John C - these are the things you need to consider when designing springs. They are not greatly complex, although they may seem so if you are unfamiliar with them. "Cut and try" is one approach to machine design - sometimes it works very efficiently. However, if you arrive at a point where you are not making progress with your machine, you may need to consider some paper design work. Just trying to point you in the right direction if you don't find what you need from "cut and try."