How to Make a Perfect Pattern for ANY Cone or Frustum - Great for Fabricating Frenched Headlights

A quick how-to showing my favorite way to make a cone from 3 measurements. All you need to know is the small diameter, the large diameter and the height.
Check more of my projects at: beckspeed.com/

[@richieboy4754]

The best fastest and simplest way of all the 10,000 vids I been wasting my time on. Thank u brutha

[@AdamBeckSpeed]

Glad it worked for you!

[@kmac4124]

Ditto !!!

[@richardberryhill718]

Absolutely fantastic! For most everything I will ever do, this is sooooo simple it’s pure genius. The other explanations took me back to my Trig classes in 1958, where I really did not want to go. Seems the only calculation needed beyond this is to calculate the circumference for the large end, and add your choice of overlap. For example, if the large diameter was 4 inches, then 4 x pi gives the circumference, and if an overlap of 1/4” is needed for solder, glue, add that to the end of the pattern and draw a line parallel to the cone end.

[@AdamBeckSpeed]

Material thickness is always my issue with this calculation. If I'm making it out of .063" aluminum that throws the calculation way off, especially considering the material is at an angle. This is why I like to cut it long and trim to fit. Thanks!

[@eCoach7]

Thank you! This method is great for sewing, no need to factor in seam allowance.

[@user-pb5pi9ny3k]

You have saved me I cannot math for anything

[@curtsmith9291]

Found your info for making cones. I made crawfish traps for the first time. Worked great for me. Thank you!!!

[@AdamBeckSpeed]

Awesome I’d love to see that!

[@ArtOfDavidAmos]

You need to include the calculation for chord length..

[@dennismartin8390]

i SEEN ALOT OF DIFFERENT CONE LAYOUTS YOURS EXPLAINS IT THE BEST

[@wendyzilli9735]

Excellent way to simplify making a cone shape! Too bad I didn’t see your video before watching videos that were so complicated I was pulling my hair out. Ugh!! Thanks so much!!

[@AdamBeckSpeed]

I know your pain! Thats why I made the video.

[@philhewett1601]

Thank an' a hat tip! Great video and just what I needed to simplify this process.

[@AdamBeckSpeed]

Glad to help! I know when I learned this I was like "where has this been my whole life?!" Good luck!

[@lornefenna9824]

Brilliant, I need to make a fabric filter to fit inside a funnel, so easy now. Thank you

[@AdamBeckSpeed]

awesome! glad it was helpful

[@SpuneDagr]

Bummed that you skipped over the hard part. How do you figure out the final cut?

[@adrianking8911]

Did this and it worked well !

[@AdamBeckSpeed]

Science!

[@sandyduell2396]

Thanks. I always wanted to know how to do it more efficantly.

[@ellesiem6131]

HI Adam, thanks for the great video demonstration. I agree with Marcus, if possible could you please post up the rest of the calculations for the complete template. I work with metal, as a jeweller I will need to bend and shape the metal into the cone, so need the complete shape to begin with. That would be awesome. Thanks.

[@AdamBeckSpeed]

I don’t have other calculations- I just extend the circle with the compass so it’s long and trim as needed. This is the complete shape, you just need to roll into the cone.

[@m.e.7771]

​@@AdamBeckSpeedI think he meant the calculations you mention in the video for cutting the shape with no overlap. You said you weren't going to bother with them, but he was saying it would be great if you could share them in case anyone else wanted to bother with them, like I do. 😊 Great video, though. Very helpful, thank you! I AM going to try to find a source for those other calculations you mentioned, though.

[@davemeyers9425]

130mm X 3.1416 = 408.4mm circumstance. You may need to add run-in and run-out for slip rollers.

[@bobprice9244]

i make yard birds from shovels. started a Santa bird and needed a patern like this for the hat. i don't have a slip roller but im good w forming metal. thanks

[@seanchase171]

Very cool.

[@Fedeleness]

Genius, well done, thanks for sharing.

[@amyponce1103]

Thank you! I will be using this in my pottery studio!

