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Newbie question: How do I accurately scale up a plan to a template?
I recently bought a set of boat plans. The plan sheet says the bulkheads are drawn to 1/5 scale. I want to scan the plan up and increase the size of the bulkheadplan to full size so I can use it as a cutting template on the plywood.
So, I scanned, and then took the document and increasd the size 500%. Seems like it should have worked. But when I went to print it out, it came out much larger than what the full size version is supposed to be...probably 25% bigger than it was supposed to be.
Am I just a dummy? Is my logic wrong? Is there some magical formula for scaling a plan up? Or can somebody point me to a resource where I can do my scaling accurately without actually redrawing the plans full-size?
Any help would be appreciated.
JF
3 replies:
RE: Newbie question: How do I accurately scale up a plan to a template?
I wouldn't use a magnified plan for a template. That would scale up every printing error, every paper stretch, every scanner error, etc. 500%.
Instead, I'd use the plan as a guide and mark the measurements right onto the wood. It's what I've done on every boat I've built since Gerry Ford was President and it has never failed. If you don't know how to dimensions from plans to wood, Mr. Google is your friend. All it takes is a ruler, straightedge, a batten and a pencil.
Laszlo
RE: Newbie question: How do I accurately scale up a plan to a template?
I'm currently in the process of scaling up a set of 1/5 scale plans myself. I agree with Laszlo, best to draw them yourself. I'm drawing them up on heavy poster board type paper and hoping humidity effects them all the same when I use them to cut the parts! I'm doing it that way so I can lay all the patterns on the plywood before I cut to minimize waste. Besides the tools Laszlo listed I would also add a compass, a protractor and a good set of proportional dividers. Especially the dividers.
George K
RE: Newbie question: How do I accurately scale up a plan to a template?
» Submitted by buzzy - Fri, 11/8/13 » 12:05 AM
I think you might want to try enlarging the drawing to 400% if the image is at 1/5 scale to start with. That would be somewhere around 20-25% smaller...maybe? Good luck!!