Editing Former (section)

{{Short description|Manufacturing tools used to give form to a malleable object}}

A '''former''' is an object, such as a template, [[Gauge block|gauge]] or [[cutting]] [[Die (manufacturing)|die]], which is used to form something such as a [[boat]]'s [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]].  Typically, a former gives shape to a structure that may have complex [[curvature]].

A former may become an integral part of the finished structure, as in an aircraft [[fuselage]], or it may be removable, being used in the construction process and then discarded or re-used.