Patterns for Success, Part I

June 4, 2004

   As early as the time of the ancient Egyptian master builders, very simple patterns would be employed to make the various components that would eventually gather to become the Great Pyramids. The original Fabricator’s Masterpiece that has stood the test of time started with a simple pattern.
   I suppose there’s something in all of us modern fabricators that makes us believe that, like those ancient stone fabricators along the Nile River, our work will last longer than our own days here on Earth. With any luck, we’ll leave multiple marks on this planet so that a person of the 22nd century will say something like, “Those guys really knew what they were doing!”
   In order for our own works to last, it’s imperative that we start the fabrication process with a reliable method of templating the job. What’s just as important is that we perfect a safe way of getting templates back to the shop from the jobsite.
   It never ceases to amaze me as to all of the different techniques utilized to get the same simple task accomplished – make a pattern of an object, return that pattern to the shop, make the object to the specs of the pattern, and (amazingly) make the object fit without breakage or modification of the piece. Sounds pretty straightforward, but there are many potholes along the road to success.
   I’ve always believed that if I’m going to make a template or a pattern of a particular piece – let’s say, for argument’s sake, it’s a simple rectangular powder-room lavatory top with splash on three sides – the final product should fit into or onto the application with no modification whatsoever on the jobsite. The piece should fit like a glove with NO trimming or adjustment to the piece; it should drop right into place.
   I hold this opinion dear because I really hate to do things twice – especially when it comes to fabricating stone. There’s just something very humiliating to me if I have to start over because I (or my templater) had a severe case of Cranial-Rectal Intusion, because nobody could see the right measurements for … never mind.
   I guess the one template-one piece concept makes sense not only to me, but also to a lot of other fabricators – both for effort, and the more obvious economical reasons. It’s also my opinion that it’s not only how well you template, but it’s also how aggressively you support your templating process that determines whether the project that you are working on will come in at or under budget (and make you more money than you originally planned).
   I’m sure that you’re asking, “What do you mean by ‘Supporting the Templating Process?’” It’s a concept that greatly helps eliminate errors and reduces the time investment of fabrication and installation personnel put into every job.
   As a consultant in the stone industry, I have the privilege to meet many fabricators from all across the country with varying degrees of experience in turning out a piece of finished product. I can tell you that everybody has their own technique for producing an accurate template.
   I’ve also had the opportunity to evaluate some of the newer electronic means of templating. Although these new systems are going to increase our collective ability to produce more countertop templates in a day’s time, these new systems will also be limited to those fabricators who can make the handsome investment required to appreciate the benefits of these newer means of templating.
   I think that the systems like E-Template, Pro-Liner and BVH Gregg’s new Stealth Templating Machine, among others, will offer the stone-fabrication community an abundance of new technology that, to hi-tech-friendly folks like me, is just plain irresistible. As soon as I can decide which one is best for my needs, I’ll be writing a check.
   In the meantime, I’m stuck with the good ol’ low-tech method of templating that has been employed for generations. I’m sure I’m not the only person out there in this predicament.
   So let’s presume that you’re just getting started as a fabricator, and you plan to buy one of the new electronic templating systems like me (just as soon as you have the funds to invest), but right now you’re looking for a reliable and accurate method to template a job, and get the templates back to the shop.
   The actual task of making the template is not rocket science. There are many materials that will work in making an accurate template. Some of the more popular methods include butchers paper, cardboard, wax-coated cardboard and corrugated plastic (it looks like cardboard, but is made of a polyethylene plastic.
   Some fabricators use foamed polystyrene (what most people call Styrofoam®) board or hardboard (usually Masonite®); others use luan plywood. The method that I prefer is using 1/8” luan, cut down into 3”-wide strips. Using the luan-strip method affords me the ability to carry my supplies in a compact area that doesn’t take up a lot of room in the bed of my pickup truck (or in the back of an enclosed van or trailer).
   Once I get to the jobsite, I carry in the required number of strips and assemble the templates using 3/8” staples and my trusty hot-glue gun. Once I’ve completed making the actual templates, I tape all of the individual templates that make up the kitchen, wet bar, master & secondary baths, etc, into a pack and transport them all, along with all of the other projects I’ve templated that day, back to the shop.
   I’ve found that if the templates are taped together to form a pack or bundle, I have a lower chance of all of those beautiful works of art blowing out of my truck and getting smashed to smithereens by the cars traveling behind me on the freeway.
   This covers the actual templating operation. Next month, I’ll talk about what I mean by “Supporting” the Template Process” and how fine-tuning your procedure will help you cut down the number of mistakes and do-overs that may be giving you headaches now.
   Until next month – Happy Fabricating!
   Kevin M. Padden operates KMPadden Consulting in Phoenix.