Mod of the Month - June 2007

Fibonacci Sequence

By Pfaffen
Worklog

Very little truly brings out the geek in us like the mix of mathematics and artistic design. And no one concept merges the two quite like the golden ratio. For those who are blissfully unaware, the golden ratio is a concept that's simple in its origin but incredibly complex in its applications, which are seen in nearly limitless architectural designs. (A+B) is to A as A is to B. That's it.

The golden ratio has been studied and applied ever since ancient Greek times, but its most famous adopter was probably Leonardo Fibonacci of Pisa. The Italian mathematician is best known for his number sequence, which breaks the concept of the golden ratio down into several squares. It is this work that Pfaffen has channeled for his own project, dubbed the Fibonacci Sequence.

Pfaffen first brought us his first mod, which borrowed heavily from our own Nick Falzone's Sangaku, after its completion...but that didn't stop the attractive design from getting a lot of attention in our modding section. After such a strong start, we've been looking forward to see his second creation - and we're not disappointed.

Rule #1: PLAN YOUR MOD. This is never so true as it is when you are dealing with incredibly strict tolerances and unforgiving mathematical principles. Every piece of Fibonacci Sequence was carefully planned, measured, measured again, cut, measured a third time and dry fit.

Pfaffen's woodworking is definitely improving. The joints are largely shaped by hand, much like that of his modding mentor (and our resident wood mod-god), Greensabbath. Talent to this degree is pretty hard to find even when things are machined entirely, but the hard work of hand chisels adds further character and qualities that no machine could replicate.

With the majority of the frame cut, it was time to give it a dry fit and see how things were looking. The answer was "pretty good," though Pfaffen admits to a little unwanted wiggle in a couple of the joints.

With the frame done, it was time to move onto the acrylic that would form the walls. Since it would not be left clear, it was a perfect time to trace out the sequence of squares that would soon become the case's focal point for its extraordinary detail. With the lines drawn and measurements made, Pfaffen cut and assembled the pieces that would divide the main panel.

As mentioned, there was never any intent to leave the acrylic as plain old clear acrylic. Instead, it was to be cut down and then covered in gold leaf. This addition creates a stark but gorgeous contrast with the dark walnut wood that Pfaffen has used to create the frame.

Further beautiful detail work is just waiting in this worklog, and undoubtedly there is a lot more waiting in Pfaffen's head and very patient hands. We'll be looking forward to seeing how this turns out!