Hello all,
Being an up and coming custom furniture builder, I've become increasingly impressed with the use of the Fibonacci Gauge. Since I don't have the time to build one, can anyone tell me where I might buy a good one??
Thanks in advance!
Hello all,
Being an up and coming custom furniture builder, I've become increasingly impressed with the use of the Fibonacci Gauge. Since I don't have the time to build one, can anyone tell me where I might buy a good one??
Thanks in advance!
I work at a woodcraft store and I know we have one on our shelves. I can't find it on the website.
I think I found it. Is this what you're looking for?
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=3796
Thanks for the response Jason. The gauge I'm looking for is similar, that is, designed the same way, but offers a "Phi" or golden rule measurement instead of the equal distances which is what the one pictured provides.
Can't say i've ever seen one for sale ... don't mean they ain't out there .... but ...
in the time you have spent here asking for or looking for one to buy, you probably coulda made one... just a few sticks of wood and a couple nuts/bolts/washers and you'd be done
Jason Beam
Sacramento, CA
beamerweb.com
Tim,
It isn't a gauge, but Lee Valley has \phi rulers. They allow you to measure a true length and then either scale up or scale down by \phi:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...25&cat=1,43513
Also, you can use successive Fibonacci numbers to approximate \phi very well.
Hope that helps,
Cheers,
Chris
If you only took one trip to the hardware store, you didn't do it right.
For an in-depth exploration of the Golden Mean, take a look at ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zWivbG0RIo
Here's a youtube quick explanation and a how to video ......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xgw84Kwrh8
as to a several manufactured versions, try this..... http://www.goldenmeangauge.co.uk/cat....php?cPath=0_1
R.
Last edited by Roger Savatteri; 07-29-2008 at 6:01 PM.
That video was . . . interesting. I particularly liked the bit about the "mysterious reason" that the Fibonacci numbers appear in nature. Maybe they should interview a PhD who isn't from an Economics institute. I have my doubt that he has much mathematical education.
There isn't any mystery about it. It all follows from the idea of self-similarity. Object A is similar to object B if one is a scaled version of the other (think similar triangles from high school geometry -- they have the same angles, and consequently have the same proportions, even if they are different sizes).
Many things in nature exhibit self-similarity. As they grow, they maintain the same proportions, even as they grow larger. This is true in low-level organisms and complex organisms (even humans).
To find the Golden ratio, fix a set unit length, 1. Then we want a number x such that when it is increased by one, it remains similar to itself. Hence, the fractions x/1 and (x+1)/x must be equal. Clear denominators and x^2 = x+1. Apply the quadratic formula, and x=\frac{1+\sqrt{5}}{2} (the other root is negative, which rules it out since we are looking for a length).
Alright, now notice that x^2 = x+1 is a lot like the formula for generating Fibonacci numbers: F_{n+1} = F_n + F_{n-1}. This isn't coincidental. Use a little algebra, and we can derive Binet's formula: F_n = \frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}(\phi^n - (1-\phi)^n. The upshot: Fibonacci numbers are intrinsically related to self-similarity. Moreover, the starting point for the Fibonacci numbers (1 and 1) mean that if we are starting with a set unit length, ratios of Fibonacci numbers are going to be close to \phi.
Fibonacci numbers are whole numbers whose ratios are close to \phi. Hence, any organism that grows in discrete amounts (sunflower seeds, nautilus shells) that starts with a single unit and tends to look like itself as it grows, will likely follow the Fibonacci numbers.
And thus, that is why you can use Fibonacci numbers to get a very good approximation of the Golden ratio.
And it is also why we like the Golden mean -- simply because as things grow, they maintain the same proportions. It is what we are used to.
Cheers,
Chris
Last edited by Chris Kennedy; 07-29-2008 at 6:11 PM. Reason: Small addition
If you only took one trip to the hardware store, you didn't do it right.
Here you go: http://woodstore.woodmall.com/figaandhowto.html
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Check this thread
http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.p...t=golden+ratio...and,
you will find...
http://goldennumber.net/gauges.htm...and,
you will also find a plan, with dimensions, by Joe Greiner.
A tread on SMC recommend the book:The Golden Ratio, by Mario Livio.
I ordered the book from Amazon - a paperback - and I think the book cost less than $10. If you are into math and history you may want to read it.
Coincidentally, my skp avatar kinda looks like Fig. 40, on page 119 of the book.
Larry
Why not just use a calculator? Multiply your reference distance by 1.618.
"Less is more." - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
The Parthenon notwithstanding, I actually don't think that the Golden Mean (if defined as 1:1.6...) necessarily provides the best (most pleasing) proportions for any particular piece of furniture.
Good point. The Golden Mean by itself is not the only design solution, but one of many ways - including form follows function - to achieve the best proportions. As always, common sense has a part to play.
That said, the Golden Mean is still a "beautiful" number.
Larry