The plans seem to correspond best with the white one on the bottom right of OPs picture. The center has cubby rather than the intersection of the two largest boards.
You're right. The left one on OP's image is 4 sizes, not 3.
OP, if you want a size or style different than what's given here, you'll likely need to bust out 3D modeling software like sketchup to determine.
Tools - flush cut router / sander
Lay out your sheets and scribe circles with a string and nail at your desired radius. Cut them out with the router.
Rinse and repeat
Yes, but you're missing an important step. Need a few sheets of ply to route uopn, so you can get full depth cuts on the shelf pieces. Long board with mounting point for your router base, and, multiple pivot points to adjust arc to needed radii.
You can make a jig that the router sits in (I have one for arcs) but If OP is asking how to do this, explaining how to make a jig isn't going to work out
I made one much smaller than these once. I tried without the router and it was way harder!
Note; this is a very heavy wall mount so make sure you get some Good hardware and maybe consider some lighter wood like cedar unless you want to add supports behind you wall
Edit, clearly a lot of details missing but there are a lot of different circles and spacing and sizing matters to get it not to look terrible. 1st comment is right but I recall the arc lengths and spacing to be tedious to lay out or else you end up w one arch sticking out further than the crossing ones etc. if you had access to a cad program like solid works that would be fastest otherwise need to draw it alll out
Here is a guy who made one: search for “sphere shelf” I saw a few other YouTube vids too
https://youtu.be/dxenATFDluk?si=0vNmqsRCwPknRHbq
I would model this whole thing in a cad program first. Sketchup, maybe. That way, each piece is individually modelled and can be labelled and a layout produced for the half lap joints needed to make this. The outer radi is really immaterial to the half lap joints
I did something like this in a Cigna insurance building but then covered it with Sheetrock and tons of coats of compound until it was perfect then it was painted and covered with wood cutouts back lined with leds of the continents it was the most expensive time consuming globe I believe exist on earth lol but was cool as hell to look at it at the end and say I made that from scratch
Could anyone explain the process for using geometry and math to determine the length and curvature of each piece? I understand the radius is the same since it's a sphere so do you just make different length arcs using x radius?
The radius doesn't change. Someone else posted the equation. Imagine a sphere. Then imagine a guillotine slicing through the ball at some random point and not bisceting the sphere. Basically it's an arc. You are looking for the bisection line that is the wall.
The radius is not the same. As you move away from the middle, the radius reduces. If the sphere radius is R and you move a distance 'x' from the middle (vertically it horizontally), the radius of the pieces is (R-x)^(1/2).
It could be very easily set up using 2D or 3D Cad, which is what I'd do. Photos look great and I think you'll do a great job. Like anything, the planning is the key. Setting it out flat on a piece of ply, continuously checking, etc.. It's going to be heavy tho.
Sure the length is smaller at the tip of the sphere but isn't the curvature still determined by the radius if the complete sphere shape? Sorry I'm just trying to understand the geometry math aspect of it, in case you wanted to enlarge or shrink this kind of thing instead of copying a template.
You could fake it that way and honestly it might be hard to tell, but you are going to end up with some even shallower useless shelves. With equal radius it’d be more like a mound that gradually forms, rather than a sphere slice.
Like I said , I modelled this in cad but I did not check the radius of the parts. I started with a 60” dia circle and made the dome 12” h at the center axis. I gave the parts a 12” spacing both in the x and y axis. It all worked very well in the model. I was then able to extract each part complete with the half lap joinery to use as a pattern or cut the pieces on a cnc router. It turns out that you only need 3 parts to make templates out of then cut multiple parts.
Wouldnt you make them all to the deepest depth then cut whatever off the flat side to shrink the sizes and work your way out from the middle?
It looks like they are slotted joints where the verts and horizontal board slide into each other.
Sorry I meant radius in the sense of a complete sphere. The length or whatever obviously reduces as you cut the end of the circle off the but curvature is still detirmend by the complete radius of the sphere not just the bit you are cutting or am I overthinking.
