Replies

1. 
   chills1994 | Nov 05, 2004 12:18am | #1

   Hey MWINKLE,

   I just measured some fluted trim I did a few years back.  The boards are 7" wide, there are 4, 1" wide flutes with 1/2" between them and about 7/8" left from each side.

   Tinkering around with paper and pencil, I figured out how wide a flute, how many and how wide the board should be.

   You could try the Golden section where the ratio is 1:1.618.  I couldn't tell you how to proceed from there.  Maybe others with much more design or architectural experience can. 

   Good luck!

2. 
   BArnold | Nov 05, 2004 12:44am | #2

   Hi MW,

   Attached is a photo of a fluted bed post I did last year.  The post is 4" wide; flutes are 3/8" wide and 3/4" on center; flutes are centered on the post.  I'm using this same pattern for corner columns on the matching nightstands, dresser and chest I'm building.  The exception bing that I'll use just three flutes on the columns for the other items.

   Regards,

   Bill Arnold - Custom Woodcrafting

   Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

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1. 
   Timagain | Nov 05, 2004 02:45am | #3

   I love the  headboard panel - what is it?  Was it a veneered board or did you work it yourself? 

   On the fluting, my preference has always been to use an odd number of flutes which obviously gives an even number of gaps.  Is there a reason why you are changing the number for the other items?  Is it for you or a customer?

   I think the golden section/ rectangle is really interesting.  If you look at something and it looks right, try to apply the ratio.  It is amazing how often its spot on or really close.  The Mk1 eyeball really does know its stuff.

   Cheers

   T

1. 
   BArnold | Nov 05, 2004 09:54am | #4

   Tim,

   The headboard panel(s) are made from a cut-off from a sheet of maple veneer I rescued from a shop where I worked a year ago.  I glued it to 3/4" birch plywood in three sections to make the headboard panels.

   Customer?  Surely you jest!  With my wife dreaming up all kinds of things for me to build for 'us', I don't have time to generate revenue. <G>

   The number of flutes is based on what I felt was pleasing to my eye.  If you take the total space occupied by the flutes (2 5/8") and divide it into the total width of the bedpost (4"), the result is 1.52 -- close to the 1.6 golden.

   The width of the corner columns on the other pieces is about 3".  For design considerations, they can't be as massive as the bedpost.  These will have 3 columns totalling 1 7/8".  Dividing 1 7/8 into 3 yields 1.6.

   I'm going to build a couple of tables to exhibit at the Florida State Fair in February.  One is a hall table that is 52"w x 36"h x 16.5"d.  If you do the math on this item, the ratios are range from 1.6 to 1.45 or so.  It's amazing how often the golden ratio comes into play without even thinking about it.

   Regards,Bill Arnold - Custom Woodcrafting

   Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

3. 
   Dave45 | Nov 05, 2004 04:45pm | #5

   I don't know of any "formal" rule but here's a picture of some fluting I did a few months ago for a fireplace mantle leg.  It 's made of MDF and was cut with a 1/2" cove bit set about 1/4" deep.  I made a jig for my router (partially visible to the right) and clamped it down on my layout marks and made each pass.  When all the flutes were cut, I cut the MDF to it's final size.

   
   

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   Edited 11/5/2004 9:46 am ET by Dave

   
1. 
   chills1994 | Nov 05, 2004 11:09pm | #6

   I had made a jig that I had seen in a Woodsmith magazine.

   A rectangular piece of masonite with two slots milled down/through the long slides of it.  The masonite becomes a base for my plunge router.  The two slots are for machine style bugle head screws.  The screws attach blocks of wood, MDF, to the subbase.  All of the blocks are ripped to same width,which is the center to center spacing of your flutes. 

   Together these blocks act like a fence for your router.  Once you have the blocks lined up right to cut the first flute, route the first flute.  Loosen the two wing nuts holding the screws of the first block.  Slide the first block over.  Tighten the screws/nuts.  Route the second flute.  And so on....  It worked pretty slick.

   Just ran out to the shop to take a picture of the jig, but I just have the masonite base, no blocks, no screws, no nuts.  I didn't take a picture of it.

1. 
   BArnold | Nov 05, 2004 11:22pm | #7

   For what it's worth, when I made my fluted columns, I ran the pieces against the fence on my router table rather than take time to make any type of jig.

   Bill Arnold - Custom Woodcrafting

   Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

1. 
   Dave45 | Nov 06, 2004 04:29pm | #8

   Bill-

   I do that too if I'm only making two flutes.   If I'm making more than two, I need to be able to 'see' what I'm doing and flipping the piece over raises my 'confusion quotient'.  My spacing between the last two passes always seems to be off just enough to be noticeable. - lol

   Here's another picture that shows my jig a little better - it's just above the workpiece under the clamps and junk.  This was the first one that was sized for that job but I made another (longer) one that can be adjusted for flutes up to 36" long.  It only took about an hour to make and became part of my collection of jigs for future projects.  Now, if I just had the room to store them safely. - lol 

   
1. 
   BArnold | Nov 06, 2004 05:12pm | #9

   Dave,

   What this proves is there are a lot of ways to get from point A to point B.  Each of us has to use the method with which we're most comfortable.  I do a lot of handheld router work but am more comfortable doing this type of detail on a router table.  As with most things, you can line up 10 people and they'll give you at least 12 ways of doing something. LOL

   In my case, I cut a short piece of scrap to exactly the same width as my workpiece, carefully mark the end for the flute locations and align the fence to the outer pair and run a test.  Then I align the fence to the next markup line, make a test cut and verify the cut.  Once I've got a sample piece for the configuration, it serves as a setup guide for the router.

   As you said, jigs of all types are great if we can just find a place to store them.  I'm going to start hanging some of mine from the ceiling (of course, then I'll bang my head on the silly things!).

   Take care.Bill Arnold - Custom Woodcrafting

   Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

2. 
   Dave45 | Nov 06, 2004 11:01pm | #11

   No question about 10 people having 12 ways to do the same thing.  I can usually think of 2-3 ways all by myself. - lol

   I've tried your method and either get the spacing slightly off - or get perfect spacing but unequal flute lengths.   For some reason, my (alleged) mind gets discombubulated when I flip the workpiece over - lol.   With the jig, I can set up each pass and nail the flutes every time.  Like Yul Brenner said in "The King and I"........"It's a puzzlement".

   I have a corner in the shop where I keep all the jigs so they're not too much in the way.  Now, if I could just remember what they're all for - lol.

4. 
   JohnWW | Nov 06, 2004 06:13pm | #10

   If you make the spacing around 2/3, or slightly less, than the width of the grooves you will be getting a "golden ratio' proportion that is usually pleasing.  The space between the two outer flutes and the edge of the stock should be greater.

   1/4 inch wide flutes on a 5 inch wide column are too busy, especially for this application and will make for extra work.  A podium is almost always seen from a distance, so fine details don't work as well as bolder ones.  I'd suggest fewer and wider flutes, aiming for five to maybe seven flutes across the board.  For some reason an odd number of flutes often looks better than an even number.

   John W. 

   
   

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   Edited 11/6/2004 11:16 am ET by JohnW

1. 
   mwinkle | Nov 07, 2004 12:00am | #12

   thanks john- its this qualaity of response that I've come to value form Knots users.