Following on from yesterday’s ‘Trip to the Wood Shop’ let me show you where the Escher vibe has taken me.
Well to this
A beautifully simple, yet impossible pattern. Look at it long enough and you’ll see why the three dimensional world it represents is impossible. Even if you accept that its possible as a pattern in two dimensions ( you have to you’re looking at it) then the long slim rods and the triangles are possible to make in wood but the cubes that the rods go into would be a nightmare to cut out, even with a scroll saw.
What we need to do is reduce the pattern into repeatable, manageable pieces. You’ll have to trust me on the first stage (have I ever lied to you?)
OK thats gone over to the right of the screen but you can see what I’ve done. Simply by extending the lines at the ends of the long rods the pattern is now reduced to only rhomboids and triangles. Both possible to cut in wood. All I have to do to maintain the illusion of the sides of the cubes being a single entity is to keep the grain direction consistant and minimise the visibility of the joins by accurate cutting. The thin red rectangle is the area of the pattern I intend to make in wood.
These are the pieces the pattern is reduced to
Materials will be Ebony, Sycamore and Purpleheart. I don’t know if you can get your head around this at this stage. I apologise in advance if you can’t. I know some of my patterns screw with other LJ’s minds. Suffice it to say that Escher’s screw with mine. I think that with 82 of the top shapes and 27 triangles (or parts thereof) I will acheive this.
It should become more apparent what is happening :
1. Later when I have cut the wood shapes.
2. If the medication doesn’t wear off.
I’ll continue to post the pictures of what I’m doing, as I do it and even if you can’t get it at the time I’m sure that when (or should I say IF) the pattern starts emerging you’ll be able to look back and see where my train of thought was going. All I can say is ‘Good Luck’, we are both going to need it and trust me. I believe the impossible is possible and I hope to show it to you. If I don’t suceed at least I will have had a bloody good try and you can all have a good laugh on me. I suspect that some of you are already thinking ‘He’s really lost the plot this time’. We shall see…...........
-- Martyn -- Boxologist, Pattern Juggler and Candyman of the visually challenging. http://www.theartofboxes.com
37 comments so far
jm82435
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1217 posts in 1913 days
#1 posted 1078 days ago
yikes. I had to cut one out to believe it would work. It does…
-- A thing of beauty is a joy forever...
spaids
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699 posts in 1864 days
#2 posted 1078 days ago
Wow I can’t wait to see a real one.
Get to work!
-- Wipe the blood stains from your blade before coming in.--
Sheila Landry (scrollgirl)
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5940 posts in 1090 days
#3 posted 1078 days ago
What a great project this will be! I often thought of doing the Eschler flying geese in some sort of scroll saw pattern, as it is much easier to cut curves than precision straight lines on the scroll saw. I can’t wait to see this progress!
Keep up the medication!!!!
Sheila
PS – How thick is the wood going to be? What are you going to cut it on?
-- Contributing Editor, Creative Woodworks and Crafts, Sheila Landry Designs http://www.sheilalandrydesigns.com "Knowledge is Power"
a1Jim
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87254 posts in 1747 days
#4 posted 1078 days ago
Hey Martyn
I thought the last board you did was complicated. Looking forward to seeing this one.
Thanks for this and the other blogs you’ve done.
-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/
Mary Anne
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1056 posts in 1379 days
#5 posted 1078 days ago
And I thought I was on strong medication!! I can see it, but it still looks impossible to me.
Good luck, Martyn.
majeagle1
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1382 posts in 1667 days
#6 posted 1078 days ago
O.K. Martyn….......... now youv’e gone and lost your marbles!!! completely gone bannanas!!! LOL
I love Escher’s work and wish you all the luck in the world. If anyone can do this, you can!
This is a great design….....
Looking forward to seeing the process and the final piece.
-- Gene, Majestic Eagle Woodworks, http://majesticeagleww.etsy.com/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/majesticeagle/
BritBoxmaker
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4011 posts in 1207 days
#7 posted 1078 days ago
Shiela, its going to be a box top pattern approx. 200×130 x 8mm in size. As with the ‘Little Bess Challenge’ blog I’m using a standard 10” table saw and a disc sander. In addition this time I’ll be using my drum sander to precision thickness components.
-- Martyn -- Boxologist, Pattern Juggler and Candyman of the visually challenging. http://www.theartofboxes.com
littlecope
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2334 posts in 1672 days
#8 posted 1078 days ago
If you say so, Martyn… I am complete with faith in you… 8-)
-- Mike in Concord, NH---Unpleasant tasks are simply worthy challenges to improve skills.
SPalm
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4114 posts in 2052 days
#9 posted 1078 days ago
Hey Martyn, I found your marbles! They are way over here. Just in case you are looking for them.
Steve
-- -- I'm no rocket surgeon
Cozmo35
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2138 posts in 1206 days
#10 posted 1078 days ago
I’ll have what he’s having! WOW!
-- If you don't work, you don't eat!.....Garland, TX
pommy
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1695 posts in 1862 days
#11 posted 1078 days ago
this needs a complete how to martyn cant wait to see this one
-- cut it saw it scrap it SKPE: ANDREW.CARTER69
David Craig
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2127 posts in 1279 days
#12 posted 1078 days ago
Now I understand the “impossible.” An optical illusion that demonstrates a structure that can’t exist into a structure that does.
I think I need a case of those XXXX beers of Larry’s….
Looking forward to this one.
David
-- There is little that is simple when it comes to making a simple box.
GaryD
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608 posts in 1540 days
#13 posted 1078 days ago
WHOA!!!!!!!!!! Cant wait to see this one
-- Gary, Little River,SC I've Learned that the Lord didn't do it all in one day and neither can I
Woodcanuck
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128 posts in 1171 days
#14 posted 1078 days ago
wow….a few pints from now that will probably look do-able….right now it looks scary. :-)
-- Ian - Life's a game, if you don't play, you can't win.
poroskywood
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612 posts in 1535 days
#15 posted 1078 days ago
From The Matrix
Martyn: Do not try and bend the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead… only try to realize the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Martyn: There is no spoon.
Neo: There is no spoon?
Martyn: Then you’ll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.
-- There's many a slip betwixt a cup and a lip.--Scott
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