Replies

1. 
   Henley | Apr 19, 2008 02:59pm | #1

   I did that not to long ago.
   Started making a template out of cardboard. You know rough it in,
   try it , pull it out cut it closer try it again...
   Next time I'd use a piece of cloth so I could lay it out flat and
   scribe it in place.

2. 
   Steinmetz | Apr 20, 2008 04:19am | #2

   duotone, "The boot of my tyre??. Is that a 'well' sunk into your trunk's bottom which holds your spare tire/tyre? Is the opening circular? Or, irregular? If it's round, A few measurements will give you the diameter . Using a trammel,describe the circle on a sheet of paper board. Cut out and try for fit. Too big?...adjust the trammel smaller and cut off more of the pattern Too big?... Go back to square one (Circle one?) New paper board and re- trammel.

   If the opening is irregular, position a smaller than needed sheet of approxametly sized material and place a weight on it to prevent shifting Cut smaller sections to fit the outer 'rim', and tape in place.
   Continue cutting and fitting and taping all the sections to create the pattern Good luck, Steinmetz

1. 
   duotone | Apr 20, 2008 02:47pm | #3

   The tyre should actually go underneath the car. Its much handier to have it in my boot though, less hassle. So at the moment the boot is flat, no well and yes the boot is an irregular shape.

1. 
   Hastings | Apr 20, 2008 03:04pm | #4

   Duo:"Its much handier to have it in my boot though…"What are you doing that necessitates such frequent handling of your spare that it is a hassle to store it in its correct position?My experience is that punctures are a rare occurrence with modern tires (tyres). I have had to change a flat once in the last 15 years. My Mazda doesn't even come with a spare.Aren't you spending effort to solve a problem that doesn't need solving?Hastings

1. 
   duotone | Apr 20, 2008 03:35pm | #5

   2 punctures in a month unfortunately. Only place we can park at work, full of nails/ screw. It's on a building site by the way.

1. 
   Hastings | Apr 20, 2008 03:53pm | #6

   yes, that will do it.My wife is COO/CFO at a yard making 80' steel boats for the well-heeled. I notice that they go over the parking lot with one of those wheeled magnets to pick up all the errant metal that would damage the tires.Hastings

3. 
   saschafer | Apr 20, 2008 11:51pm | #7

   Here's a technique that works for any irregular shape (the technique has a name, but for the life of me I can't remember what it is):

   • Build a little platform out of scrap lumber, about the same height as your tire (tyre?), on which to lay your scribing setup.
   • Cut a piece of heavy cardboard (1/8"/3mm hardboard would be even better) a little smaller than the final size, so that it easily fits in the space, and lay it on top of the platform. Nail or otherwise fix it in place so that it doesn't move.
   • Again using scrap lumber, cut a pointed stick, about a foot/30mm long.
   • Lay the stick on the sheet, with the point resting against the surface to be scribed to. Use a pencil to draw an outline of the stick on the sheet. Repeat this for several points around the scribing perimeter.
   • Remove the sheet and place it on your stock. Repeat the process with the stick, only this time you're aligning the back end of the stick with the outlines you previously drew on the sheet, and then penciling in the outline of the pointed end onto your stock.
   • Once you've done that, it's just a matter of connect-the-dots to get the final outline.

   -Steve