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Author Topic: Help in Understanding Scales  (Read 3847 times)

walktheplank

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Help in Understanding Scales
« on: December 17, 2008, 09:43:14 pm »

I have tired to look this one up on the site but unable to find anything.
So I will own up now, I seam unable to get the hang of some scales.
Most of us now buy and use things in metric, so is it best to use metric and is it easier it put feet into millimetres, as the old plans are in feet. 
I think I have this bit right --
1/12 scale is 1 inch / 25 mm = 1 foot       
1/16 scale is  ¾ inch / 19mm = 1 foot
1/24 scale is  ½ inch / 13 mm =  1 foot   
1/32 scale is  ¼ inch  / 6 mm = 1 foot
1/64 scale is 1/8 inch / 2mm = 1 foot
Now this I where thing go fussy for me, perhaps I should have spent more time at school and less time working on a farms.  ok2
So would 5mm roughly = 1/35  and 16mm = 1/20
Why do they use scale 1/33 rather than say 1/32. When it comes to 1/45 and 1/50 scale  etc, how do work out a size? Say of a car, or a figure, so it looks right on a boat. I do hope this makes some sense and you can see what ime trying to get at. 
I was wondering if someone could help and has a full list. or knows of a web site with the information please.  Thanks Sonic.                     
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dougal99

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Re: Help in Understanding Scales
« Reply #1 on: December 17, 2008, 10:08:00 pm »

Sonic

I'm afarid your more than a little mixed up  :-)

You're correct up to 1/24 however,

1/4" to the foot is  1/48 (1:48) 48 1/4 inches in a foot
1/8" to the foot is 1/96. 1/8" is approximately 3mm

1/32 is 3/8" to the foot
1/64 is 3/16" to the foot

Basically divide 12 by the scale you want to get the scale feet to the inch. eg 72 divided by 12 is 6 or 6ft to the inch

HTH

Doug
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amdaylight

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Re: Help in Understanding Scales
« Reply #2 on: December 18, 2008, 12:08:32 am »

Sonic,

As a draftsman I will impart some wisdom my first drafting teacher gave us on the first day of class, He stood up in front of the class with a meter stick in one hand and a yard stick in the other and said "This is a yard stick and this is a meter stick NEVER THE TWO SHALL MEET". What he meant was that if you were working in inches, feet and yards use the proper scale for them and I your were working in meters use the proper scales for them. He made us buy both a architectural and engineering scales in inches and a set of similar scales in meters, I know if you have a good meter ruler you don't need a scale but it sure helps when you are designing a house and you need a 40 meter measurement to have a scale that covers that. So after all of this what I would do is get a set of modeler scales that have the scales that you need and don't worry about converting a 1"=1' (1/12th scale) into meters. I also model in F Scale 1:20.3 (large scale trains) that also works out to 15mm = 1' but I have several very nice scale rulers for this weird combination and just use the scale ruler and don't worry about the inches, millimeters or yards as the scale ruler takes care of this for me. I developed this attitude from modeling in HO scale which is 3mm = 1' which has several nice scale rulers also.

Andre
over yonder in Portland Oregon
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tigertiger

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Re: Help in Understanding Scales
« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2008, 01:10:09 am »

There are also a wide range of scale rulers in the Squires catalogue.

You pick your scale and measure directly.

So in effect, on 12" long ruller would have marking for up to 72 feet, another side marking of up to 48 feet.
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kiwi

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Re: Help in Understanding Scales
« Reply #4 on: December 18, 2008, 05:46:30 am »

Hi,
The advise Andre gave is the way to go. (I'm another draughtsman from way down under).
But, have attached a couple of pics which may help you Sonic.
kiwi
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tigertiger

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Re: Help in Understanding Scales
« Reply #5 on: December 18, 2008, 06:30:14 am »

Hi Kiwi

Will this print off at 1:1   {-)

I will print this off later BTW.
Thanks.
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dreadnought72

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Re: Help in Understanding Scales
« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2008, 11:25:08 am »

"This is a yard stick and this is a meter stick NEVER THE TWO SHALL MEET".

Andre - I have to take issue with this.

(A surprising) fifty years ago the yard was defined in terms of the metre. It's 914.4 mm; making a foot 304.8 mm and an inch 25.4mm.

You can therefore convert between the two systems as much as you want.

When drawing up my Dreadnought plans (which were originally made in Imperial measurements) to 1/72nd scale (an Imperial scale) I used feet and inches - a three-foot frame space was a handy half-inch. But when adding, for example, waterlines to my plans, I used mm rulers - since it's easier for me to work with decimal numbers when scaling "odd figures".

As long as you're careful, and check the results, I don't think it's difficult to switch between systems.

