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Drawing and Ellipse-ish... A Better, Better Way

vondohlen, member

8 users recommend

Step One: Start by laying out the rise and run of the ellipse-ish

Step Two: Draw two arcs. Label the intersections as A and B.

Step Three: Connect A and B, and extend until you find C. (C is the center of the circle).

Step Four: Set your compass on C, open it up, and draw the ellipse-ish (the dashed line).

Step One: Start by laying out the rise and run of the ellipse-ish

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I enjoyed watching Chuck's video on how to draw an ellipse-ish, and I like the technique. But there is a better, better way!

As others have pointed out, the ellipse-ish isn't an ellipse. What is it? It is actually part of a circle. So all we need is a compass (this might not be practical for a large arc).

You just need to find the center of the circle. I have attached a few pictures that illustrate the idea.

Step One: Start by laying out the rise and run of the ellipse-ish.

Step Two: Draw two arcs. Label the intersections as A and B.

Step Three: Connect A and B, and extend until you find C. (C is the center of the circle).

Step Four: Set your compass on C, open it up, and draw the ellipse-ish (the dashed line).

You can also draw the arc with the plywood strips as demonstrated in Chuck's video. You get the same arc.

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Comments (2)

fredoman writes: Recently I purchased about 3 dozen bar clamps. It turned out that the rubber end cushion stained the cherry frames I was assembling. The cushions also had a tendency to fall off and get lost in the saw dust. Being that I work in Florida and have a bottle of water every couple of hours, I started saving the plastic bottle tops and replacing the rubber cushions every so often. I cut a piece of double sided tape to fit the clamp end, slid the bottle top on and closed the clamp to join the bottle top to the clamp end. No more stains and no marring the wood no matter how much pressure you use. The bottle tops are an never ending supply.
Posted: 8:50 am on November 11th

RDA writes: Glad you liked the video, vondohlen. And, thanks for posting your own "Better Way." If you've got any others, we want to see those too! Thanks again.
Posted: 1:41 pm on July 23rd

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