Tilting a Region and rounding corners

[Bob K]

On a 2.5" X 36" board, I want to rout 18 equally spaced regions 2" high X 3/4" wide rectangles .25" deep. My problem(s) include:
- How can I tilt the rectangles approx 5 degrees?
- How can I round the corners?
- After creating one as I want it, how can I duplicate the other 17 maintaining the exact spacing between them and also the same distance from both edges?
I'd also like to cut them out but that'd most likely be much quicker on the table saw.
Thanks in advance.
Bob Kline

[John]

Something like this?


Couldn't get the copy offset to do a "batch." Arcs seem to confuse it. Also have noticed this when trying to group and resize a figure drawn with the geometry tools. It will resize splines okay, but not arcs.

[Bob K]

John, Thanks for your help. Yep, you nailed it. How did you tilt the rectangles. Also, I tried to open your mpc file but it didn't work -- probably a PC/Mac conflict.
Bob

[Aaron B]

Tilting rectangle: If its a line segment you can type the angle in the box in the toolbar. If you drew it with the rectangle tool, highlight the rectangle then place your mouse over one of the vertical white lines then right click, then go to "form", then "set angle" and type in your angle. If you select the left line you type in 85, then for the right type in 95 and that will get your 5 degree tilted box. Might be an easier way but thats what I have found so far.

[John]

After trying this a couple of different ways I ended up drawing it on a .125 grid. Left each of the sides .125 short on each end and moving the top of each side over .125 (This was roughly 85 degrees) Then centered the top and bottom between the sides again leaving them .125 short. Then added arcs to each corner setting the radius to .125. (Drawing a box, adding arcs to the corners, then trimming, works until you change the angles of the sides. the arcs then do strange things ) Then it was simply a matter of copy and paste and set the offset 2 additional inches each time.



If you wanted it exactly 85 degrees, it could be done, but would require a little more work. You could do the sides and the bottom on the grid and set the sides to exactly 85 degrees, but then you would need to find the center points of the arcs and the endpoints of the top with additional geometry.

[John]

Sometimes I miss the obvious so easily. In the above example to make the sides exactly 85 degrees, draw the sides and bottom as above with the arcs in the bottom corners, setting the sides to 85 degrees. Then select everything and drag it over so the top ends snap to the grid and then draw the top side and the two top arcs. It looks llike this.

[Bob K]

John,
Thanks for ur input. You have definitely gone above and beyond the line of duty on this problem of mine.
Bob Kline