finial height ,vase height

[Harvey M. Taylor]

What proportion of the height of the vase/hollow form etc should the finial be? Thanks for any help you folks can give. Max

[Dennis Ford]

I don't use a formula, but if I did it would be based on the max dimension of the hollow form, not necessarily its height. I think a short wide hollow form looks good with a tall finial. A tall narrow hollow form looks better with a short finial in my opinion.

[Peter Blair]

Like Dennis, I'm unsure about actually using a formula. Just about everyone who sees any of my hollow forms with finials feel different about the proportion. I understand that a lot of turners use the 'golden rule' but I have just completed a short wide hollow form and made a short finial and am not so sure that it 'looks' right. I keep quite a few finials around my shop and often set them on the form to help me decide what length looks best.