[@Alexander-rq9he]

What if you don’t want the angle so extreme? Would you make the inner circle larger?

[@AdamBeckSpeed]

I’m not sure what you mean by extreme, but yes changing the size of either the inner or outer circle changes the angle of the cone. Looking at my cross section if I want the cone flatter, I’d make the inner circle smaller, or the other one larger.

[@marcusbosson3275]

man could have done with last cut line...wanna make a polar pattern...

[@damonmanni]

Great video Adam! I have a bit more complex shape: I need to make a cone shaped like a Volcano: wide bottom, tapers inward to narrow top. Think of the police megaphone but standing upward. Taper has me. Stumped Could you help me solve this?

[@AdamBeckSpeed]

Are the sides straight or are they concave? Thats the profile from top to bottom. If they’re straight, you would do just like I showed. If concave it becomes a compound curve and you can’t really use this method. How big would it need to be?

[@damonmanni]

@@AdamBeckSpeed thank you for replying and great questions. I look at it as a closed cylinder type shape. Dimms: 10”ht 6”dia at bottom 3”dia at the top - The concave curve starts immediately from the bott then curves slightly in & up for a climb of 3”+- - At that transition point the dia is ~3-3.25” as it smooths out. -Then the remaining 7” is just a 3”dia cylinder to the top. - Goal is to have a nice, concave curve with smooth transitioning from that 1st 3” into that 7” of straight line upward.. - I am making a pottery vase out clay. - Initially I throw this shaped pot on the wheel. This shape is perfect for this hand technique. But too much for production run of 50 An easier way is to make a template from a pressed slab of clay & trace it,cut it out, fold over to get shape needed. But since this shape is not as simple as a cone I have a puzzle. So I cut open the thrown one, unfolded it flat then traced it onto the slab. - But it doesn’t translate well when folding it over to begin shaping. Hard to explain, . I don’t know how to represent that junction point from curve to linear onto paper. I know I can borrow some of the steps in you’re vid but stumble on this shape. Thinking as I write: should I break this into 2 separate shapes? - A 7”l x 3”dia cylinder - A cone’ish shape at” 6”dia to 3”dia cone then attaché the two? - This is doable even with high qty but Still requires a lot of ‘blending to make that curve which costs me time. 0pay now/pay later 😀 Well any insight is appreciated Adam Sorry for long txt here

[@AdamBeckSpeed]

Apologies Aamber I know almost nothing about clay pottery. It. Seems like you could use this pattern as part of the process. The tough part is gonna be the curve. Could you make a straight buck to shape the clay over and then add the curved part on the wheel?

[@damonmanni]

@@AdamBeckSpeed No worries and I agree with you. I think I will break down the shape into 3 smaller, manageable parts, then attach together. Thanks again

[@garygerard4290]

cool, 'thanks

[@aly7379]

can you compute the exact circumference

[@AdamBeckSpeed]

yes but it's a little tricky - and when it's this small it's easier to just make it long and trim.

[@mayankagrawal1594]

Thank you so much.

[@kuroihana9360]

What is the measurement for the cut line?

[@AdamBeckSpeed]

I dont remember that one. Honestly, I never use it because things like material thickness and the width of the pen / marker you use can throw it off. I like to cut it long and trim to fit.

[@kuroihana9360]

@@AdamBeckSpeed thanks for answering! This video was super helpful for what I was trying to do!

[@vijayendranathkabadi4909]

Process looks simple but wastage of material is a serious concern.

[@AdamBeckSpeed]

agree. you could always draw the pattern and piece it together to increase yield. It's hard to have both accuracy and efficiency for this.

[@wayneaho5098]

wish it was in inches

[@AdamBeckSpeed]

It works exactly the same, it's just easier to do quick math with metric. dimensions would be like: 1 3/16" at the top, 5 1/8" at the bottom and 3.5" tall.

[@h7opolo]

millimeter is in lowercase letters. where did you learn English? in Ohio? oy vey.