measuring and copying faceplate work

Most copied turnings that are not for instruments, need not be _precise, just visually _similar. I may have misunderstood your problem as this work doesn't seem to require precision, just your usual careful turning and checkng with double ended or thickness calipers or even bent coat hanger wire. If not, could you measure the depth of the concentric coves with a depth gage from a straight edge laid across the diameter or measure overall and subtract the chuck's depth?

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

it has to be pretty exact cuz the pieces will be very close together and differences very noticeable. what are those jigs called with pins to help u measure the shape and curvature of ogees, etc? anyone one have an idea how to make them using pins? thanx ~B

They're called a "contour gauge" or "wire gauge". For an example see:

Sorry bizHB, I understand now. You want precise shape as well as depth. There is a thread in the archives about using contour gages. IIRC, Leo L. discussed profiling with pins vs fingers. I think the Lee Valley catalog shows most of the marking and measuring tools woodturners use.

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

"Arch" wrote: (clip) IIRC, Leo L. discussed profiling with pins vs fingers. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Arch, the credit probably belongs to somebody else, 'cause I don't remember this. But, I have an idea of a way to do this, using two laser beams, BizHB, if you want to go to the trouble. First you make an original, and leave it on your faceplate. You mount two adjustble laser pointers in two locations on your lathe, so they can be trained on the front of the work.* Pick a spot that you want to measure on the original, and train both laser spots there. The laser beams intersect on the surface you need to duplicate.

Put a blank piece of wood on a faceplate and mount it on the lathe. The two laser beams will make two dots on the surface of the wood. As you cut away wood, the two dots will approach each other. When they meet you have your surface. You return the first piece, still on it's faceplate, to the spindle, and place the two laser beams on another spot, and repeat the process. You will be able to match depth and diameter on as many places as you want, and then just fair in the contours between them.

I have never done this, so I can't guarantee there will be no complications, but it seems it ought to work. I HAVE used two laser beams in a similar way for a different purpose, and it worked just fine.

If you have enough faceplates, I would suggest doing all the cuts at the same setting before going back to the "pattern piece." If you had more time, you could order a batch of faceplates from Bill Noble, but your deadline doesn't give you any leeway. __________________

B is this what you're after ???

"Leo Lichtman" wrote: (clip)This could be done fairly easily using a technique shown on Kevin Neeley's website. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ He spells his name Kevin Neelley, and he is at

That's pretty well how the RAF Dam Busters blew the German Dams during WW2. A light at each end of the air(o)plane was shone down onto the surface of the water. When they formed a figure 8, the altitude was right. There isn't anything new! Reg. Sherwin.