I want to make overhead cabinets, anyone have a pattern?

[Art OC]

The roof is a -booger- to try to measure for the face of an overhead cabinet. Would anyone happen to have a pattern/template? Ive already goofed-up 1/2 a piece of plywood trying to get the shape right. I know some of the fiberglass campers came with one or two already installed but mine is a basic model I guess.
Thanks.

[Joe Z]

Try shaping it out of cardboard first and then outline it to the wood
Joe

[Ed Felker]

Art:

Here is a link to an Airstream forum that might be helpful: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/story-...apes-29321.html

I had never heard of using a story stick before. Looking at the pictures and the description makes sense to me. I would think roughing in the basic curve on some sort of stiff board and then getting the final curve using a compass the way Norm Abrams trims cabinets to fit uneven walls would allow you to fine tune the curve on a pattern before transferring it to the plywood.

I've seen several mods on Casitas and Scamps for closet shelves, rear shelves, and new bulkheads where this technique could prevent lots of frustration.

By the way, I forgot -- there was also a different thread on the Airsteam forum for making bulkhead patterns. Here is that link as well.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f46/how-do...head-29308.html

Ed

[Ed Harris]

Carpenters do this all the time to install cabinets even where the walls appear straight and square,frequently they are not.

It is called Scribing or making Scribe Templates.
Trusting Google to find info should be simple.

I have done this several times to make shelves for Egg' and it works well.
The basic idea is as mentioned above,USE CARDBOARD FIRST!

I have even used cardboard and scissors and tape to "Mock-up" the part by just cutting and taping and repeating until I get it how I want it.
It looks silly all taped up but then I transfer the outline to wood and all is better.

I have also used the circle with hole in the middle method to transfer the curve to peice of cardboard.Blank CD's work well for this.

Isn't this fun?

[Donna D.]

Laura shows how to make a cardboard template, see the pics at LauraW's website here:
Birki the Boler

[Art OC]

Very nice you guys! Thanks alot for the tips and especially the links! Hopefully I will have acquired some 'fg camper wisdom' soon and can share it as you all have.
Now Im off to get some cardboard or posterboard.......

[Ed Felker]

... yea, posterboard -- that's the ticket.

Don't want that fg wisdom being miscut or mis-shaped birch or oak cabinet grade plywood. Remember -- measure twice, cut once.

... and that coming from a "cut once, re-cut twice" kind of guy!!

[Coach George Jessup]

This has baffled me for awhile too. Glad to have seen the word "scribe" gave me some stuff to search by.

Here is some links

Hints from True Value Hardware

scribing methods

more on tick sticking

Products

Collection of woodworking scribing tools


Products

Collection of woodworking scribing tools

[peterh]

Here is some links

scribing methods

George, that's a great link! I've heard this technique described before, but hadn't ever seen pics of how it is done before. The pics really help clarify things.

--Peter