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Thread: Sofa Table VI – all the way to completion

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
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    Perth, Australia
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    9,467
    Thanks Fred.

    Not sure about FWW, however. But thanks for the compliment

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Dublin, CA
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    4,119
    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    I suspect that the camera distorts this a little. I found it very difficult to photograph accurately. The curve changes in photos (not in person) depending on the height and angle of the camera.
    Yep, that's exactly what happened. You can see it quite clearly by looking at the verticals in the bricks behind the table. They're tilted slightly to the right on the right side, and more heavily to the left along the left edge. In other words, you pointed the camera down a bit such that it increased the apparent taper of the legs (you also tilted a bit to the left, but that's a separate issue).

    As implied above, the trick is to always keep the camera perpendicular to the subject. If the subject is on a flat surface as here, then you can do that simply by always keeping the camera level, so to fix this shot you would have needed to lower the camera (or raise the table :-). A tripod and a bubble level are helpful, as is a camera with a viewfinder level. The catch is that if you also want to "look down" into the table as you did here then you either need to shoot with a wider-than-needed lens such that the image extends way higher than you need and crop, or use a tilt-shift lens.

    These days you can also fix that sort of perspective issue very easily in an image editor, but that wouldn't be very neander :-).
    Last edited by Patrick Chase; 07-08-2017 at 10:43 PM.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Ramona, CA by way of Phliadelphia
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    270
    Quite Elegant! Great work...Rick

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
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    Hi Patrick

    Thanks.

    I was hand holding the camera (a Canon DSLR) rather than using the tripod since I was aiming to capture more realistic heights (as if looking down on the table). This was not successful with the standard zoom lens (18-55). I also used a dedicated 50mm lens, but the problem with that one, although it is better in low light, is that one must stand further back. The other problem I have is that the lighting is not good (soft lighting in the house, and generally taken at night after all is done), and a flash adds both a starkness to the light wood, as well as a slight exaggeration to colour. I resort to Photoshop Essentials to repair the damage (and resize the images).

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    Last edited by Derek Cohen; 07-09-2017 at 1:35 AM.

  5. #20
    Very nice work Derek. And it certainly looks a lot better with the larger overhang, doesn't it?

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,467
    Hi Kees

    It certainly emphasises the need to play with the position of parts - how they compliment or influence each other. How's your piece coming along?

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  7. #22
    Working on it. The last couple of weeks saw a lot of energy again. Most of the carcas is now ready for assembly. I think I will start the carving after the summer hollidays.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    5,582
    I love the top and contasting base Derek. Also, the legs and curve of the stretcher work perfectly on this piece. Not sure about the drawer length though. By the way, please explain why the drawer slips rather than grooves in the drawer sides. Not sure I understand all the benefits of the slips. Thanks

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,467
    Hi Pat

    Slips are used when drawer sides are too thin for grooves. These drawer sides are 3/8" thick. The slips create a groove on the inside of the drawer side for the drawer bottom.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Edmonton, Alberta
    Posts
    350
    Beautiful work as always Derek. Will you be doing a write up on your website? I'm enjoying reading through your build of 'The Chair' right now.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,467
    Hi Hasin

    Thanks. And yes, I'll put a copy on the website shortly. It is easier to write the article on a forum and then copy it to the website. I have found that most want to read it on the forum rather than click a link and go off site.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Austin Texas
    Posts
    1,957
    Very, very nice design and work Derek. Frederick and others beat me to it - the treatment of the underside of the top at the ends combined with the leg and stretcher shapes make the table very special. I tend to like modern stuff as opposed to the 16th-17th century stuff and your simple, uncluttered, flowing look sings to me. More importantly though what is the verdict of the lady of the house?
    David

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
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    Well David, that is indeed the question .... what does Lynndy think of this table?

    She likes the table, but finds it too dominant against the midnight blue leather of the sofa. As a result, she wants to retain the existing sofa table. We tried the table in the hall, in place of a table we have had for 30 years. The existing hall table is rather mundane ... closer to a Shaker style. This table really lights up in the hall. The walls are more off-white (tinge of cream), and sofa table compliments the space. So the sofa table is likely to become a hall table. The drawer will be great for keys.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

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