Cutting wood using templates or manually drawn

[brained]

Hello, I'm kinda confused with this, but dunno which is better. Here's the deal,
Which is better using templates or drawing and measuring the design directly on the wood.

I'm made my own BIG SIZE templates on visio and I just have to print them and lay them out, but once you begin cutting does it becomes unhandable when the paper is all cut out.
Do I have to glue the template for easy cutting?

Or Should I just dump the whole template thing and draw it on the wood?...

kinda mixed up here, please help me with this matter....

OHHHH BTW, I have little to none woodworking skills, just an old dog house I've made.  

[PedroSilva]

I draw on the wood ... and erase ... and draw ... and erase ... and draw ... tilll I was pleased ...  

Here's the result:


You can stiil see the drawings ...

Hope it helps ...  

[blue]

I have yet to cut out my CP, planing on doing it soon.
I've printed out my layout and am just going to drill the holes through the paper. Using tape to hold down all the corners. I don't think that it will pose a problem while drilling, however when it comes to using a jigsaw, i'll be drawing those line on the wood.

[Witchboard]

I did the same for my test CP.  I printed out my layout on paper then taped it to the board.  I then used a nail and dapped it through the paper in the center of buttons and other things that needed holes.  Not through the board, but just enough to make a little hole so I could see where to drill.  I then removed the paper and used my hole saw on the nail holes.  Worked pretty well.

[brained]

hmm... so it seem that is kinda hard to clamp on templates and cut them with a jigsaw. I'll have to draw everything manually them..

[depressd]

I used a template for cutting my control panel out. I love using paper templates for this. You don't have to worry about your stock being square or anything. I usually use tape for the template. Then when a taped edge is cut I simply tape it down again.  I personally haven't had any problems with this. And will continue to use templates.

[hyiu]

I did more or less exactly like what witchboard did...

I did all my cp template on visio... then I print it on mulitple pages... (yes my cp is bigger than a legal size paper...)

then I take my time and align the paper and tape it back together....

then I tape it on to my CP piece....

since its mostly button holes or screw holes... I use a nail and tap a little hole on the wood on the places that I need to drill... and for anything that you need to cut.... just tap the nail to show the corners... then you don't have to measure at all....

then I take that paper back off and start drilling....

I've done 3 already.... so far so good.....  

[brained]

I know that templates for control panel are ok. But my main concern is for the rest of the stuff!!!. I've drew my template in a 4'x8' in visio. so I can just print the pages, glue tape or glue them together, then just lay it on the 4x8 mdf and cut da hell out of it.

I've seen some companies sell templates for cutting the wood, so I though my homemade templates might work. Any one has used paper templates to CUT THE CABINET, not the CP.

[Witchboard]

Oh, I misunderstood.  I would just do it on the board itself.  Get one side the way you want it then use a router to cut the other side using your first side as a template.  That way, both sides are the same.

[Sylentwulf]

You COULD do it with the cabinet templates like that, but the sheer amount of ink, time, paper, and pain-in-the-assedness of it all, it would probably just be easier to buy the templates, or try kinko's with your templates.
Taping together 8 feet worth of 8 inch papers would not be fun.

[brained]

humm...
I think i'm just going to draw them instead. Anyways it cant be that hard!! .

[hyiu]

ohhh... sorry.. misunderstood your question...

for the rest of the cab... I just measured the wood and draw on it and cut..... did not print it out and tape it on the wood....
(wasting too much paper....)

but I guess if you buy those full size paper template... it's also cool....

either way... the other pieces are not that hard to cut.... (just the outline anyway.... so... its good with or without paper...)

[fredster]

I just use a paper template.  It's for holes. So all you have to do is take a small drill (1/8)  or a nail and mark the center of the hole.

Drill thru the paper and mark the center of each hole.  Take the paper off, then come back and drill them to the right size.

If you have some hole that's different, use a circle template or whatever you need using the mark from the small drill or nail.

[danny_galaga]

this was drawn on the wood:



http://moncom.net/mame/

[danny_galaga]

godammit, i can never get the picture to go where i want it to...