I was recently commissioned to build an arch for a client who had knocked an opening in the wall between his kitchen and dining room. Not wanting to be stuck with a big, expensive form when the job was done, I made an adjustable and reusable form for bending the arch.

The form was made from 3/4-in. plywood, and was through-slotted every 4 in. with a 1/4-in. bit in my plunge router. I stopped the slots about 2 in. from each edge. I then strengthened the plywood (made flimsy from the slots) with a 1×2 wooden frame and three crossmembers attached to the bottom. I had a local metal shop make 25 angle-iron brackets, to which I attached pine blocks whose edges had been rounded over to minimize marking the work. A 1/4-in. bolt with a small washer on top and a large washer underneath holds the bracket to the formboard after it has been set at the proper location. If a bracket is needed where there’s no slot (as often happens near the ends of the curves), I just drill a 1/4-in. hole where the bracket’s needed.

Jason Tessler, D.N. Maalay Hagaziz, Israel

Fine Woodworking Magazine, February 1988 No. 68

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