I was flipping through a neighbor's library and opened a book called
"101 DIY Projects" or something like it, and there was a good way to
lay out an octagon (it was for a picnic table). Here goes:
1. Lay out a square, and measure the diagonals. E.g., our square has
sides of about 4 1/2 feet and diagonals of 6 feet exactly.
2. Measure and mark 3 feet (half the diagonal) from both sides of
each corner, for a total of 8 measurements and marks.
3. Connect the dots, cut off the corners, and wahlah (sic)! You've
got a perfect octagon!
I usually overthink things like this, so it struck me as particularly
simple and helpful.
-Phil Crow
>>>
>>> 3. Connect the dots, cut off the corners, and wahlah (sic)! You've
>>> got a perfect octagon!
>
>Tell Phil it's "Voilà!", will ya? (pronounced "vwala")
>
>
I quite Messrs. Merriam and Webster:
sic- [L, so, thus -- more at so](ca. 1859): intentionally so
written--used after a printed word or passage to indicate that it is
intended exactly as printed or to indicate that it exactly reproduces
an original <said he seed [~] it all>
I guess I can take that as another miserable failure in my quest to
make the wRECk's most humorous list. Sigh...
-Phil Crow
"Phil Crow" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I was flipping through a neighbor's library and opened a book called
> "101 DIY Projects" or something like it, and there was a good way to
> lay out an octagon (it was for a picnic table). Here goes:
>
> 1. Lay out a square, and measure the diagonals. E.g., our square has
> sides of about 4 1/2 feet and diagonals of 6 feet exactly.
>
> 2. Measure and mark 3 feet (half the diagonal) from both sides of
> each corner, for a total of 8 measurements and marks.
>
> 3. Connect the dots, cut off the corners, and wahlah (sic)! You've
> got a perfect octagon!
>
> I usually overthink things like this, so it struck me as particularly
> simple and helpful.
>
> -Phil Crow
>
I suspect that the measuring will guarantee that the resulting octagon will
not be perfect given the state of most shop's measuring equipment. Maybe
close enough but nothing I'd want to guarantee perfection for.
I suspect that one might get closer by laying out a circle, bisecting it
with a line through the center, erecting a perpendicular to the first line
also through the center thus dividing the circle into four quadrants. Bisect
the quadrants and you have eight equal divisions. Connect the points where
the lines cross the circle and you have an octagon. All of these steps can
be done using a straightedge and either a compass or a set of trammel points
to fit onto the straighedge. Or so my vague recollections of junior high
geometry class suggest...
--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com
"Larry Jaques" <> wrote in message ...
>>> Phil said:
> >> 3. Connect the dots, cut off the corners, and wahlah (sic)! You've
> >> got a perfect octagon!
>
> Tell Phil it's "Voilà!", will ya? (pronounced "vwala")
Larry, the "sic" indicates it is as quoted from the original text. The
simple act of inserting it indicates he knew it wasn't correct.
cheers,
Groogy
In article <[email protected]>,
Greg Millen <[email protected]> wrote:
>"Larry Jaques" <> wrote in message ...
>>>> Phil said:
>> >> 3. Connect the dots, cut off the corners, and wahlah (sic)! You've
>> >> got a perfect octagon!
>>
>> Tell Phil it's "Voilà!", will ya? (pronounced "vwala")
>
>
>Larry, the "sic" indicates it is as quoted from the original text. The
>simple act of inserting it indicates he knew it wasn't correct.
_I_ will write it 'Viola!' -- at least when I'm stringing somebody along.
Some days, the phone gets answered "cello?", too.
I know it's _all_ off-bass.
But don't forget the luthier and tailor, who, one day when he was having
a hard time concentrating on his stitchery, was reprimanded:
"Get your mind out of the guitar, and back in the sewery!"
N.B.: The quote seems to have gotten corrupted over time.
On Fri, 28 May 2004 19:14:52 -0400, "John McGaw" <[email protected]>
stated wide-eyed, with arms akimbo:
>"Phil Crow" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> I was flipping through a neighbor's library and opened a book called
>> "101 DIY Projects" or something like it, and there was a good way to
>> lay out an octagon (it was for a picnic table). Here goes:
>>
>> 1. Lay out a square, and measure the diagonals. E.g., our square has
>> sides of about 4 1/2 feet and diagonals of 6 feet exactly.
>>
>> 2. Measure and mark 3 feet (half the diagonal) from both sides of
>> each corner, for a total of 8 measurements and marks.
>>
>> 3. Connect the dots, cut off the corners, and wahlah (sic)! You've
>> got a perfect octagon!
Tell Phil it's "Voilà!", will ya? (pronounced "vwala")
>I suspect that one might get closer by laying out a circle, bisecting it
>with a line through the center, erecting a perpendicular to the first line
>also through the center thus dividing the circle into four quadrants. Bisect
>the quadrants and you have eight equal divisions. Connect the points where
>the lines cross the circle and you have an octagon. All of these steps can
>be done using a straightedge and either a compass or a set of trammel points
>to fit onto the straighedge. Or so my vague recollections of junior high
>geometry class suggest...
Yes, layout via bisecting the circle is actually quicker to do than to
describe.
-
Yea, though I walk through the valley of Minwax, I shall stain no Cherry.
http://diversify.com
"John McGaw" <[email protected]> wrote
>
> I suspect that one might get closer by laying out a circle, bisecting it
> with a line through the center, erecting a perpendicular to the first line
> also through the center thus dividing the circle into four quadrants.
Bisect
> the quadrants and you have eight equal divisions. Connect the points where
> the lines cross the circle and you have an octagon. All of these steps can
> be done using a straightedge and either a compass or a set of trammel
points
> to fit onto the straighedge. Or so my vague recollections of junior high
> geometry class suggest...
The above is perhaps the easiest to draw an octagon inside a circle. To
draw an octagon inside a square, you would trace a line from opposite
corners of the square, let's call "C" the point where these 2 lines
intersect, then draw four quarter circles with centers on each of the
square's corners, start from one side of the square, ending on the other
side and passing exactly on the intersection "C", finally join all points
where the quarter circles intersect the sides of the square.
Guillermo