Hey Guys,

For my next project I might build a hutch that is in an antique book I have. How do you go about creating a plan or scale drawing from a picture? Do you estimate the height or width and then reference from that?... Or... do you find a part of the piece that you know looks like 3/4" thick and then scale everything from that?

Tommy, I think I remember you built that first secretary from a picture, didn't you?

Any help would be appreciated... I still have one more kitchen to finish but I'd like to start the drawing process for this thing soon. Maybe I'll scan the pic and post it.

take care and thanks

Dave

Hi Dave,

Google sketchup has a really powerful tool that allows you to import a picture of a piece and paste it to a a model. Even if the picture is in perspective or isometric you can use pushpins to stretch the image until you can see it face on. From here you can dimension off of the image to get the look you're after. the only tricky part is that you need to know or estimate the overall dimensions of the piece in order to scale the picture properly.

...this 1 is tough ...i never knew about that site ..it sounds cool...i will check it out...dave....i always know the dimensions of the piece so its tough to say what to do....but i usually make a scale then spend allot of time breaking stuff down ..and we blow things up in a copier.... that helps....and if you have an over head projector that you can use ...thats a pretty good way to get info...i did that with the bonnett of the salem piece....i know i have seen allot written about perspective drawing.....so its out there...but if you can show me what your doing maybe i can point you in the right direction ....if not me i am sure somebody can,,,,,sorry man ..i dont think this is too helpful

Instead of trying to figure out what the correct size the peice is why not make the peice the size that suits you. Lets say you know where the piece will go when finished and if it was 40in wide that would be perfect. Now go to the picture and find a scale that is close enough. Now you have something to reference from. You really wouldn't need to to be to accurate on the scale because at this point your just using it to find relative sizes to scale your drawing to. Hopefully this make sense otherwise i can try to explain it differently.

Ya, that's probably a good idea... pick the width, or height for that matter, and scale from that..... because off of the picture I can find out that the height is 1.8 times the width (for example)...

I'm not trying to over complicate the process, I was just worried about screwing up some of the proportions - I've read that a lot of these antiques were designed with a certain look to them, and it's these proportions and details that make them appealing, even to us 100-175 years after they were built.... I just didn't want to "wing it" and end up with a life size replica of something that didn't have the same visual effect as the picture.... you guys know what I mean? Maybe I'm just nuts...

thanks

Dave

Well I am Cabinet designer/builder so I really don't know much about old furniture or antiques. Normally when a costumer brings me a picture of a kitchen or whatever from a magazine this how I replicate it. And your right size doesn't ever hardly matter as long as you keep everything porportional. Lot of times the only measurement I know is the space to be filled, so this is what I came up with.

dave....i think this is the hardest part of being a furniture maker.....you know it aint like there is a book or a drawing of all of the things that crowd museum rooms in the world......building these things is the hardest thing i have ever done..and i have built it all.....breaking down period furniture perspectively is extremely frustrating....i think if you try to have a simple approach it best ...like some pieces are that size because it was made from 5/4 or 8/4 you know what i am trying to say????i think they made things with what they had.....there is no set perspective break down on any of it...unless you break it into geographic terms ....since things made here in boston are not the same as new york or newport ..connecticut or where ever..you get me???? like this bombe....i know it was only made here in boston so i looked at every example i could then i took by best shot at it....i hope it will be on this time....you know the salem piece i did ..well about 3 years after i built it i went to the met in new york and saw with my own 2 eyes the orinigal.....let me tell you i was not at all pleased with my interpretation....it upset me for a long time ....i think if you get a chance you should go to some museums in your area....it will open your eyes to all sorts of different approaches to this stuff....i think doing period pieces is so much harder than doing my own thing or my own style...these guys were at the top of the food chain....after the industrialization of the country and world...true proportions took a back seat to how to best do it with a machine.....you just have to try your best and dont get paralyzed with perfection....i am confident after you build this thing all questions will be answered ...one way or another......

Checking out some museums is a good idea.... I may not find something exactly like it, but it's neat to compare anything similar. What I'm looking at is called a storage cupboard in the book... it looks like a hutch without glass doors on the top and no work counter.... but anything like a cupboard, hutch, dish dresser, library thing will give me ideas...

I have some relatives with a few old pieces... I can check them out for some construction info... likely get my hands on them and stick my head inside...

Maybe in the new year my wife and I will venture into the US and check out some museums and shows or whatever there... maybe swing by Lie-Nielsen...

gotta run

dude....get this book.....furniture treasury by wallace nutting ane the fine pionts books are great too.....by american antiques...

Dude.... just bought a used copy off Ebay for $10.... looked around for some new ones.... I think it might be out of print now?

thanks

have a great weekend

Dave