Andy #1963#
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tigertiger

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Re: Help in Understanding Scales
« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2008, 01:01:53 pm »

The old story of why you cannot buy two metre lengths of doweling, mouldings, etc in 2m lenghts.
It is 1.8m coz they work to the nearest foot.
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dougal99

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Re: Help in Understanding Scales
« Reply #8 on: December 18, 2008, 05:09:22 pm »

Having re-read my reply I think I may have confused you more. So I will try to explain more clearly. First:

Your Calculations are partly right the correct figures are:

1/12 scale is 1 inch / 25 mm = 1 foot       
1/16 scale is  ¾ inch / 19mm = 1 foot
1/24 scale is  ½ inch / 13 mm =  1 foot   
1/32 scale is  3/8 inch  / 9.6 mm = 1 foot   
1/48 scale is 1/4 inch / 6.4 mm = 1 foot
1/64 scale is 3/16 inch / 4.8 mm = 1 foot
1/72 scale is 1/6 inch / 4.2 mm = 1 foot
1/76 scale is 4/25 inch / 4 mm = 1 foot (00 model railway scale)
1/96 scale is 1/8 inch / 3.2 mm = 1 foot
1/128 scale is 3/32 inch / 2.4 mm = 1 foot
1/144 scale is 1/12 inch / 2.1 mm = 1 foot

Note that the millimetre equivalents are rounded to the nearest tenth of a millimetre and should not be used to convert more than 10 to 12 inches. I tried to attach a spread sheet which would help you convert inches to millimetres and vice versa and also give you the factor to use to convert from one scale to another but the system wont let me. If you want it PM me your email and I'll send it.

As to picking a scale, 1:33 versus 1:32 say, a lot depends on the size of the prototype and the size of model required. If you want a large model of a tug which is 66 metres long then 1:33 would give a 2000 millimetre model whereas 1:32 would give a model of 2062 millimetres (about 2 and a half inches longer). Whilst this may not seem much it could affect the ability to draw up a plan if your paper size is restricted, such as a free plan in a magazine.

Picking figures or vehicles for a particular scale is often a case of if it looks right, it is right ! Scales such as 1:48 and 1:45 are probably indistinguishable from each other for figures and small vehicles. Large cranes etc might be different. I always imagine a person as being 5’ 6” or 6ft and work that out at the required scale and go from there.


I hope this is clear and gives you a little better understanding of scales.

Doug
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kiwi

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Re: Help in Understanding Scales
« Reply #9 on: December 18, 2008, 06:52:39 pm »

Hi Tigertiger,
Oops, try this one, and scale it 120%.
This works for me on my 6500i Canon printer.
attached the wrong file - was half asleep at the time - hard day at the office. Well that's my excuse anyway.
And everyone, if working from imperial, stick to imperial scales, and the same for metric. That way 'Murphy' has less chance of creeping in, and believe me, 'Murphy' takes every opportunity he can.
I have recently been doing drawings for a 1864 paddle boat, the iron hull of which still exists, and have measured it up in imperial measure (feet and inches), as this was the units it was built in. I started out measuring in metric, and the frame modules, and rivet spacing, member sizes, just didn't present themselves. Changing to imperial, all the sizes and modules just leaped out at me, and made everything clear. Lesson learnt, that when drawing up from original drawings or measuring from existing hulls etc, stick with whatever measurement system the original was built in. And I do this for a living and should have known better.
Hope this helps a bit
cheers
kiwi
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tigertiger

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Re: Help in Understanding Scales
« Reply #10 on: December 19, 2008, 01:06:10 am »

Thanks Kiwi

This will be a big help with making bits to go on the boat. Hand tools, buckets, etc.
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kiwi

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Re: Help in Understanding Scales
« Reply #11 on: December 19, 2008, 05:42:08 am »

Hi Tigertiger,
only to happy to help
cheers
kiwi
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barryfoote

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Re: Help in Understanding Scales
« Reply #12 on: December 19, 2008, 08:41:50 am »

KIWI,

A very useful reference. Thanks for posting it.

Barry
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walktheplank

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Re: Help in Understanding Scales
« Reply #13 on: December 19, 2008, 01:15:39 pm »

A REALY BIG THANK YOU, TO  ALL for the help,  :-))

BUT it looks like ime not the only one here that has a few problems with scales   %%
Thanks again Sonic.
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tigertiger

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Re: Help in Understanding Scales
« Reply #14 on: December 20, 2008, 12:10:31 am »

I still have problems with scale.

Remember the old addage, 'Measure twice, cut once'.

With me and scale it is measure twice, calculate three times, transfer the measure. :-))
Go back to the begining and check it all again, then work out why it is different.  :embarrassed:
Make a decission, cut, continue construction. :D
Find out later I was wrong, go to visit Mr. Bin. Start process again and remember what it was I thought I did last time and change it. :embarrassed:
Cut fit and pray.  {-)

Perhaps I need to buy some scale rulers.


Does anybody here use them?
Are they useful?

I feel a new thread coming on...
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