Window Blinds

Is the bell curve symmetrical? If so, I’d make a template of just the curve itself and index each slat to move the curve’s centerline tangent gradually down each slat.

-- You can't control the wind, but you can trim your sails

Even though it is about the woodworking could you tell us how you did it so quickly in SketchUp? That might shed some light on how to do it in “real life”. (And it would be interesting either way.)

-- Kyle Shipp, Michigan, http://battleshipp.blogspot.com

Captain, the curve isn’t symmetrical and it isn’t the same all the way up but I see how your idea would work if it was. Hmmm…

Kyle, it was a little of this and a little of that. Nothing that would really translate directly into making them in wood. Perhaps I’ll do up a tutorial on the process though.

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

Divide and Conquer.

I would imagine the following, though this maybe a waste of wood…
It appears that the slats are mirror images of each other ie: top half is the same as the bottom half, only flipped over, so you only need to figure out how to build half the slats.

The curve on each appears to be the same only shifted slightly on each.

So, start by making each slat identically, with the curve in the centre ( I imagine using a template and a router)and two tails on either side of the curve as long as the longest tail. Then you could cut the first slat to length with the curve in the centre, then cut 2 slats each with the starting cut offset from the previous one by a slight amount and cut the other end to the final length. Stop when you run out of slats.

Stack one set of pairs with the curve progressing in one direction and stack the other set flipped over with the curve then going in the opposite direction.

This would would work but there may be quite a bit of wastage in offcuts in the interest of making all parts identical.

I’m sure there are more clever ways which does not waste as much wood.

-- Steve, New Zealand, www.steveracz.com

Although in theory it makes a great subject, I am not sure how this would actually work out in real life. The slats will all weigh different so the action of opening and closing will be a headache to perfect. Given that these would be using a “Ladder” type means to mount them in a shade configuration, you would need to make sure that at least in the area where they mount in the ladder, it would need to be all the same dimensions.

Do you intend to let them tilt as well? That would also be problimatic because they rub agasint each other. With some bulging when others don’t it will cause a severe bind…

From teh looks of the drawing, I’d make a template/pattern jig that is indexed in two directions. make one, move a fuzz both ways, make another , move a fuzz both ways, shoiuldn’t take long to whip them out ;-))

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

Make them alll the same, but wider than what you need. then just trim off one side or the other…

Steve, that’s a good idea as is TS’s however the slats don’t really have the same curve. It changes slightly from slat to slat.

Dragginbutt, these are like Venetian blinds so yes, they would tilt and I don’t think there’s be a problem of them binding against each other. this isn’t a new, untested idea. As I said at the beginning, I saw something similar elsewhere.

Here’s a link and the picture that gave me the idea.

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

Why not just print out the front edges in full scale and cut them out? It is a fast and simple way to get the shape you want.

-- Oldworld, Fair Oaks, Ca

Hmmm,

Ok, they are not the same shape on every slat but the designer has stated that they are designed to be manufactured without waste.

So, then my new idea is to make each blank the width of two slats and a squiggle is cut down the center. Each half then becomes a part of the pattern ( I still think there is some symmetry in those original designs, so each half would be used). The next piece is cut to have some sort of progression in the shape and direction of the ‘wave’ until the pattern is progressed to become the inverse of the first one (and so the other half of the slats can match up to it in reverse order).

-- Steve, New Zealand, www.steveracz.com

Yes, that would work and it’s only a few more seconds to create all the templates since it is done automatically.

As I said, I’m just curious about how others would cut them.

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

Since it is a progression without waste; back to my original idea with the progressive jig in 2 directions. Cut down the center +/- of the blank. One half goes to the top and other to the bottom until they meet in the middle.

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

Why wouldn’t you make and shape the pieces in sections then rip to size? I drew these as 3×3x24 then shaped the bulges. Could you cut those with the band saw? Will a band saw table tilt for and aft in the blade direction?
never mind the photo wont post again.

-- Dan, Sterling Alaska, http://sullcon.homestead.com/ Before you criticise some one, walk a mile in their shoes...then you will be a mile away and you have their shoes!

I think you just want to show off your sketchup skills. lol

weird

-- Dan, Sterling Alaska, http://sullcon.homestead.com/ Before you criticise some one, walk a mile in their shoes...then you will be a mile away and you have their shoes!

Good idea mics_54. Then you can cut all of the squiggles with a single cut and then just rip the slats. I think you would need a jig on the band saw. I think most only tilt in one direction.

Topamax - I think we have the same idea

-- Steve, New Zealand, www.steveracz.com

Honest, I wasn’t trying to show off. As I said in my original post, it wasn’t about the SketchUp drawing. I’ll remove the images I drew since they seem to have gotten things off track. I was only trying to get a discussion going about quickly producing something that has a bunch of unique parts. Good ideas have been put forth. Thanks for that.

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

I agree with the Captains suggestion… If each slat has a different curve regardless of the shift, then make that many pattern templates if you’re going to make several sets of the shades… Otherwise, have paper patterns, trace onto the slat blanks & cut them on a band saw…

It all depends how many are going to be made…

Dave, if you already know the answer, what is it? :)

Thank you…

-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?ppuser=1389&cat=500"

I know a man that carves mandolin backs with a router…kind of a manual CNC set up where he makes a map of the piece with topographical lines of depth. You could similarly set up several 3×3x L pieces of stock to reproduce the “topography” of the form and then rip the slats. This manner would create reproducable results.

-- Dan, Sterling Alaska, http://sullcon.homestead.com/ Before you criticise some one, walk a mile in their shoes...then you will be a mile away and you have their shoes!

I’m thinking of having the ripped and cutting the curved edge progressively from the same pattern. If there is no waste, then the parts have to be opposites flipped end for end.

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

Joe, I don’t already know the answer. Well, I guess I do now. It must have been given here a dozen times by now.

I was only asking for ideas to get a discussion going. It wasn’t a quiz. I guess we’ve got the answers now so no more needs to be said.

Cheerio.

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

These were most likely drawn and cut with a CNC router. It is fast, accurate and very repeatable. I think it would be less expensive and more accurate to have a shop with a CNC router cut the pieces.

-- Oldworld, Fair Oaks, Ca

Dave…sketchup designs of wooden projects COUNTS as a project! Think De Vinci !

-- Dan, Sterling Alaska, http://sullcon.homestead.com/ Before you criticise some one, walk a mile in their shoes...then you will be a mile away and you have their shoes!

No comment on the ‘how to’ discussion, however, this rather famous (in the architectural community) apartment building in downtown Chicago might have been an inspiration for the form.

Btw when manufacturers state there is ‘no waste’ that doesn’t mean there isn’t waste, it usually means that the generated waste is somehow used/reclaimed.

-- criticism: the art of analyzing and evaluating the quality of a artistic work...

WOW!

That’s a real ‘wavy’ building! :)

-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?ppuser=1389&cat=500"

So I wonder if anyone in the wave building has wave blinds ?

-- a little bit of stupid goes a long way