I didn't plan for this!

[Tonxi]

I didn't plan for this!
I told the guy in the copy shop that I wanted it copied to make templates and to make sure that the scale was set to 100%. He laughed and assured me that he knew what he was doing.
I glued it to cardboard and cut it out. Then I used it to cut all my jigs and cut out 5 tops and 5 backs. marked them all, and glued back braces.
Meanwhile I started on the necks so I got the plans out. While they were sat there I made a perspex template for the soundhole patches but when I sat it on my marked out back it was too big. I then made a perspex template for the tops using my cardboard one as a guide. When I sat it on the plan all was revealed!
The idiot reduced the size after all! If only I had checked after I cut it out.

DSCF3227.JPG (143.89 KiB) Viewed 15184 times

After much gnashing of teeth and swearing I decided to move the bridge back to 17" from the nut and leave everything else as is. My ukes will just have 4%-5% smaller bodies than the normal Hana Lima 'Ia tenors.
It would have been worse if I had glued the bridge patches, soundhole patches, rosettes and braces.
That was my plan for today. I am so glad I decided to make a perspex template for the tops.

[Nick]

Not sure what effect the smaller body size will have Martyn with respect to the build but I'd be going back to the copy shop & kicking the copy guy up the bum....hard, present him with the evidence & tell him he doesn't infact know what he's doing & see him laugh then! I hate smug smart arses

[Tonxi]

Not sure what effect the smaller body size will have Martyn with respect to the build but I'd be going back to the copy shop & kicking the copy guy up the bum....hard, present him with the evidence & tell him he doesn't infact know what he's doing & see him laugh then! I hate smug smart arses

Lucky for him he is a 2 hour drive away so I will be calmer when I do get to see him.
It isn't as bad as it looks in the photo. About 8mm under on the length. If I do a bit of modification to my jigs, I can get it closer to 5mm short, I hope.

[kiwigeo]

The world is full of people who think they know what they're doing.......not such a bad thing as they keep people like myself in a job.

[TKAY]

I would save your toes on the kicking!! The % change in the copies size is not very great and one should not expect them to be EXACTLY the same .Because of types of paper,Weight, heating of the paper in the copying process and varying humidity.
No doubt some processes may achieve exact size reproduction but not the general consumer machines

Tom

[Lillian]

I disagree Tom. Martyn has a right to be torqued at the guy. I agree that all of what you said is true, but if the tech knew that his equipment would not make an copy that was 100%, he should of at the very least said something to Martyn and let him decided to go ahead or not. Or better yet ran a test copy to figured out how much he needed to scale up/down the copy size to be to scale.
He went wrong in misleading Martyn into believing it would be to scale.

[Nick]

I'm with you Lillian, Martyn told or at least dropped a bloody great hint (that even a thicko like me would get) that he wanted the copy reproduced to exactly the same size as the original. The fact that the guy laughed & said he knew what he was doing then proceeded not to reproduce it the same size or at least explain that a 100% scale copy was impossible for him to achieve for the reasons Tom gives, proves he's a dickhead & deserves a kickin'. Run a test print & scale the copier accordingly would be my approach, not as if it's an expensive full colour print on glossy paper, can't tell me these places don't factor in such instances into their overheads.



Anyway, back on topic (Sorry Martyn ).

[MattW]

When I printed the OM plans from Grellier for mine, they were in .pdf format. This format saves the print and scale settings in real life size. This information is carried in the file format so when its printed with the "Actual Size" setting enabled the plans are printed large on A0 paper. All good.

What happens when you copy, is a lot of machines have the copy size set by default at 91% scale ( 10% smaller). I can only assume this is to allow for margins, slightly different size paper (B4) etc. This doesn't matter when its a copy of the minutes from the last meeting. It does matter if your building stuff from it.

The copy guy is obviously unqualified to work in the job- he should be aware of this difference between copying, printing, and plotting to scale. He also didn't listen to the customer.

[woodrat]

He also didn't listen to the customer.

This was at the centre of the problem...

[kiwigeo]

I would save your toes on the kicking!! The % change in the copies size is not very great and one should not expect them to be EXACTLY the same .Because of types of paper,Weight, heating of the paper in the copying process and varying humidity.
No doubt some processes may achieve exact size reproduction but not the general consumer machines

Tom

Looks like at least 10mm difference in the length of the body......I wouldn't call the "not very great".

[Tonxi]

[/quote]
Looks like at least 10mm difference in the length of the body......I wouldn't call the "not very great".[/quote]

It isn't as bad as it looks. slightly under 8mm short in length.

[kiwigeo]

I recall going into a copying shop in Timaru, New Zealand a few years back with some well logs I needed copying accurately...they did a spot on job. If a small town copy shop in NZ can do the job then a big town Aussie outfit has no excuse for doing a ham job.

[TKAY]

It is good to have a variety of opinions on any subject,much of what we say is based on our experiences.
As with all of life it all depends on appropriate communication between all parties.
The two fullsize plans I have ,both mention that they may be not absolutely true to the stated measurements printed, that is why there is a scale around the edge,in one case,and more traditional marking in the other.

As always the forum is filling in some more gaps in my data base!!
Tom

[Nick]

It is good to have a variety of opinions on any subject,much of what we say is based on our experiences.
As with all of life it all depends on appropriate communication between all parties.
The two fullsize plans I have ,both mention that they may be not absolutely true to the stated measurements printed, that is why there is a scale around the edge,in one case,and more traditional marking in the other.

As always the forum is filling in some more gaps in my data base!!
Tom

I chipped in on a conversation over on OLF about scaling & taking measurements direct from plans. I stated over there that I was taught during my engineering apprenticeship, never to measure direct off of drawings & any offending apprentice was resoundly chastised if the foreman saw somebody with a rule hovering over a drawing! It also stated in the 'scale' section of the title block of the drawing D.N.S (do not scale). I would say in Martyn's case that it would be acceptable to use the original drawing outline (and as originally planned, the copy) to form the shape of his Uke, a millimeter here or there won't make much difference but when the copy's a mile out (in insect land 8-10mm is close to a mile )it can throw so many other things out as Martyn's found.
Anyway I guess the lesson to be learned here is "Never assume anything! Assumption is the mother of all f**kups" Just as the copy guy naturally assumed he would get it right .