Material for making templates?

[MtlBiker]

I'm having a hard time figuring out what kind of material to use for making reusable templates. Cardboard, matboard, etc. are just too flimsy and when I'm trying to cut my leather/fabric with a rotary cutter they are too easy to cut. I've tried 1/4" masonite which I cut using a scroll saw and that's much better than cardboard, but it's harder to cut and fairly expensive. The plastic place mats from the dollar store do seem to work better than cardboard but they're not large enough for some of my patterns and I also wish the place mats would be a bit thicker.

Ideally it would be some kind of clear plastic, at least 1/8" thick that would let me see the fabric through it (so I could better utilize the designs on the fabric) but I haven't found anything yet. Plexi / acrylic is even more expensive than the masonite and at least one that I've tried seems to splinter when I cut it.

 

So, what do you suggest as a material for making templates, and where do you get it?

 

Thanks!

[Zonker1972]

use flexible cutting boards

[sbrownn]

Learn some simple CAD and buy a $200 3D printer and you can make all the PLA or ABS templates you want.  You can learn that kind of CAD in a couple of hours and then the 3D printer does all the work.  

[chrisash]

Buy a fretsaw and use thin 3 ply

[McCarthy]

3 hours ago, Zonker1972 said:

use flexible cutting boards

Hey! That's a good idea. I have a roll of clear plastic stuff that I got from Weaver (I think) but it's too thin and curvy. The cutting boards are thick enough to get a good scribe.

[MtlBiker]

3 hours ago, Zonker1972 said:

use flexible cutting boards

I've often used those cutting boards from a dollar store, but for many of my patterns they are too small.  I'm looking for something that will work for larger patterns.

 

[MtlBiker]

1 hour ago, sbrownn said:

Learn some simple CAD and buy a $200 3D printer and you can make all the PLA or ABS templates you want.  You can learn that kind of CAD in a couple of hours and then the 3D printer does all the work.  

Really?  A $200 3D printer (I'd love to get one!) is probably limited to even smaller areas than the dollar store cutting boards I've used and those are too small.  But other than that, the cutting boards work really quite well and are super economical.  The biggest cutting board I've found is only about 10" x 15".  I need at least 15" x 15 and hopefully even larger.  When I last looked into 3D printers, I thought they would cost a whole heck of a lot more than that for a model that would produce the size I want.

But... I'm really tempted to get a 3D printer.  Is there anything you suggest or something I should look for or avoid?

 

51 minutes ago, chrisash said:

Buy a fretsaw and use thin 3 ply

I don't need a fretsaw as I have a super scroll saw that works really well.  What kind of "thin 3 ply" are you talking about?  What material?  Thanks!
 

[kgg]

5 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

material for making templates

The best material I can suggest that you could use basic cutting tools like a saw/ drill /sander would be HDPE (High Density Poly Ethylene) in at least 1/4 ", it cuts just like wood and you can sand the edges like wood. Any smaller then 1/4" thick and you will get warping. It is available in sizes up to 4 ft x 8 ft in various thickness.

 

[sbrownn]

23 minutes ago, MtlBiker said:

Really?  A $200 3D printer (I'd love to get one!) is probably limited to even smaller areas than the dollar store cutting boards I've used and those are too small.  But other than that, the cutting boards work really quite well and are super economical.  The biggest cutting board I've found is only about 10" x 15".  I need at least 15" x 15 and hopefully even larger.  When I last looked into 3D printers, I thought they would cost a whole heck of a lot more than that for a model that would produce the size I want.

But... I'm really tempted to get a 3D printer.  Is there anything you suggest or something I should look for or avoid?

 

I don't need a fretsaw as I have a super scroll saw that works really well.  What kind of "thin 3 ply" are you talking about?  What material?  Thanks!
 

I don't know what your budget is but you can buy a 12"x12" printer for less than $400.  I have made lots of templates by gluing pieces together to get the size I needed.  The thing I like about using CAD and a 3D printer is that you can make everything exact.  I especially like for all my curves to be tangent and it is easy to make them so in CAD.

[kgg]

28 minutes ago, sbrownn said:

printer for less than $400

First I have to say I love my 3d printers and put a lot of hours / filament through them. They can do some amazing stuff and are great for inexpensive prototyping / small scale runs. Yes you can purchase Chinese 3d printers for under $400 but i) not everyone can quickly learn or has the want to learn a CAD/ Slicer program irregardless of the 3d printer cost ii) the life expectancy of the inexpensive 3d printers before having a rebuild or replacement is very low when compared to the more expensive reliable 3d printers ( plus $1500) and iii) sometimes it is just simpler and faster to use basic materials and tools for simple items. For me it would be quicker to take a common material like wood or HDPE and some basic carpentry tools to make a flat template as compared to 3d printing the same template.

kgg