Sofa-Side Table Proportional Layout
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- This topic has 24 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 9 months ago by Greg Merritt.
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15 April 2014 at 3:22 am #56161
I don’t need a sofa table, but I do need end tables. So I needed to scale the sofa table down to fit my needs. If you’ve read a few of my posts you know that I’m partial to using a proportional system to establish the sizes of my projects and the lengths of the elements they contain. To establish the size of my end tables I took a length of wood into the house and marked the height that worked best with my sofa. I then took that and applied the proportional method to establish the module key. Once I had the module key I established all of the elements to make up my end table which I laid out on a piece of plywood. The same beginning that Paul demonstrates in the first video of the series. The only difference is Paul used dimensions and I used a set of dividers and the module key to step off my distances.
I will post a couple of drawings that will illustrate the method. I hope that you at least find this method interesting if not helpful.
15 April 2014 at 4:24 am #56166So using the layout method I posted above, I ended up with an end table that is 1D wide, 2D high and 3D long. I spent the weekend preparing 8 legs and managed to chop half of the required mortises. I still haven’t used a tape measure, nor do I plan to. It’s very liberating.
15 April 2014 at 2:46 pm #56175Greg, When I opened the pdf’s both where blank. Maybe my system. Not sure.
Greg, I like the theory of this method as well. Theory because I’m not sure if I am doing it correctly, but I’m trying. I am making a small table for the tool box to fit under my workbench..
Here are the dimensions D=6″ 4D x 3D x 3D. Apron will be 3/4D with a small drawer and legs will be 1/4D square x 3D long.This is my method.. I used ruler to set my dividers to the largest setting that was divisible into the overall dimensions. I set that as D, in this case it was 6″, and walked off the dimensions, struck a knife wall cut to size. To get the apron size I set a marking gauge, cut the waste to width and planed flush. I will be chopping the mortises and tenons this weekend.
First impression, this really makes the work flow smoothly. I did cut an apron a bit short, but I will go with it and square the long side to the short.
Let me know what you think. I have no idea if this is right, but it seems to makes sense to me. Next time I will try and lay out the project on a piece of plywood first and then make a story stick.
Dan17 April 2014 at 8:16 pm #56214Dan you’ve got the idea. There are no hard and fast rules with this type of design layout. Individuality comes from what proportions you decide to use. I find it very liberating. Once I have the module key figured out all the parts of the project are simply multiples of my chosen proportion. I can play with it until it looks good to my eye or works with my available material.
18 May 2014 at 2:22 pm #57207Finally got some time in the shop and was able to prep, tenon and fit the top rails for the first end table. It all went really smooth which was surprising. Usually there is at least one joint the I have to fight tooth and nail. But not on this one so far.
I hope to have the lower rails fitted today and the first table base glued and in the clamps.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.20 May 2014 at 9:49 pm #57306It is looking very nice. Thanks for continuing to share and post your projects and drawings.
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