Template Material

[Marty Hammersmith]

     What are people using to make templates? I have used See Temp since the 1990's but my supply is about gone and so it appears is the supplier.

[Steve Dwyer]

Marty,

Never heard of See Temp but it obviously has been around for some time. No doubt someone will recommend an alternative. I have read some have inverted the plans on to the balsa and used a flat iron to transfer some of the print. I have also found applying a light duty spray adhesive allows the paper to come off after cutting out the part. I have even used a pin to outline the pattern onto to balsa followed with using a French Curve the complete the outline. Many ways to skin a cat.

Steve

[Ken Culbertson]

In addition to all of the method Steve listed, I have used them all, my favorite is to copy parts of the plans and cut out the part, contact cement it to the balsa and cut it out.  Overhead projection sheets make for great tracing using narrow tip markers and cut with scissors or "a knife".  Thin foamboard works.  In years past I made my rib templates from sheet metal so I could block sand.  Now I mostly build using the "that looks good" method of "composing" a plane.    Most of my templates come from tracing the part after I made it.  As for plans, I make up sets (in pencil) then erase everything as I go for what I did.     Sometimes I will Ink that final version, sometimes I don't.

ken

[Peter in Fairfax, VA]

I've got some.  PM sent.

[Peter in Fairfax, VA]

What I have is See Temp and it's 51" x 21".  Let me know if you need it.

[Istvan Travnik]

I use 5-ply 2 mm thick Finnish plywood for templates. Metal, or other materials are excluded because of hotwire cutting technology.
Most of them are (core and tip) airfoils, planned and printed by "Profili-II" software, onto normal paper, and glued on.
Being a lazy man, outside curves are not jigsawed, but roughly cut by giant tailor scissor, and finished by band sanding machine.
I made myself the .8 mm dia drill from my dentist, for boring the many dozen holes for glass-headed pins...
See in "The  bluefoam model, hor how to..." topic
Istvan

[Motorman]

I use Cheerios box.

[john e. holliday]

I have a large piece of glass I lay across the saw horses.  Put a lamp below.  Lay plans on the glass.  A sheet of white paper is taped in place and then I draw over the part.  Then the pieces are taped to scrap Plywood for cutting.  I stack make the ribs only doing the center rib and tip rib.   

[Mike Griffin]

I Just take the plan (usually I make a copy of it) cut out the parts and glue it to hard 1/16 balsa and cut it out.  I convert all my wings to Millenium construction like Tom Morris did.  Very rarely do I cut out full ribs.

Mike