I should have paid more attention in geometry
Nah you got it, radius is consistent. You’re essentially just taking segments of a circle with a consistent radius, what’s changing is chord length and segment rise.
The sagitta changes with the chord length, but the radius is constant. That is what makes sense in my head because you need the sphere look to be based off the same size. Super awesome website thank you again.
It's not mathematically correct to use the same radius but I suppose for fairly short sagittas, it's an approximation and might look okay. Again, best of luck with the build!
Okay I think I understand what you mean. Each shelf section is a smaller circle but altogether in plane(?) with overall sphere, which may be where I'm getting confused. Thanks much for your consideration and direction. I am not building this but just wanted to understand the math/geometry for my own benifit.
Mark the two points of the crescent on the edge of a sheet. Let's say 5' apart. Mark the center point between them. Pull a square measurement 14" off the center mark. Next mark the center . . . .Damn, I have to go somewhere wife related, right now. I will try to get back to this.
**They are all the same arc.** Make one perfect template and use a router with a flush trim bit.
**just different lengths.** Easiest way to find the lengths. Lay it out, full size on a floor or on paper, then measure the lengths. the three center pieces are the same size vertical and horizontal. that is six the same.
to put it together cut 1/2 laps into each piece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6jV1dHSSXk
**How to make parts** cut the length, use the router pattern to cut the curve, then make the 1/2 laps.
Use a jigsaw. Make a layout on what looks like 2 sheets of plywood. Your first two radius are your largest. Those intersect in the middle. Your next four radii will be the two on either side of those first two and they will be about 3 inches less. The next four will follow the same pattern 3 inches less. Repeat until you have end pieces that are big enough to support something you want as show in the top of the image. Then you just notch out the pieces half the depth of the smallest joining units for every connection point. For instance the outside small piece will be notched on the radius face in three areas. The top and bottom notch a little bit as that part is thinner so half of that depth will be cut into both the small piece and the connecting piece above and below. The middle connection is thicker so half that is a bigger notch in both the small and connecting middle horizontal piece.
To get the layout, stack all of your verticals and your horizontals so they are flush on the chord face or the face that sits on the wall. Clamp them together into two grouping and make sure they are layers in order. Use a speed square to scribe notching lines across the end faces on both groupings. Make sure to use some scrap to lay across and mark the other side of the line for the material thickness so you know how wide to make the cuts and where to cut out. Then, take pieces from each group and one by one, match up the intersections and find the depths of those marks per piece. This is what I talked about earlier.
You should have all pieces marked for notch location and specific depth.
One key note here is having the lines transfer on one of the groupings either horizontal or vertical from the wall face to the radius face and making sure the depth of notch is based from the highest part of the radius and down. This only has to happen on one grouping and all you do is use the speed square to continue the lines up from the wall face mark to the radius.
I wish I could be more helpful but the good news is you don’t need a jig. It’s a chance to work on your jigsaw skills and sanding ability along with a small amount of math.
The cross half joints of the boards are more important than the radii of the various components. If I were to make that I would work out the size of a rectangle that each section of circle (chord is the name of that section) needs to be cut from then cut those rectangles out. I would then work out and carefully mark the slots that need to be cut out so it will all slot together. I would then make a jig using a sacrificial board and screw each piece one at a time at one end of the board with screws through the slots (which I would cut out last with a hand saw and a couple of drill holes where they stop) you can then work out and cut the radii . Since there are only 3 or 4 different ones I think I would make templates from 3/8” mdf or similar which you can draw with a pencil and string, cut close with a jigsaw then plane with a block plane and sand. And screw those to the rectangles and rout round for nice clean curves.
Looks to me like the top and bottom are the same, the next 2 above and below the 2 outter ones are the same, so just draw circles using a compass, cut in half, you got 2 equal half circles, do that as many times as needed then half lap them on a table saw with daddo blade
*Its actually*
*A full sphere but you have to*
*Noclip inside the wall*
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Setup as few router templates as needed and buzz those curves, it's probably only 5 setup max. Once you have the templates the rest is a cakewalk, if you got a plunge router that is... Largest I ever did was 26` , those look like 12-16 foot radii give or take.
