# Right and pleasing proportions



## Hawgnutz (Mar 29, 2007)

I am planniong some custom-designed boxes out of black ash. I plan to use mitered corners to showcase the great looking grain. The question is: What is eth best proportion to use. I read here that there is a set of proportions to use that has been proven to be the best. What is that proportion?
If I wanted a 4-6" high box, what size should the sides be? I think that a 4" x 8" would e fine, buit I am not sure. Maybe 4×6?

Help!

God Bless, 
Hawg


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## bbrooks (Jan 3, 2007)

I am sure Mark or someone has some information about the Golden Triangle (ratio), or whatever they are calling it now. It was something like a .65 to 1 ratio I think. It sounds like you are in the right range. I would say get a piece of wood rough sizes, and try placing them together and see which appeals to you most. You should get pretty close just by eyeing each combination.


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## Hawgnutz (Mar 29, 2007)

I am planning to match the grain on all four sides, so I need to know the correct dimensions before I cut my stock.
Thanks.
Hawg


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## bbrooks (Jan 3, 2007)

I would do a search online for the Golden Triangle or Golden Rectangle. I just started and found a lot of items regarding these. Some are mathematical sites, so the explanations are dry and somewhat off base for what you want. I am still looking for some better explanations.


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## Treefarmer (Mar 19, 2007)

Hey Hawg,

Google "golden Ratio" and you'll get more info than you need. Personally I think for small boxes that its not the way to go. I find boxes that use it, while they can be beautiful, aren't very inspiring. Artistic boxes break the rules….they don't follow them.

Of course this opinion comes from an eclectic cluttered mind so what do I know.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

David posted on the golden Ratio…

"Dorje -

It is a proportional divider gauge that uses the Golden Mean or Divine Dimmension. I have always been fascinated by this principle. I also like codes and ciphers, so when the Da Vinci Code was published my interest was renewed. There is an article in Wood Magazine an number of months ago with plans. You can also check out this link to see a plan.

The Fibonacci gauge is used for laying out the Golden Mean ratio of 1:1.618

http://goldennumber.net/images/goldensectiongauge.gif

Or the link to this YouTube Video from Wood Magazine.





Best Regards,
David

"

From http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/David/blog/1372


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## scottb (Jul 21, 2006)

or an easier way to think of the fibbonacci sequence, just use numbers in the sequence:

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89 (etc…) this is the same (or really really dang close to the 1 to 1.618 ratio that is found everywhere in nature.

or…. just work in proportions (or multiples) of 1/3 or 1/5 rather than 1/2. odd numbers seem more organic to me - and I lean more towards asymmetry rather than anything symmetrical.


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## Radish (Apr 11, 2007)

Also at Fine Woodworking #168 pages 48-51
A Guide to Good Design by Graham Blackburn.
(with pictures and diagrams).

*The Golden Solid*
if the box is 4" in breadth it should 6.5 long and 2.5 deep (rounded).

or for other proportions A (in this case it was 4) x Phi (1.618) = length
A/1.618=depth.

If you are a finewoodworking.com subscriber you can download a pdf of this article. I'm too cheap, but rumor has it that some fellas here have a membership.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

I just read something about Lee Valley having a ruler that does the Golden thingy without the user having to do any math. 
Wasn't interested at the time so I didn't read it all… and now? I should have read all the details!


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

The magic number is 1 to .618. simplfied it is 4×6, 9×12, 11×14, 16×18, 18×24. We all need to know the rules before we break them. You can also use 1-2-3 and don't forget 9/16. Have fun pardner.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

What Scott failed to mention is that the fibbonacci series of numbers is you add the previous two numbers to get the next number . 1 + 1 = 2; 1 + 2 = 3; 2 + 3 = 5; 3 + 5 = 8; 5 + 8 = 13 etc.

In case you can't remember the 1.618 number here is a neat trick with a calculator.

Take any number i.e. 12345 enter it into a calculator then take the square root of it 111.1081
Add 1 take the square root
Add 1 take the sqrare root
Add 1 take the square root.

After about 10 times you will get the 1.618 number and about 20 characters to the right of the deciminal point. After enought times the number will never change. you will be to the truly Golden Mean. This will work even if you take the square root of 1 and then add 1 and square root. It's a truly mathametical number.


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## Hawgnutz (Mar 29, 2007)

Thanks for all the info on the Golden Mean. I had read the article in one of my wood mags, but could not remmebr which one to look in. Thanks, Wayne, for stearing me to the right one.

And a whole lot of thanks to Karson for giving me the "easy" way to remember the proportions!

Bob, Vive eclectic, cluttered minds! I represent that remark…..LOL I agree with you, but I also agree with whomever said that before you can break the rules, artistically, you should first know them. I am a relative rookie to designing boxes, so before I break the rules, I want to know them. If the artist designs a copper insert for the box, I just want to know a guesstimate plan for the box to highlight the copper artwork.

Thanks for all the help! Look for the box soon.
God Bless,
Hawg


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