6 tips for scribing with bevelled edges
The bevel is often only used for removing and transferring angles. However, it can do much more and is a helpful and very versatile marking tool in everyday workshop use. For a better understanding, we have illustrated each tip with one or more graphics. In our video, DICTUM® course instructor Heiko Pulcher demonstrates all the tips in practice.
Parts of the bevelled bevel
The bevelled bevel is a very simple tool. It essentially consists of only 3 parts. In the past, many woodworkers therefore made this marking tool themselves.
Note: The tongue moves in the head of the goat, the human and the bevel."
In the simplest case, the locking mechanism is a screw with a counter bearing or nut. In more modern designs, there are also clamping levers with sometimes tricky mechanisms. It is important that the tongue can be locked firmly without changing the angle setting. With cheap clamps, the clamping is often not tight enough so that the angle is unintentionally adjusted at the slightest touch.
Advantages
Marking out with a bevelled rule is usually faster and much more accurate than measuring with a scale or ruler. Errors are easy to make when measuring. When marking out with a bevelled rule, dimensions are transferred directly and angles are determined. Errors hardly ever occur, and if they do, they are usually errors of judgement.
1. removing and transferring angles
Removing and transferring angles is the standard application for the beveller. The bevel is used whenever an angle is removed from one workpiece in order to transfer it to another. Important: The longer the tongue is in contact, the more accurately the angle is transferred.
This also applies to small angles or short distances. For example, if you want to check the angle of a cutting edge and set it on the grinding guide, use the longest possible distance or the length of the tongue to measure the angle on the set square.
2. tine angle/tine pitch
There are several "special tools" for marking dovetails. These are usually set to a specific pitch. The usual pitch ratios are 1:6 for dovetails in softwood and 1:7 for hardwood. Such tine angles have the advantage that the pitch is always the same, so there is no need to adjust anything. If you do not have such a tine angle or want to mark a different pitch, for example for very narrow and steep tines with 1:8 (so-called "English tines"), you can do this with a bevel. This is also theclassic method taught in carpentry or joinery training.
To do this, draw a vertical line and divide it into x units according to the desired ratio. Again, use as long a distance as possible, i.e. not just one, but two or three centimetres per unit. Then mark one unit to the side and you can set the bevel to the desired slope ratio.
3. divide sections
You can also divide lines into any number of parts in a similar way. To do this, you can use the principle of parallel displacement. Draw a straight line. This does not necessarily have to be at right angles to the edge you want to divide. The straight line only needs to intersect with the line to be divided at one end point. Now divide the straight line into the desired number (e.g. using a compass). Then place the bevel at the end of the line and align the tongue with the last point on the line. Now move the bevel step by step to the point of intersection with the straight line and transfer the partial sections to the track. You can use the parallel shift, for example, to mark the tine division or to distribute dowels evenly.
4. halve sections
Cutting a route in half is even quicker and easier. To do this, you only need two end points of a section. Set the bevelled rule to a relatively flat angle, e.g. 45°. Now draw a line starting from each end point. The centre of the line is where the lines intersect. You can now transfer this to the edge using the angle.
5. halving angles
You can also use the bevelled edge to halve angles. For example, if you need to mitre-cut skirting boards in a non-right-angled room corner, you can use the following technique to determine the mitre angle graphically.
First measure the angle in the corner of the room. Then draw two parallel lines at a defined distance (A) using the bevelled rule. Now draw a parallel line to the previously used edge at the same distance. This creates a parallelogram.
Important: all sides of the parallelogram have the same edge length! Now connect the corner with the intersection of the lines opposite and you have the mitre angle you are looking for.
6. largest possible hexagon
Let's assume you want to build a hexagonal tabletop from an existing board and optimise the size of the board. First mark the two centre lines on the top and set the bevel to an angle of 60°.
Now place the bevel on the long side of the table top so that the tongue intersects the centre of the axes. Starting from the centre point, mark the points on the edge to the right and left of the vertical axis. Do the same on the opposite edge. You have now determined the length of the edges of the hexagon on the long sides of the panel. To mark the edges that are still missing, place the bevelled edge at the previously determined points and draw a line to the longitudinal axis in each case. If you have worked accurately, the lines will intersect exactly on the longitudinal axis.
