Which Oval Shape Do You Like?

[Rob Littleton]

what a star or a cross :-)

Blunt looks good to me

[Ted Shrader]

Todd -

I'll see what I can come up with....or at least a drawing.

Regards,
Ted

Todd -

The second picture on your updated post w/ the new drawings is pretty close. But I think you need to fair in the corners a little more to make a smooth curve.

For mathematical formulas you can go to this site:
<a href="http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Superellipse.html">http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Superellipse.html</a>

Word description -

Squash the ends inward at the loci of the ellipse enough to get a "relatively straight" end. Stretch the center (but maintain a curve) to get the length you want. (Like you did in the second drawing.)


Good luck,
Ted

[Chris Padilla]

For mathematical formulas you can go to this site:
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Superellipse.html

I love that site. I like the Scrophularia nodosa myself although stretched out more rectangular like.

[Pete Lamberty]

Hi Todd, I didn't know this was for your Bubinga slab. From your first post the ellipse is the most pleasing to my eyes. But now that I know that it is for the big bubinga, I think the ellipse with the 18" radius ends would be best. Pete

[Jamie Buxton]

I second Ted's suggestion of a super-ellipse. I've made dining tables with them. I've watched the conversational dynamics around them, and they work very well. On a largish rectangular table, the people on the corners seem isolated. On a true elliptical table, the ends are too pointy, and the people sitting there don't have anyplace to put their silverware. A super-ellipse seems just right. It is rectangular enough to fit in a rectangular room, but oval enough to include everybody in the conversation.

At the risk of losing a lot of readers, I'm going to break out the math here. I'm also going to make a recommendation at the end for those of you who follow the math, or who use that web site.

Super-ellipses are solutions to the equation

(x/rx)^ c + (y/ry)^ c = 1

where rx is the x axis length, ry is the y axis length, and ^ means exponentiation. c=2 is the classical ellipse. As c increases above 2, the oval gets a little more "square-shouldered" than the ellipse.

For dining tables, I like c in the 2.8-3 area.

Todd, I'm going to send you a pdf showing plots of some of these curves.


Jamie

[Todd Burch]

Jamie emailed me a DXF file of the super ellipses, and via Corel Draw import/export, here they are (Sketchup just couldn't handle it all... )

The middle one is not so bad. Thanks Jamie. (I think I'm going to have too many choices for my client to be able to make up their minds...)

Todd.

[Byron Trantham]

Todd, Blunt for me for the same reasons already posted. We had an oval table for many years and my wife always hated it because of the "uncomfortable fit" at both ends. I ended up making a long rectangular table but I like the aesthetic qualities of the blunt oval.

[Ted Shrader]

. . . I think I'm going to have too many choices for my client to be able to make up their minds. . .

Todd -

The middle version is what I had in mind, but did a poor job of describing.

As far as choices for the client, why not provide a rectangle, ellipse and super-ellipse as choices. Put the sketches on separate pieces of paper so each can be studied individually.

Good luck,
Ted

ps - How thick will it be finished out? Supports - trestle or legs w/ apron? Have you thought edge treatment yet? A big radius goes well with the super-ellipse shape.

[Daniel Rabinovitz]

I'll be blunt
I like the Blunt
Daniel

[Jason Roehl]

Jamie emailed me a DXF file of the super ellipses, and via Corel Draw import/export, here they are (Sketchup just couldn't handle it all... )

The middle one is not so bad. Thanks Jamie. (I think I'm going to have too many choices for my client to be able to make up their minds...)

Todd.

Todd, now I like the 3rd from the top in your 3rd pic of sketches. It seems to have the most functionality and still a good compromise in shape.

[Chris Padilla]

I with Jason...3rd from the top. It is more rectangular but still has nicely softened corners.


Todd, once you have decided (er, the client has decided) the shape, I will be curious to see how you implement it. I am an engineer by trade (EE) and so I see a lot of math going into my designs and I would try to be faithful to that but there are A LOT of clever, better ways to implement fairly complicated equations and I see woodworkers leading the way on those jigs.

[Ken Frantz]

I vote for the BLUNT END!!!!

Who wants to set at the corner of a round table!!!!!

My nickels worth!!!

KEN

[Jamie Buxton]

I with Jason...3rd from the top. It is more rectangular but still has nicely softened corners.


Todd, once you have decided (er, the client has decided) the shape, I will be curious to see how you implement it. I am an engineer by trade (EE) and so I see a lot of math going into my designs and I would try to be faithful to that but there are A LOT of clever, better ways to implement fairly complicated equations and I see woodworkers leading the way on those jigs.

Chris ---
This one isn't too difficult. I use a shareware program that solves the equations and plots the curves. It also can list a table of coordinates for the curve. I lay a bunch of the points out on the blank for the tabletop. Then I connect the dots -- either by eye, or with a flexible wood strip. I cut the shape out with a good saber saw and belt-sand to clean up any irregularities.
Jamie

[Tyler Howell]

What does the guy with the check book say????

[Todd Burch]

I'll take him the designs next week. Priority right now is his study. And, that's the big $$ job too.