Do not waste time responding to Boo-Berries on KZfaq. They want to demonstrate why they feel a compass is the 'cats' pajamas', let them make their own video to prove it. Your Ticking Stick was BRILLIANT, and accomplished EXACTLY what you needed it to. You PROVED it.

You shouldn't turn the compass. That changes the radius of the curves by the distance between the compass points. The imaginary line between the two points of the compass should never rotate. Simple method to avoid having to approximate a shape is to use a larger compass so it can span that gap. Alternatively, you could tie a pencil to a pointy stick that's long enough to bridge the gap. Pencil tip goes on the edge of your material to cut, stick point touches the point that will eventually be against where the pencil tip is. Now just follow the contour with your stick and never let the stick rotate; keep it parallel to its original orientation. This method is used all the time by various tradesmen to scribe flooring, trim, paneling, etc to fit irregular shapes. It's far faster and simpler than the ticking stick when there is room to fit your piece up against the contour it needs to fit. The ticking stick is good for places were the piece can never fit until it is cut.

If you are lucky enough to be gifted an artistic ability to be able to 'See' where the compass needs to go, and can do that. All good. For the rest of us mere mortals, the ticking stick is the winner on the day 👍 Cheers Pete' Hokitika.

A simple way to demonstrate that you should not keep the compass points at 90 degrees from the shape that you are trying to copy is to try to copy a circle. If you keep the compass points at 90 degrees, then you will end up with a smaller circle. If you keep the compass points oriented in the same direction (any direction will do, e.g. North) then you will get a copy of the circle.

And the winner is....

The scriber/compas isn’t working because you must keep the line from the pencil tip and pivot point exactly parallel to the direction of movement of the piece being fitted, not square or perpendicular to the piece being fitted too. I do like the ticking stick too. It’s a very useful tool

You have gaps because you done it wrong! Firstly you need a bigger compass. You need a compass that doesnt buckle under the joint in the leg. Your compass seems to be from a childs geometry set! Then you open the compass to the widest gap and draw round. Its as accurate as a ticking stick and takes a 10th of the time. Find a cabinet maker, coach builder, furniture maker - he/she will show you how to do it! Youre doing it to find the most faults to justify your choice of the ticking stick. If the compass is inaccurate its you, not the compass!

Using the compass incorrectly, then declaring that the compass doesn’t work is disingenuous.

you are scribing wrong - that’s why it is not fitting. compass should be kept in same position, not rotated.