What You Should Be Learning

[James Pallas]

George, Please keep going on this thread so I (we) can all learn something. By the way I can rub my chisel on my "smooth flat river Rock" and cut good mortises in white oak so I'm happy. I think the edge must be at least down to one atom, don't you think.
Jim

[Pat Barry]

I don't have a clue about the golden rectangle as it regards woodworking. I have only seen it as a mathematical approximation. Does anyone have an example of the golden rectangle in a woodworking project, for example a cabinet? Maybe a picture of something exhibiting the golden ratio would be helpful. Thanks

[Brian Holcombe]

Pat, all of my design work adheres as closely as possible to the golden ratio.

[Jim Koepke]

I don't have a clue about the golden rectangle as it regards woodworking. I have only seen it as a mathematical approximation. Does anyone have an example of the golden rectangle in a woodworking project, for example a cabinet? Maybe a picture of something exhibiting the golden ratio would be helpful. Thanks

Here is my first project built using my golden mean dividers:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...Latest-Project

jtk

[george wilson]

Pat,if you can find studies of Chippendale's designs. (There are reprints of original works available. The Anthony Hay Cabinet Shop used his book all the time.) You will find out how these classical rectangles were used. And should still be used.



Regarding Should be used,it is appalling,with the entire history of furniture making available to those who would only bother to seek it, why it is nearly impossible to find decently designed commercially made furniture in the stores. So called professional designers are supposed to be the source of these designs,yet they are so lacking. I can't help buy wonder what these people studied in school.

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that old designs should be slavishly studied. But,they can be a good basis for beginning to design even modern furniture.

[Pat Barry]

Here is my first project built using my golden mean dividers:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...Latest-Project

jtk

Hi Jim, I like this project. The proportions are nice but where is the golden rectangle? Is it in the basic box size, or the door, or the floating panel in the door or the shelf spacings?

[george wilson]

I just Googled"Use of the golden mean rectangle in chippendale furniture images". There is a great deal of information at your fingertips if you care to look into it, Pat. Leonardo daVinci, Michelangelo and many other important artists and craftsmen used these classical proportions in their paintings,sculpture,architecture, and furniture design.

Leonardo was extremely mathematical in his layouts of paintings. He had what he considered the most perfect proportions for the human face and body very carefully planned out. There is so much to study I cannot begin to get into it or I'd be typing so much I'd never get finished! It is easily looked up these days.

[Brian Holcombe]

Pat,if you can find studies of Chippendale's designs. (There are reprints of original works available. The Anthony Hay Cabinet Shop used his book all the time.) You will find out how these classical rectangles were used. And should still be used.



Regarding Should be used,it is appalling,with the entire history of furniture making available to those who would only bother to seek it, why it is nearly impossible to find decently designed commercially made furniture in the stores. So called professional designers are supposed to be the source of these designs,yet they are so lacking. I can't help buy wonder what these people studied in school.

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that old designs should be slavishly studied. But,they can be a good basis for beginning to design even modern furniture.

Not nearly impossible, just priced accordingly If you talking about period modern (Bauhaus school on through American Mid Century) then many of the architects who designed furniture worked in classical proportion.

The best example, of course, would be Le Corbusier whose furniture is produced by Cassina. Le Corbusier developed a system of proportions to apply to every aspect of design which were based on The Kanon.

[James Waldron]

George:

I like reading your posts, no matter how long or short. I read for the ideas, not for speed reading.

Jim

[Phil Mueller]

While spending a few hours researching the golden rectangle, there does exist an opposing point of view. I share this not to argue the point, but because I thought the research results are interesting.

YOU DON'T REALLY PREFER THE GOLDEN RATIO

In the real world, people don't necessarily prefer the golden ratio.
Devlin tells me that, as part of an ongoing, unpublished exercise at Stanford, he has worked with the university's psychology department to ask hundreds of students over the years what their favorite rectangle is. He shows the students collections of rectangles, then asks them pick out their favorite one. If there were any truth behind the idea that the golden ratio is key to beautiful aesthetics, the students would pick out the rectangle closest to a golden rectangle. But they don't. They pick seemingly at random. And if you ask them to repeat the exercise, they pick different rectangles. "It's a very useful way to show new psychology students the complexity of human perception," Devlin says. And it doesn't show that the golden ratio is more aesthetically pleasing to people at all.
Devlin's experiments aren't the only ones to show people don't prefer the golden ratio. A study from the Haas School of Business at Berkeley found that, on average, consumers prefer rectangles that are in the range of 1.414 and 1.732. The range contains the golden rectangle, but its exact dimensions are not the clear favorite.

[Jim Koepke]

Hi Jim, I like this project. The proportions are nice but where is the golden rectangle? Is it in the basic box size, or the door, or the floating panel in the door or the shelf spacings?

The ratio of the height to width is where the golden mean was applied.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

And some still think it is golden:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lance-...b_8325280.html

It isn't an exactitude, it is a pleasing range of proportions.

jtk

[allen long]

George,

What exactly do you mean when you speak about someone DIVING the plane off the end of the board? Even more importantly, what is the correct technique?

Many Kind Regards . . . Allen

[John Kananis]

George: What an awesome thread, filled with more awesome - thanks for starting.

Jim: The advise on video-recording yourself is probably one of the best stitches of council I've ever done/did seen!

[Phil Mueller]

Thanks Jim, appreciate the "counterpoint"

An article in FWW indicates it can be used to help determine the proportion on table top to apron to legs. They didn't show how this is done. Does anyone know how it's applied? If a table top is 3/4" thick, does that suggest the apron should be 1 1/4"? Or if the legs are 30" that the apron should be 18"? Not sure how it applies.