Making a curved template

In the final stages of refurbishing the downstairs bog (yup, it's been on the go for ages!) and I want to fit an undersink cabinet. The sink in question is not too large (but then neither is the room) and I want to use it rather than change for a purpose built vanity unit for a variety of good reasons, so I thought I might buy a 600mm kitchen base cabinet and modify it (to make it shallower) to form the carcass, using something yet to be decided as the worktop that sits each side of the sink. Cutting the right shape of (horizontal) curve would allow the sink to sit partly embedded in the worktop as there's a flat 'lip' around the edge of the sink. Now, I'd rather make the cabinet more shallow than the sink IFYSWIM, so I'll also need a vertical curve in the top part of the cabinet (was thinking a matching door and drawer front here, with the curve cut in the drawer front). Obviously I shall have to think about how to make up for the bracing that I'll cut through in doing this, but that shouldn't be too tricky. The tricky part is working out how to cut the curves. Although I haven't measured properly they look more like arcs from ovals than arcs from circles so it looks like the thing to do will be to make some kind of template to match, then follow this with a router, but how do I make the template? Perhaps a big piece of stiffish paper carefully creased and ripped until it sits against the shape properly, a bit of trial and error cutting MDF templates from that until they make the right fit? The horizontal curve can be a bit scruffy, as the lip of the sink will cover most of it, but the vertical one will be on view, so I'd like to get it right, at least within the margin of a neat silicone bead.

Somehow, I have a feeling that there's a proper way to do it, and someone here might know what that is......

Reply to
GMM
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========================================= Make a mock-up to hold the sink with a horizontal piece of timber across the front and just touching the lowest part of the curve. Across the horizontal timber draw vertical lines at 1cm intervals. Place the sink on the mock-up and measure a vertical distance from the bottom of the sink to the top of the horizontal at 1cm intervals, recording each measurement as you go. Transfer the measurements to the vertical timber and join up the measurements like a graph. Cut along the resulting 'graph' line.

If you try this let me know if it works because this is what I intend doing sometime next week.

Cic.

Reply to
Cicero

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Sounds like a good plan!

I hope to give it a go over the weekend (need to get a base unit and carve it up so I know I'm in the right place first) and post my outcome. Cheers

Reply to
GMM

Yes it does work. I did pretty much the same last year with a wash basin, only difference was I transferred the measurements to a piece of card first, cut that along the line and then used it to fine tune the shape before transferring to the wood.

Depending on where the wood fits, and the slope of the basin underside, you might need to make some allowance for the thickness of the wood ie you want the outer, not inner face to fit well, and you may have to bevel off the inner edge.

David

Reply to
DavidM

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That's good to know!

I had thought about the bevel but, of course, it doesn't need to be as tidy as the side that shows, so I was thinking that could be dealt with either with something abrasive or with a shaped router bit.

Reply to
GMM

========================================= Thanks for that confirmation. I was thinking of a spokeshave for the bevelling, but it will depend on how much 'doctoring' is needed.

Cic.

Reply to
Cicero

I've only done it once, but thats what I did - actually a scrap piece of hardboard. It felt much safer than risking cutting the unit first go.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

In article , GMM writes

Is this the sort of thing you were thinking of?

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did this a year or so ago for the last refurb I did. ISTR that all I did was to cut the front top panel roughly to shape and then kept sanding and checking until i seemed to fit OK.

Cheers

Martin

Reply to
Martin Carroll

That's exactly the sort of thing Martin, except not in a corner. Looks like a great job...though I was rather hoping not to have to do the 'keep on sanding and checking' part on the final product - mostly because it's laminate and not real proper wood like you used. I was thinking that I could make an mdf template to route it from in one go (probably need to do the sand and check on the template though!). I was due to try it this weekend, but life got in the way, as it does....

Reply to
GMM

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