Golden ratio

[Guilliaume woodworks]

I'm beginning to feel like the last person on the planet that learned of the "golden ratio". It's pretty amazing and I definitely going to use in my carpentry design & lay-out. Do any of you guys incorporate the golden ratio/golden means into your woodworking?would like to learn more about it.

 

[mysterium]

You may be interested in these....

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=57625&cat=1,43513,57625

 

[waho6o9]

I purchased the set from Lee Valley mentioned above and it helps
in designing and layouts. 

 

[Mavrik]

I'm a bit of a Golden Ratio junkie.
I've even been known to make bread boards in the "right" ratio

 

[pierreblonde]

There is no more pleasing window on the eye than one set out with the golden ratio (well to my eyes)
I am on building myself a house practically all the windows i set out with it, just not the round ones  [big grin]

 

[John Stevens]

Yes, but not just the golden ratio.  Search for a book by Jay Hambidge (without an "r"--not "Hambridge) on the subject of "harmonic proportion."  I'm a big fan of the square root of five, either alone or in combo with the golden ratio and 1:1.  On the other hand, there are a couple of good DVDs by George Walker that study the use of whole-number proportions.  They're sold on the lie-nielsen web site.

It seems to me that on one side you have guys like Walker arguing that guys like Hambidge are mistaken, that the examples of irrational proportions in art are really examples of whole-number fractions...and on the other side you have guys like Hambidge arguing that the examples of whole-number fractions that the guys like Walker point to are really only approximations of what would ideally be irrational proportions, e.g. 8/13 instead of the golden ratio, substituted for the sake of expediency in trying to finish a job without too much labor/time.

Then there's a third school that rejects both the "harmonic proportion" and "whole number proportion" schools, and criticizes all uses of "magic numbers" in art...I have the books in the basement, sorry that I'm too lazy to go get them right now.  I guess the moral of the story is, "don't get too hung up on any formulas or rules--ultimately trust your eyes."

Hope this helps.

Regards,

John

 

[Guilliaume woodworks]

Yes, but not just the golden ratio.  Search for a book by Jay Hambidge (without an "r"--not "Hambridge) on the subject of "harmonic proportion."  I'm a big fan of the square root of five, either alone or in combo with the golden ratio and 1:1.  On the other hand, there are a couple of good DVDs by George Walker that study the use of whole-number proportions.  They're sold on the lie-nielsen web site.

It seems to me that on one side you have guys like Walker arguing that guys like Hambidge are mistaken, that the examples of irrational proportions in art are really examples of whole-number fractions...and on the other side you have guys like Hambidge arguing that the examples of whole-number fractions that the guys like Walker point to are really only approximations of what would ideally be irrational proportions, e.g. 8/13 instead of the golden ratio, substituted for the sake of expediency in trying to finish a job without too much labor/time.

Then there's a third school that rejects both the "harmonic proportion" and "whole number proportion" schools, and criticizes all uses of "magic numbers" in art...I have the books in the basement, sorry that I'm too lazy to go get them right now.  I guess the moral of the story is, "don't get too hung up on any formulas or rules--ultimately trust your eyes."

Hope this helps.

Regards,

John

thanks John ....I think?  It can get pretty deep,but I agree with trust your eye. It's always worked for me.

 

[Nick C]

One thing that I find interesting is that you can layout a golden ratio rectangle with just a straightedge and dividers--no measurements required!

 

[Guilliaume woodworks]

One thing that I find interesting is that you can layout a golden ratio rectangle with just a straightedge and dividers--no measurements required!

with golden ratio tool? If not , share how it's done. With doing the triangle thing?(taking guess)

 

[jonny round boy]

One thing that I find interesting is that you can layout a golden ratio rectangle with just a straightedge and dividers--no measurements required!

Also, you can do the same in SketchUp - the rectangle tool has a preset for the golden ratio...

 

[Mavrik]

I proposed to my architect that we make our swimming pool in a golden ratio.
He came back with a good counter argument - you will never see it from the top.
So - factor in the angle that people will be looking at it from.

 

[John Stevens]

I proposed to my architect that we make our swimming pool in a golden ratio.
He came back with a good counter argument - you will never see it from the top.
So - factor in the angle that people will be looking at it from.

It's a good argument, but on the other hand we have the architect who went by the name "Le Corbusier" who used the golden mean as the proportion for laying out rooms, if I recall correctly.  I'd point to that as an example of someone who'd gotten a bit obsessed with the golden ratio as a magic number.

Regards,

John

 

[Alan m]

when i was in colage someone did their thesis on this . they cnc d t pieces of furniture , basically the same but one using the golden ratio and one not using it (not sure what to call the non use of it)
they then showed it to everyone they could find  without telling which was which or what they were doing.
suprisingly the non golden ration was favored more.

dont bother with this rubish (a terible thing to say) . use your eyes and forget what is supposed to be "right"

 

[morts10n]

There is a good book out there called "The Power of Limits" that deals with the golden mean in design and in nature.

 

[Guilliaume woodworks]

There is a good book out there called "The Power of Limits" that deals with the golden mean in design and in nature.

thanks mort! I will check it out

 

[andyman]

I have an existing window opening currently with 2 opening sashes and 1 fixed pain in the middle with a top hung sash above length 2045 x 1295mm high, I do not like the current proportion as the large pain does not look pleasing on the eye.
Can the golden ratio be applied to split the opening so maybe into 4, never used it before so just wondering on your thoughts?

 

[tiralie]

I have an existing window opening currently with 2 opening sashes and 1 fixed pain in the middle with a top hung sash above length 2045 x 1295mm high, I do not like the current proportion as the large pain does not look pleasing on the eye.
Can the golden ratio be applied to split the opening so maybe into 4, never used it before so just wondering on your thoughts?

Is the total window opening 2045 x 1295mm or is that the size of the large pane?

It really depends on the relationship of the window to the wall, if the wall is divided by a door or chair railing etc.  I believe that in architecture and design, context (relationship to other features) are as important as the actual content. In addition to the design of the panes, it may be that the window is too small (spatially) for the wall, positioned in the wrong place or just plain wrong.

A picture would help a lot here.
Tim

 

[andyman]

opening size

 

[tiralie]

opening size

Your opening is very close (50mm) less than a golden rectangle.
[attachthumb=#]
You could use 3 or 5 or even 8 divisions (Fibonacci series 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 etc.)
[attachthumb=#]

If we were to divide each consecutive Fibonacci number, instead of adding, the results gradually converge on The Golden Ratio.

I really like this animation using these numbers to create arcs in the drawing of a violin. It's also interesting to note that the corner blocks of a Stradivari are 32mm arcs.