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It can be challenging to mark a line on a board or measure a corner when you work with tile or wood. There are chances of it not being the perfect cut and it can ruin the look of your new flooring. A contour gauge can be used to cut perfect corners. A contour gauge is made up of a long line pins that moves when they are pushed against an object. They adapt to the object’s shape. Many applications can be made of contour gauges, such as modeling aircraft and ships, and copying complicated cross-sections of shapes used for woodwork, tile, carpet laying, and many other tasks. A contour gauge is an invaluable tool for anyone who works with metal or is just a hobbyist.
It can be difficult to find the right contour gauge. We’ve sifted through many contour gauges in order to select the best. These are the top contour gauges available in 2022 and can be the best solution for your needs.
The Ultimate Buying Guide For Contour Gauges
What Are Contour Gauges?
A contour gauge is a profiling tool used to duplicate and record shapes of surfaces. They consist of multiple metals or plastic pins aligned together in a row. This tool can be used to transfer an object’s shape onto other materials, such as paper, wood or tiles. The contour gauge allows you to create complex shapes that are difficult to measure with standard measuring tools like a ruler or measuring tape.
Since the 1900s, contour gauges have been in use and became very popular in the 1980s. They are versatile engineering and construction tools with multiple uses. We have created a buying guide to help people find the best contour gauge for their projects. This guide will cover the applications and various important factors to consider when choosing the best contour gauge.
Contour Gauges – Applications
Contour gauges have a wide variety of applications in many fields of work. Contour gauges can be very useful if you are dealing with flooring, pipe fitting, model duplication, cross-sectioning, metal works, and auto vehicle repair. The main advantage of this duplication tool is its ease of use which allows even a beginner to map out shapes.
Contour Gauges: Benefits
Contour gauges can be used to measure the contour of an object. Contour gauges are more precise than the typical measuring tools such as rulers. Rather than having to sit down and take multiple readings with a ruler, or calculate each angle using trigonometry, you can copy the shape onto paper without any effort using a contour gauge. This can save you a lot of time.
Easy to use contour gauges are also available. Just place them against your desired object and push till needed. They will adapt to the shape of your object by sliding in. You can now lock the pins in place and duplicate the shape on your material.
In the long run, contour gauges are also cost-effective. They prove to make DIY projects simple so you no longer have to hire a professional for repair.
Factors To Consider
Size and width
Contour gauges come in several sizes. The longer 25 cm gauge can duplicate a longer contour and is enough to cover all typical edges, corners, door frames, and other objects. There are also smaller 13 cm or 15 cm gauges available that can squeeze into tight spaces.
Pin depth
The pin depth is an important factor that will affect your scope of work. Pin depth lies between 2 to 9 cm. 5 cm is perfect for small diameter pipes and flat surfaces. You can profile most trims or moldings with 6 cm. Meanwhile, 9 cm is adequate for nearly all objects.
Pin number or resolution
Any tool needs to be precise. A device’s resolution is a measure of its precision. A contour gauge has a resolution in terms of the number of pins per inch. A higher resolution on a contour gauge means that it can replicate a much closer copy of the original shape. Low-resolution contour gauges can be used when precision is not required.
Pin material
Pin material is a crucial factor when deciding which contour gauge to buy. The two materials pins come in are metal and plastic. Metal has a lot of advantages over plastic such as being much stronger and more durable. Also, metal contour gauges have a higher resolution than plastic ones. The metal pins can scratch furniture easily if they are pushed hard enough. High-quality plastic contour gauges have a metal core that holds the pins in place, which increases their durability.
Joinable parts
Multiple units can be attached to contour gauges. If you’re profiling large areas, using one gauge can prove tedious and lead to mistakes. This problem can be solved by stackable or joinable contour gags.
Lock
A locking mechanism is crucial to have on a contour gauge. While there are contour gauges available that are tight enough to stay in place, they may get loose over time. You can transfer the profile you have created onto another material by using a locking mechanism. A lever or clamp is placed on the side of contour gauges to lock the pins in place so that you can do your work without misaligning the pins.
Adjustability
High-quality contour gauges use screws and Allen keys to adjust the tightness of the pins. This is a huge factor to consider because over time. Pins can become tighter or looser over time, which can lead to imprecise measurements as well as difficulty when using the pins.
Here Is The Best Contour Gauge Of 2022
VARSK offers the best overall contour gauge selection. It has one of the highest precisions on the market and is great for use on pipes where careful profiling is required. Its use is not limited to pipes. Each pin is 0.013 cm wide giving a high resolution of 20 pins per inch providing each detail to be marked smoothly. To ensure the perfect fit, each pin measures 6 cm deep. One great feature of this contour gauge is the metal lock. The core is made of heavy-duty metal which allows pins to stay in place during work. VARSK contour gauge can be used to measure moldings for reproduction, pipe fittings, flooring, copying curves and other profiling tasks.
Pros
- The core is made of heavy-duty metal and allows for precise duplication
- Unique tightness adjustment system
- 20 pins/inch is the highest resolution
Cons
- Allen key can be misplaced
