IF ONLY THERE WERE A DEVICE or something that could make ANY SIZE CIRCLE you wanted to draw…
I was recently making fun of some Brit + Co how-to with a friend, where the site advocated using coffee cup lids to trace circles. I suggested how disconnected with its user base that made the site seem; surely, anyone even remotely interested in crafting would own a compass. My friend looked at me like I was from Mars.
These are clearly the knuckle dusters of Cthulhu
Specifically designed for countless uses
You just blew my mind.
These are lovely.
A compass is great for some, but not all circle-scribing uses. Templates like these definitely have their place.
Tim’s tools aren’t just for drawing circles. They’re templates/guides for actually cutting circles using blades or hot knives (e.g. http://www.hsgmusa.com) and for nesting circles at specific concentric radii allowing for things like seam allowances when sewing without having to constantly fiddle with the radius of the compass. In addition, they’re usable in situations in which you can’t poke through the center of the circle as with a traditional compass, as you don’t want to damage the integrity of the material.
When I need to draw a large circle, I don’t even both with a compass; I use a piece of string a couple of pencils. But when I’m working with synthetic fabrics and need to make specific types of holes, I turn to one of Tim’s tools. Because, yes, I’m a happy customer.
Tim’s tools aren’t for everyone. They’re for people with specific needs. But they fill those needs perfectly. So instead of the snarky comments as if we don’t know what tools are out there, why not take it from us that these are useful.
BUT if you have a compass you can quick-and-easily create a template in this style for any sized circle, not just one of those pre-chosen sizes. Draw, cut, use.
A beam compass is also useful, though it’s not practical for smaller circles.
I don’t use a compass either.
I tie two dimetrodons together with a length of torosaurus leather, and then, calculating our 23-hour Cretaceous day cycle…
Two compasses, one beam, and one bow. A divider is also useful.
Now, if I could only find a store that stocked compass leads. I really don’t want to have to learn how to use the ink attachments.
Hey all. Don’t worry we also own compasses. Or, you can use a needle and a string with a loop in it… or a wire with two bends. WindFire Circle Tools are specifically for a long-standing purpose/problem we’ve run into as serious makers in our own studio. If you are writing about things like “why on earth would you need a tool like this?”, then it’s probable you’re not really in need of tools that help you make things in this way, or make at all. But others are, and do. Thank you for the useful suggestions as always… To those who understand, thank you so much for all the support! We are feeling it here.
I know i know that internet trolls are all around us, but srsly, you really think anyone would go to all this trouble in the 21st century to make something so needed in so many craft shops around the world because they didn’t know about compass?
I have the original circle tool(actually two of them)and use it almost daily. Yup. Love it for so many many reasons.
I build kites, do woodwork, and make stuff. Circles are always a pain, but additional tools help.
BTW AnonKopiceti, what do you make?
You’re right,
Sometimes flexibility is needed. Compass.
Sometimes constraints are welcomed. Circle tool.
I happen to find myself drawing arcs of arbitrary sizes more often than circles of predetermined sizes, so that determines what tools I use.
Hi Stephen,
Don’t worry, we own a compass, a few good ones of different sizes that were made in Germany even. They don’t work for many things. Actually for functions normally associated with compasses, we use a simpler solution that works even better. At any rate, thanks for reminding everyone about a compass. You also might want to point out that there are also many circle templates out there sold by drafting companies. And, there are metal triangles with a few circles cut in them too. The also do not perform the way these tools do. Enjoy your day, and start making!
Just curious, what will you be making those quick templates from?
The thing is, now we know where to go when we specifically want “beautiful” circles. Or at least those of curated dimension.
I myself can see the utility of these tools, and with the sturdy stainless construction, they should indeed last several lifetimes. If I did the kind of work they’d facilitate, I’d buy 'em since the price looks reasonable to me.
But the copy language does seem to invite a bit of teasing:
Graceful progressions of sizes in curated sets of circles find a balance of scale between the maker, the studio, and the work.
I tend to snicker at nearly every use of the word “curate” outside of actual museum contexts, but that’s largely because I was raised in a doublewide and I haven’t gotten out much since the demise of the train races at Cajon Speedway. Most people hereabouts are classier than I.
Just wait 'till the Pentagon hears about this!
If you’re making kites with a circle motif, it makes sense to have templates for a circle, the circle with seam allowances, etc etc, so you can e.g. cut a circle out of green fabric, and sew it into a base of red fabric, which generally requires a template for circle of radius r, and for a circle of radius r+s where s is whatever the standard seam allowance used in kite making is.
