Hey all, I’ve searched the archives for this but couldn’t come up with much. Can anyone fill me in on how a spin template is made and used? Thanks for any info!
How do you get a 8’ template on a 4’ long piece of masonite? Put the nose “half” on one side and the tail “half” on the other. Then you just “spin” it around to get the full template…get it? Be sure that you give yourself some overlap between “halfs”. If you are a newbie, you will probably end up with more slightly bumpy outlines using a spin than a full sized template; you just have to smooth the transitions by eye.
The key to a spin is making it long enough to get past the wide point and onto the curve back in. So for that 8’ board, use 5’ of masonite…
Thanks, that clears it up. Seems also like this is a good way to play around with outlines, as you have a constant that can be modified and still be in proportion.
If your templates(spin, quarter) are to short to connect for a longer board (like most of mine are) Greg Loehr had mentioned once that you can use a one piece fishing rod blank for a radius connection. I found an old fiberglass whip antennea in the trash and I have used this on several occasions to make up templates that don’t connect and have had good results.
You’re right about playing around. I’ve been taking spin templates from all my boards for many years, even before I ever thought to make my own board, because I just like 'em. They’re so cool & versatile. All you need to pencil out on a blank are the ends and dots at the wide point, then start laying templates on those dots. See what fits, what feels natural, what makes you go oh yeah, that’s it!