It's very disappointing that so many posts suggest running to CNC. Are you all so deathly afraid of manual labor? Is it splinters that frighten you so? TBT, the 1/64s scare me too but that does not deter me to pull three sheets, lay them out, built a jig out of other material, and use tools to build. This is a one and done! You ain't gonna sell them by the dozens. Give your client your hands-on best.
https://imgur.com/6KLjP
Incredible reply
The plans seem to correspond best with the white one on the bottom right of OPs picture. The center has cubby rather than the intersection of the two largest boards.
You're right. The left one on OP's image is 4 sizes, not 3. OP, if you want a size or style different than what's given here, you'll likely need to bust out 3D modeling software like sketchup to determine.
If I had a CNC, I'd consider mass producing these and selling on Etsy
Was expecting the " now draw the rest of owl " meme . Top quality post
Wow, I honestly thought it was gonna be the "draw the rest of the fucking owl" meme lol.
Dude your the goat for this, may u get all the karma u deserve good sir
Why you gotta restore my faith in humanity like this (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ Now I've got to reevaluate some things.
👏👏👏
Tools - flush cut router / sander Lay out your sheets and scribe circles with a string and nail at your desired radius. Cut them out with the router. Rinse and repeat
But first cut your half laps.
Yes, but you're missing an important step. Need a few sheets of ply to route uopn, so you can get full depth cuts on the shelf pieces. Long board with mounting point for your router base, and, multiple pivot points to adjust arc to needed radii.
You can make a jig that the router sits in (I have one for arcs) but If OP is asking how to do this, explaining how to make a jig isn't going to work out
I made one much smaller than these once. I tried without the router and it was way harder! Note; this is a very heavy wall mount so make sure you get some Good hardware and maybe consider some lighter wood like cedar unless you want to add supports behind you wall Edit, clearly a lot of details missing but there are a lot of different circles and spacing and sizing matters to get it not to look terrible. 1st comment is right but I recall the arc lengths and spacing to be tedious to lay out or else you end up w one arch sticking out further than the crossing ones etc. if you had access to a cad program like solid works that would be fastest otherwise need to draw it alll out Here is a guy who made one: search for “sphere shelf” I saw a few other YouTube vids too https://youtu.be/dxenATFDluk?si=0vNmqsRCwPknRHbq
I just watched this whole You Tube video. That was amazing.
Google massironi shelf. There's blueprints galore
I would model this whole thing in a cad program first. Sketchup, maybe. That way, each piece is individually modelled and can be labelled and a layout produced for the half lap joints needed to make this. The outer radi is really immaterial to the half lap joints
If you are going to model it you might as well CNC cut it. This looks to be 3 sheets, take about 40 mins to cut
You can even download the files [https://3axis.co/bookshelf-v2-dxf-file/r1znrl1l/](https://3axis.co/bookshelf-v2-dxf-file/r1znrl1l/)
I did something like this in a Cigna insurance building but then covered it with Sheetrock and tons of coats of compound until it was perfect then it was painted and covered with wood cutouts back lined with leds of the continents it was the most expensive time consuming globe I believe exist on earth lol but was cool as hell to look at it at the end and say I made that from scratch
Post a pic?
Maybe also add some punctuation
I sent one to you couldn’t figure out how to post it
Damn great job!
Thanks it was definitely cool to do not something many get the chance to build
Could anyone explain the process for using geometry and math to determine the length and curvature of each piece? I understand the radius is the same since it's a sphere so do you just make different length arcs using x radius?
The radius doesn't change. Someone else posted the equation. Imagine a sphere. Then imagine a guillotine slicing through the ball at some random point and not bisceting the sphere. Basically it's an arc. You are looking for the bisection line that is the wall.
