Radius Layout ?

[lou Brava]

This leg seems to have 4 different radius & I'd like to make some as close as possible to it. I know I can figure out how to achieve the radius to make the leg but it would be a few hours of trial & error. I'd start off with free hand rendition, than using a large compass or string & nail to make the arcs I'd sooner or later get there.
Just wondering if there is better approach. I don't have access to the leg so there is no way of copying it or pulling some measurements to figure it out.
Thanks
508467

[Dan Cameron]

Looks like a job for french curves.

[Kevin Jenness]

Notch a piece of plywood to fit over the stretcher and trace the leg shape directly. Otherwise, scribe it. Set up a piece of thin plywood parallel to the plane of the leg's face and use a pointed stick to mark offsets and angles on the plywood, then work backwards with the stick to lay out the leg on another piece.

[John Ziebron]

You mentioned that you don't have access to the leg. Do you have any more pictures of it. If not, then I would take this picture and blow it up to the size you want to make it. The picture has it on an angle but that might help you get the 2 relative dimensions you need. After blowing up and printing the picture (may be more than one page) you can cut out the leg and trace it from that. If you have more pictures that would help get more accurate dimensions.

[Doug Garson]

"I don't have access to the leg so there is no way of copying it or pulling some measurements to figure it out."
"Notch a piece of plywood to fit over the stretcher and trace the leg shape directly."

Seems like we have a lack of communication here.:confused:

[Brian Runau]

If no access to leg and you unable to blow it up and print, seems trial and error is what's left. Cut a piece of mdf, put screws into a piece of plywood to mimic curves. Weave in the mdf, move screws til you get the shape you want . Brian

[lou Brava]

Thanks everyone, blowing up the picture would solve it straight away I never thought of that. I guess I'd have to find a print shop or photo studio that could do that, maybe I'll try google searching it would be cool if there is a place you could email them a picture & they blow it up & send it to you.
Dan, good call on the French curve. I bet I can find a large template that would speed up the trail & error part, one good thing is they are very short legs.

[Tom Blank]

Maybe a Google image search would get you additional views. If there is one square with the leg profile you have a direct copy.

Tom

[Mike Cutler]

Get the picture large enough to use a ruler to plot the chord lengths and heights of sections, at plotted intervals, and determine the radii from those measurements.
You should be very close.
That inside curve is a sweep, and it will be the hardest to plot.

[Kevin Jenness]

"I don't have access to the leg so there is no way of copying it or pulling some measurements to figure it out."
"Notch a piece of plywood to fit over the stretcher and trace the leg shape directly."

Seems like we have a lack of communication here.:confused:

Yes, my bad. Apologies to lou for skipping the important part.

[lou Brava]

Yes, my bad. Apologies to lou for skipping the important part.

No worries, that reading thing always gets me too:)

[Dan Cameron]

Another possibility is to import the picture to the INKSCAPE program (free). Learn how to draw with bezier curves and trace the leg outline. Save the tracing file in SVG format. This can be printed in any desired size on a large printer/pen plotter. Or save a DXF file and make (or have made) a template via a CNC machine.

[Keith Christopher]

Do you have the full image from pottery barn ? or a link to the product ? So the proportions of the leg from the base. (assume 1.5" square but doesn't matter )

the outside curve is 2.5x so if the leg is 1.5" then the back edge of the curve is 2.5x 3.75 or 4" curved from the front.

I printed it and drew parallel lines starting at the left edge of the foot and ran a parallel line from the right edge of the foot and this was my proportion scale.
It can also give you the scale which it widens at the curve and the return. Assuming a coffee table this is about 15-16" tall. it can also be overlayed on graph paper for good results.

So if you are ok with sketchup you can get fairly close to this using this method. I've used it before with good results. 508624

[Bert McMahan]

You could use Matthias Wandel's BigPrint program to do this if you don't want to learn Inkscape/tile things/etc:

https://woodgears.ca/bigprint/

$22, and it goes to an actual person with an actual family doing fun stuff, not some copy center :)

[lou Brava]

Do you have the full image from pottery barn ? or a link to the product ? So the proportions of the leg from the base. (assume 1.5" square but doesn't matter )

the outside curve is 2.5x so if the leg is 1.5" then the back edge of the curve is 2.5x 3.75 or 4" curved from the front.

I printed it and drew parallel lines starting at the left edge of the foot and ran a parallel line from the right edge of the foot and this was my proportion scale.
It can also give you the scale which it widens at the curve and the return. Assuming a coffee table this is about 15-16" tall. it can also be overlayed on graph paper for good results.

So if you are ok with sketchup you can get fairly close to this using this method. I've used it before with good results. 508624

Wow ! Thanks so much for taking the time to do that I really appreciate it ! I don't have a link to the table it wasn't a Pottery Barn table the wife took the picture at a "high end" furniture store a few years ago & I'm just now getting around to the build. I've never tried sketchup maybe it's time to try it out. Here's a pic of the table.

508641

[lou Brava]

You could use Matthias Wandel's BigPrint program to do this if you don't want to learn Inkscape/tile things/etc:

https://woodgears.ca/bigprint/

$22, and it goes to an actual person with an actual family doing fun stuff, not some copy center :)

Thanks ! I'll check that out & if it works 22 bucks is a deal.