Please help - need a tool but no idea what its called

[plugs]

My Dad was a cabinet maker and antique restorer. One tool he had I would just love at the moment. Its for taking profiles of any shaped wood up to about 9-10 inches long. The device had a centre bar with pins going through it (100s of them it seemed). When pushed up against an object it would produce the positive and negative outline .

Great for turning and carving shapes to be restored.

Is this still made or available.

 

[DaveL]

Hi Plugs,

Welcome to the fourm.

You are looking for a Profile Gauge, like this:

that one in sold by Axminster but lots of other places do them.

 

[plugs]

Thanks thats exactly the animal

What a fantastic forum

 

[Jake]

The metal ones are better than the plastic ones - finer 'needles' so a closer approximation to the profile.

 

[bugbear]

The metal ones are better than the plastic ones - finer 'needles' so a closer approximation to the profile.

As per (almost) usual the original is the best - A "Maco" template, which had lovely fine brass pieces. Bit rare these days.

Be wary of buying "unseen" though - fine brass bends easily :-(

BugBear