Help! How does Geo. Walker get his ratios?

[Frederick Skelly]

I'm tuning a chair design using what I'm learning in "By Hand and Eye". Mr. Walker shows these ratios as being "in proportion" - 1:1, 1:2, 2:3, 3:4, 3:5, 4:7, 4:5. But I can't figure out what the ratios would be after these. For example, is 5:9 in there? What about 6:7, etc. I know there is an easy and obvious way to calculate these, but just now I'm coming up stupid and I'd really like to check this chair design so I can start it tomorrow night.

Can one of you straighten me out? This has got to be right in front of me.

Thank you.
Fred

[Keith Mathewson]

Hi Fred,

You don't calculate, you use dividers to step off a distance. So for a 5:9 you would step off 5 paces in one direction and then 9 paces at 90 degrees.

[Jay Aubuchon]

I'm pretty sure that the OP is asking how to get additional ratios, beyond those listed, that would be considered nice proportions. I'd too would like to know the answer.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks Keith. I follow you - that's what I thought too. Jay's nailed what I'm lookin' for. I'm thinking that I'm going to send Mr. Walker an email and just straight-up ask him. If he responds, I'll post what I learn here (assuming he doesn't mind of course).

Thanks again guys!
Fred

[Keith Mathewson]

I've spent a lot of time on proportional design and what I can tell you is that it is not a formula but a skill set. George and Jim have written a good book but it is a starting point and not a set of rules. Pick up a few of Asher Benjamin's books as well as William Ware. In Benjamin's drawings the numbers next to the drawings are proportional numerations. However to obtain a good understanding it is just like being an undergrad, you have to put in the time at the drawing board to obtain the knowledge. There isn't a magic formula which will produce the required answer.

[Mel Fulks]

I've always been interested in that stuff. There are lots of approaches . Asher Benjamin is good but he was reinterpreting old stuff for more urban and dense modern housing ,so his designs are leaner than earlier stuff. Since the drawings in the books are to scale,look at lots of drawings and analyze the ones you think work and the ones that don't.