spiral jig template

[dickie bell]

hi guys , lately i have had a fascination with the golden spiral and have done some drawings using the fibonacci sequence , well after further research decided to give it a go on draftsight using the actual golden ratio formula and came up with this now the sizes i used on the computer were chosen randomly to begin with but when i printed it out the second largest square is about 100mm so i thought that might be handy for inside railings and whatnot, i will attempt to make my own jig from it and i wanted to post it here to see if any of you guys could use it , all the best.

edit: don't think it has worked properly will try again tomorrow

 

[BrokenBiker]

would it not be easier to use a scroll jig? very similar shape

 

[Wendelspanswick]

You can get pretty close drawing them freehand on sheet with chalk, it's easy so see where it dosen't flow right and redraw, used to use them to infill in gates and furniture a lot, so it was easier to make them freehand and not be constrained to a certain size by a jig.

 

[outofthefire]

I was going to say the same as Wendel draw it out to suit the size you need. I've got a scroll jig that I was given and I don't think i've ever used it.

 

[KemppiFrog]

I was going to say the same as Wendel draw it out to suit the size you need. I've got a scroll jig that I was given and I don't think i've ever used it.

I use jigs for 16x5 ms bar. After you have bent it into a scroll, it is quite easy to adjust the bend to fit the gap. And, how long the tail is also varies the gap.
As usual, the biggest problem for the OP is the initial tight bit. I often give it a kink first, to avoid the flat ends that are usual in bought ones. Doing it hot would avoid that.

Got some practice on some big gates They were made of panels, each of 32 scroll parts, and there were 250 panels....

 

[Rudi McAnichal]

KemppiFrog, did you have any trouble with distortion across the width of the bar at the tight ends of the spirals? Maybe it doesn’t matter too much for decorative work.

It can certainly be a problem if you are making a hinge eye, and a beginner is likely to end up with a bell mouth on each side. I was taught how counteract this by swaging the end of the bar before beginning to form it into an eye, but never had to do it for a living and therefore never acquired any real skill at the job.

 

[Paul.]

As a workshop alternative method to Dickie Bells method of drawing a scroll, another way it can be done very quickly is using just a compass or dividers

1 Draw a line, and then draw a semi circle to create the inside of the scroll, here I have made it about 30mm dia


Then double your compass setting to the diameter of the first semi circle and strike another one using the edge of the first one as a centre


Then double it again and keep repeating the process until your scroll is big enough,



Whilst maybe not good enough for any maths purists out there who may be looking for the golden ratio, more than good enough for metal gates,

 

[johnny max]

As a workshop alternative method to Dickie Bells method of drawing a scroll, another way it can be done very quickly is using just a compass or dividers

1 Draw a line, and then draw a semi circle to create the inside of the scroll, here I have made it about 30mm dia
View attachment 37534

Then double your compass setting to the diameter of the first semi circle and strike another one using the edge of the first one as a centre
View attachment 37535

Then double it again and keep repeating the process until your scroll is big enough,
View attachment 37536
View attachment 37537

Whilst maybe not good enough for any maths purists out there who may be looking for the golden ratio, more than good enough for metal gates,

Very good Paul

 

[BrokenBiker]

paul, i had never thought of that, something so simple to give the same effect.

i made 2 scroll jigs, one small and one slightly bigger but spent ages with the 2 pins welded on a bit of box section to bend my steel into shape, then tacked it down so i could use it as a jig.

this is soo much easier to get the radius right

thanks

 

[dickie bell]

As a workshop alternative method to Dickie Bells method of drawing a scroll, another way it can be done very quickly is using just a compass or dividers

1 Draw a line, and then draw a semi circle to create the inside of the scroll, here I have made it about 30mm dia
View attachment 37534

Then double your compass setting to the diameter of the first semi circle and strike another one using the edge of the first one as a centre
View attachment 37535

Then double it again and keep repeating the process until your scroll is big enough,
View attachment 37536
View attachment 37537

Whilst maybe not good enough for any maths purists out there who may be looking for the golden ratio, more than good enough for metal gates,

that is fantastic paul , i find stuff like that really interesting so simple yet so effective thanks for showing us that ,it's so easy to over complicate things

 

[KemppiFrog]

KemppiFrog, did you have any trouble with distortion across the width of the bar at the tight ends of the spirals? Maybe it doesn’t matter too much for decorative work.

It can certainly be a problem if you are making a hinge eye, and a beginner is likely to end up with a bell mouth on each side. I was taught how counteract this by swaging the end of the bar before beginning to form it into an eye, but never had to do it for a living and therefore never acquired any real skill at the job.

I don't do hinge eyes, and it is not a prob with the scrolls. Esp as I do not do very tight ends. Almost always cold except when it goes above 6mm. Just done some in 20mm. I still used a jig, but it only needed 'bout 30 min to set up. They had to within a mm or 2 to fit right, and the fit was on site, not in the w/s.