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Thread: Fibonacci/Golden rule question
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10th April 2018, 01:02 AM #1Senior Member
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Fibonacci/Golden rule question
Hi,
I'm building ourselves a smallish coffee table 900mmx520mm which will have square legs, each leg being tapered on two sides. In designing my table I am having awful trouble deciding what thickness the legs should be and what degree of taper they should have so that I end up with something that was proportionally pleasing to the eye. On researching "proportional design" I found a whole lot of info on the web about the "Golden Rule" or "Golden Ratio", and the "Fibonacci Rule". This is the ratio of 1:1.618 worked out by the ancient Greeks and is the ratio used in good furniture design. I'd never heard of it before but after reading about it I understand it's importance and what is does. I have applied it to determine the length and width of the table top, but I'm wondering how I would apply this Golden Ratio to determine the depth of the skirt rail (?) and the thickness of the table legs. One website said the rule could be applied to determine the size of all these, but didn't explain how.
So now I hope someone on the forum will understand my question and can explain how to apply this rule to my table legs, please?
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10th April 2018, 10:16 AM #2
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10th April 2018, 11:28 AM #3
Graham Blackburn's fourth volume in his Illustrated Workshop series 'Furniture Design & Construction' (2014) covers the Golden Mean (aka Golden Rectangle) very well with many useful examples in classic and modern furniture design.
He shows how every dimension in a piece of furniture can be ruled by the 1.618 ratio.
Eg.
IMG_20180410_102622-1439x2559.jpg
V
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10th April 2018, 02:49 PM #4
You need to remember that a coffee table is about 450 mm high viewed from two perspectives.
one is standing eye height -- about 1.6 m above floor level
the other is sitting -- between 800 and 1000 mm above above floor level.
the resulting perspective will distort the shape of your table and should be allowed for in the design if you are looking to use the golden ratio.
Ideally the golden ratio would be applied to one of the two viewing perspectives, and not the orthogonal elevations.regards from Alberta, Canada
ian
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10th April 2018, 06:04 PM #5Senior Member
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10th April 2018, 06:11 PM #6Senior Member
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10th April 2018, 06:19 PM #7Senior Member
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10th April 2018, 06:28 PM #8Taking a break
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10th April 2018, 09:34 PM #9GOLD MEMBER
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Before I make anything, I usually make a small scale model. Usually just out of plywood, mdf, polystyrene and cardboard. Hot melt glue to hold it together. Modify parts till they look right. Keep every measurement to scale.
My thinking on the golden ratio is that it’s ok on some ocassions, but stick to it slavishly and you will be making boring, unimaginative furniture. It’s like the rule of thirds in photography - every student is taught it but talented photographers rarely stick to it.Apologies for unnoticed autocomplete errors.
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10th April 2018, 09:47 PM #10
This sort of thing is why I love SketchUp so much. It takes a bit of little bit of learning to get up to speed but it’s invaluable for figuring out how something will look before making any cuts. YouTube has a ton of videos on using it if anyone is keen to have a play.
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11th April 2018, 01:12 AM #11
that sort of scale model is called a maquette. The model can be as simple as heavy paper or cardboard through to polished wood and leather.
I too find the technique invaluable as it allows you to easily look at a design from many angles and perspectives before settling on a final shape to put into sketchup.
:WHS:regards from Alberta, Canada
ian
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13th April 2018, 09:05 PM #12Senior Member
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Thanks everyone, I really appreciated all the interesting comments and good advice. Your replies have been a great help.
Cheers,
redx
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