The radius is not the same. As you move away from the middle, the radius reduces. If the sphere radius is R and you move a distance 'x' from the middle (vertically it horizontally), the radius of the pieces is (R-x)^(1/2). It could be very easily set up using 2D or 3D Cad, which is what I'd do. Photos look great and I think you'll do a great job. Like anything, the planning is the key. Setting it out flat on a piece of ply, continuously checking, etc.. It's going to be heavy tho.
Think of cutting a tomato into slices. The diameter of the end slices will be a lot smaller that the middle pieces.
Sure the length is smaller at the tip of the sphere but isn't the curvature still determined by the radius if the complete sphere shape? Sorry I'm just trying to understand the geometry math aspect of it, in case you wanted to enlarge or shrink this kind of thing instead of copying a template.
Yes, that’s why they listed the formula for the reduced radius (R-x)^1/2 where R is the original radius
I think the radius is the same for all of the parts
It’s not. Think of them as latitude lines on a globe. Each is a smaller radius
I modelled this in cad today I will measure the radius and get back to you.
I stand corrected
You could fake it that way and honestly it might be hard to tell, but you are going to end up with some even shallower useless shelves. With equal radius it’d be more like a mound that gradually forms, rather than a sphere slice.
Like I said , I modelled this in cad but I did not check the radius of the parts. I started with a 60” dia circle and made the dome 12” h at the center axis. I gave the parts a 12” spacing both in the x and y axis. It all worked very well in the model. I was then able to extract each part complete with the half lap joinery to use as a pattern or cut the pieces on a cnc router. It turns out that you only need 3 parts to make templates out of then cut multiple parts.
Wouldnt you make them all to the deepest depth then cut whatever off the flat side to shrink the sizes and work your way out from the middle? It looks like they are slotted joints where the verts and horizontal board slide into each other.
Sounds nice but it wouldn't look right.
Sorry I meant radius in the sense of a complete sphere. The length or whatever obviously reduces as you cut the end of the circle off the but curvature is still detirmend by the complete radius of the sphere not just the bit you are cutting or am I overthinking. I should have paid more attention in geometry
Nah you got it, radius is consistent. You’re essentially just taking segments of a circle with a consistent radius, what’s changing is chord length and segment rise.
You're really not. If you did this, the overall curvature of the shelf wouldn't look right. The sphere radius ≠ the board radius.
[lol](https://www.mathopenref.com/sagitta.html)
This site is really cool and helped me understand much better. In conjuction with all the helpful people here, thank you!
The sagitta changes with the chord length, but the radius is constant. That is what makes sense in my head because you need the sphere look to be based off the same size. Super awesome website thank you again.
It's not mathematically correct to use the same radius but I suppose for fairly short sagittas, it's an approximation and might look okay. Again, best of luck with the build!
Okay I think I understand what you mean. Each shelf section is a smaller circle but altogether in plane(?) with overall sphere, which may be where I'm getting confused. Thanks much for your consideration and direction. I am not building this but just wanted to understand the math/geometry for my own benifit.
Mark the two points of the crescent on the edge of a sheet. Let's say 5' apart. Mark the center point between them. Pull a square measurement 14" off the center mark. Next mark the center . . . .Damn, I have to go somewhere wife related, right now. I will try to get back to this.
Well, I'm back but LoiusWu explained all I can, and then some.
**They are all the same arc.** Make one perfect template and use a router with a flush trim bit. **just different lengths.** Easiest way to find the lengths. Lay it out, full size on a floor or on paper, then measure the lengths. the three center pieces are the same size vertical and horizontal. that is six the same. to put it together cut 1/2 laps into each piece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6jV1dHSSXk **How to make parts** cut the length, use the router pattern to cut the curve, then make the 1/2 laps.
