esthetics and proportions

Has to be good enough, or maybe a bit better to do the job it's intended for, so that's the starting point.

Though they won't admit it, I bet most people start with someone else's idea. I know I do. That's my "pleasing" to the eye. I make my changes in pencil, then I take it to the house critic. If Susan approves, I'm good for modification and turning.

As to duplicating tools, it's hardly worth the effort. There are a number of techniques from caliper and parting tool to shadows and sightlines for near-duplication. I'm a caliper and part type, others different.

Doc Font wrote in news:docfont-F50F5A.16421726062005 @corp.supernews.com:

Samples. Prototypes. Models. Trial & error. Catalogs. Old style books.

It's woodWORK. Or practice. Doesn't have to be done with expensive stock.

As to the minimum scale, I have an inbred tendency to overbuild. Being a well-fed American of Northern European stock, I tend to build sturdily. The esthetics sometimes suffer.

"It ain't pretty, but it's hell for strong" was learned at my father's side. I suspect he learned it from his father, a Danish immigrant blacksmith.

Windsor chairs seem to survive. Carriage wheels often looked too slender to survive. Using the right woods correctly seems to help. That takes research, since few of us trained as chairmakers or wheelwrights in our youth.

Good luck. Take pictures. Ask for opinions of those whose opinion you value.

Patriarch

[--snip--]

Aesthetics being in the eye of the beholder, I'll leave that part for others to argue about. ;]

But when duplicating parts I've found formed scrapers such as you mention to be of little use. True, they'll reproduce the intial shape alright but scrapers tend to cause tear-out and by the time you've trimmed everything up you'll find they're no longer "identical."

I, and most turners I know, use job-sticks... although everyone seems to have different methods for using them.

Personally I'll turn one item that I'm happy with then I lay a ply off-cut about 1" wide (and as long as the job) beside it and mark on it each major change of thickness of the turning. I then use calipers to measure the job dia at each mark and also note that down at the appropriate marks.

Mount the next blank, lay the stick alongside and transfer the marks back over, turn down at each mark to the required dimensions using calipers, frequently referring back to the job-stick and completed item. Finally I work on blending the curves together, usually by eye but sometimes with a cardboard template.

It works for me, hope it gives you some ideas of how to make it work for you.

I start looking at other peoples work. I seach the net for table legs or whatever.

Some I like, some I don't. When I find something I like I move to graph paper and sketch something similar, adding or subtracting details as I find appropriate.

I am *not* a really experienced turner, but this is essentially my process and it works better than you would imagine.

Make a prototype. After your second spindle no one will be able to tell the difference between them unless you hold them right up against one another.

-Steve

Someone mentioned the Golden Mean, and the Golden Ratio...

(See Greek style architecture)

Some proportions that work well are

First: 1:2:3 Classic for boxes

Second: Root two.. Multiply (or divide) one of the elements by 1.41 or .707 and see if it works and looks good. Adjust either the first proportion so the second works... You will find a lot of furniture can be done like this -- I have even found country style in these proportions...

Third: Golden ratio (approx) 13/8 = 1.62 make elements in that proportion -- multiply or divide by that number... 13:8:5 can work -- depends on number of elements...

Otherwise known as... Golden Mean, Golden Section, Golden Ratio

This section introduces you to some of the occurrences of the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio in architecture, art and music. Squiggles in the math -- for those that like them... Weird stuff and good stuff Nice demo on unfolding the rectangle -- and you get nicely formed spirals... Golden Ratio (This one shows the Fibonacci Squares)

The google search...

Hope you like fiddling with numbers...

If you like this stuff get a "consumer edition" book on number theory and a good math dictionary. Lots of ideas there if you are into it.

(You will know it is a consumer edition book if there are not too many squiggles, and they stick to stuff you can follow with good arithmetic skills. e.g. Excursions in Number theory -- Oxford press - out of print

-- but similar would do...)

I rework a lot of the pieces I do so that they are consistent with these ratios. Many people who make plans don't seem to know (or apply maybe...) this stuff and sometimes the designs look "off".

Hope that helps...

There is a country style clock on my web site in "Root 2" proportions.

There is a classical style box -- originally published in one ratio in a Basic Jewel Box book. A subtle alteration of the ratios... and it has a slightly oriental feel.

That's what makes this stuff fun.

See if you can find a reference that ties together a tree (growing), Fibonacci, and the golden mean/ratio section. Then you too will be allowed to visit area 51 and theorize on aliens, life and the fate of the universe -- as soon as you understand the relationship that is... :-)