Easy Ogee

[Jim Koepke]

It is easy to layout an ogee using a circle with the diameter matching the size of wood being used or of the total height of the ogee to be drawn.

I have made various diameters of wooden circles cut from scrap. First right angled center lines are drawn. After drawing a circle of the desired size it is cut out with a band saw or other means. Circle templates can be handy when laying out a curve or an arc on a work piece.

They also make it easy to layout an ogee without any other tool beside a pencil.

Set one centerline even with the edge of the workpiece. Set the edge of the circle against the end point of the ogee. Draw one quarter of the circle from the end point to the centerline perpendicular to the edge. Move the circle to the other edge. Align a centerline with the edge and the other centerline to the end of the first quarter circle. Draw the rest of the ogee by following the quarter circle around the template.

Ogee Layout.jpg

If you want to have some fun, make some ellipse templates for compact or stretch ogees.

Having various sizes of circle templates is handy when one wants to draw an arc.

jtk

[Chuck Nickerson]

I like the fact you have both circles and ellipses. If the books I've read are correct, circles make Roman ogees and ellipses make Grecian ogees.