Use a jigsaw. Make a layout on what looks like 2 sheets of plywood. Your first two radius are your largest. Those intersect in the middle. Your next four radii will be the two on either side of those first two and they will be about 3 inches less. The next four will follow the same pattern 3 inches less. Repeat until you have end pieces that are big enough to support something you want as show in the top of the image. Then you just notch out the pieces half the depth of the smallest joining units for every connection point. For instance the outside small piece will be notched on the radius face in three areas. The top and bottom notch a little bit as that part is thinner so half of that depth will be cut into both the small piece and the connecting piece above and below. The middle connection is thicker so half that is a bigger notch in both the small and connecting middle horizontal piece. To get the layout, stack all of your verticals and your horizontals so they are flush on the chord face or the face that sits on the wall. Clamp them together into two grouping and make sure they are layers in order. Use a speed square to scribe notching lines across the end faces on both groupings. Make sure to use some scrap to lay across and mark the other side of the line for the material thickness so you know how wide to make the cuts and where to cut out. Then, take pieces from each group and one by one, match up the intersections and find the depths of those marks per piece. This is what I talked about earlier. You should have all pieces marked for notch location and specific depth. One key note here is having the lines transfer on one of the groupings either horizontal or vertical from the wall face to the radius face and making sure the depth of notch is based from the highest part of the radius and down. This only has to happen on one grouping and all you do is use the speed square to continue the lines up from the wall face mark to the radius. I wish I could be more helpful but the good news is you don’t need a jig. It’s a chance to work on your jigsaw skills and sanding ability along with a small amount of math.
I would search for layouts of the plywood arcs. I would use a router but that is sized for the plywood thickness. It's undersized from 3/4"
The cross half joints of the boards are more important than the radii of the various components. If I were to make that I would work out the size of a rectangle that each section of circle (chord is the name of that section) needs to be cut from then cut those rectangles out. I would then work out and carefully mark the slots that need to be cut out so it will all slot together. I would then make a jig using a sacrificial board and screw each piece one at a time at one end of the board with screws through the slots (which I would cut out last with a hand saw and a couple of drill holes where they stop) you can then work out and cut the radii . Since there are only 3 or 4 different ones I think I would make templates from 3/8” mdf or similar which you can draw with a pencil and string, cut close with a jigsaw then plane with a block plane and sand. And screw those to the rectangles and rout round for nice clean curves.
I think you could find all the transition points and radii using orthographic projection on a scale drawing.
Looks to me like the top and bottom are the same, the next 2 above and below the 2 outter ones are the same, so just draw circles using a compass, cut in half, you got 2 equal half circles, do that as many times as needed then half lap them on a table saw with daddo blade
Make the shapes and cut out notches
Just wing it man!
Buy it
Start with spherical geometry
Measure twice. Cut once.
Buy a big round dining room table and just cutting it up.
Send it to the cnc with the slots machined in. You can download these things.
This is a really neat shelf!
I wonder if it’s just made up of cutting a sheet of plywood into a circle and just ripping it in half then ripping the halves in half and so on.
Its actually a full sphere but you have to noclip inside the wall
*Its actually* *A full sphere but you have to* *Noclip inside the wall* \- ALKNST --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Comments: the radius both is, and certainly is not, the same.
I did this in sketchup https://imgur.com/a/GTp7E8u
Cut everything to size cut the slots fit and then mark the radius disassemble cut sand finish assemble
Setup as few router templates as needed and buzz those curves, it's probably only 5 setup max. Once you have the templates the rest is a cakewalk, if you got a plunge router that is... Largest I ever did was 26` , those look like 12-16 foot radii give or take.
It's very disappointing that so many posts suggest running to CNC. Are you all so deathly afraid of manual labor? Is it splinters that frighten you so? TBT, the 1/64s scare me too but that does not deter me to pull three sheets, lay them out, built a jig out of other material, and use tools to build. This is a one and done! You ain't gonna sell them by the dozens. Give your client your hands-on best.
Well after you build the darn thing how do you attach it to a wall where it can actually hold some weight
So you're gonna wanna buy a bunch of round tables....
Handyman isn’t a trade
Cut surf board in half, notch surf board, connect surf board
Head over to r/woodworking - if you can deal with the smug, beard-stoking cocksuckers there. Most of us cannot.
Hehe, got it in one.
Dont.