Technical Design Solutions for Theatre

A Measured Approach to Kerfing

Daniel J. Culhane

 

The typical trial-and-error approach to kerfing materials that are to be bent into arcs often produces less than desirable results, whether the objective is to presenre the maximum amount of material or to form an arc as quickly as possible. The following method, which I learned from master craftsmen at the Children’s Theatre Company, can help the builder reach both objectives more directly. First, determine the outside radius of the required arc. Measure and mark the length of that outside radius along one end of a scrap piece of the stock to be used. Kerf the stock at the center of this mark. Place the stock on a flat surface and raise the measured end until the saw kerf closes, as in ...