say, the outside walk is parallel with the other
side, but the inside cuts are not.
I did see one with just square tile, but it looked factory cut.
Re: What tool do you use to make parallel lines when cutting flagstone (or anything)?
That is gonna be a lot of weed eating. :)
dadiOH posted on
Re: What tool do you use to make parallel lines when cutting flagstone (or anything)?
That's worked for me for 60 years.
If you anticipate a great need for an instrument to avoid having to mark two
or more dots, you could make a parallelogram out of wood strips joined at
the corners so that the rectangle can be deformed thereby bring two of the
sides closer together.
You could also use a spacer...sort of like the ruler in your first photo.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
Re: What tool do you use to make parallel lines when cutting flagstone (or anything)?
That rusty square of yours? Go buy a shiny new one then drill a pencil
sized hole near the end of the old one. If you want to make it fancy, screw
a small block of wood to the end before you drill the hole...the thickness
of the block will help keep the pencil vertical.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
Jim Elbrecht posted on
Re: What tool do you use to make parallel lines when cutting flagstone (or anything)?
I use a speed square and a just hold the pencil against it as I drag
it-
(Amazon.com product link shortened)
That gets me up to 8" or so. I can rip a sheet of sheetrock in half
using a 25'tape and the same technique-- anything over about 2' & I
get wobbly.
Jim
John posted on
Re: What tool do you use to make parallel lines when cutting flagstone (or anything)?
A plain old metal framing square will do ya, one of the 24" x 16" jobs
should cover a flagstone. Trace two sides with indelible marker and then
the third and finally the fourth side while measuring the desired length
and width at the same time (framing squares are pre-marked in inches).
Take to wet saw and cut along the lines.
You don't need to build a fancy contraption for something that was never
intended to be perfectly square in the first place.
John
Re: What tool do you use to make parallel lines when cutting flagstone (or anything)?
Thanks for the reminder. I don't need the crutch, now-- but many
years ago I drilled a hole in the groove at the 1" mark. Then I'd
poke the scribe through the hole.
Jim
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