My New Golden Ratio Calipers
I have been talking about the Golden Ratio for years. In the book, in workshops, on YouTube, in just about every conversation I have about form and design at the lathe. It is, without exaggeration, one of the most useful concepts I have ever come across as a maker. Not because it gives you a formula for perfection, but because it gives you a starting point for proportion.
We could all do with a place to begin when we are standing at the lathe, wondering where the widest point should sit, or how much lid a box needs, or why that bowl looks slightly off, even though the technique was fine.
The maths behind it is straightforward enough. 1:1.618. Multiply or divide. But I have watched enough people’s eyes glaze over at the mention of ratios and calculators to know that the concept is not the problem. Nobody wants to stop mid-turn, find their phone, open a calculator, and punch in numbers. By the time you have the answer, you have lost the feel of the piece.
My new calipers solve this problem!
You set the outer points to whatever dimension you are working with, the total height, the full diameter, whatever matters, and the inner point shows you the Golden Ratio division. Instantly. No numbers, no screens, no interruption to your flow. Just a physical tool that gives you a proportional answer you can hold against the wood.
Why Now?
I get asked about calipers a lot. Where to buy them, what size, what to look for. And the honest answer has always been a bit unsatisfying: there are options out there, but none come with intstructions for use with a lathe! I wanted something I could genuinely recommend without caveats. So I decided to offer them myself. Plus, they work really well with or without using them with book, Woodturning Form and Formula.
What You Get
Each pair measures 163mm long and 54mm wide when closed, with a measuring range from 26mm up to 300mm when fully opened. That covers everything from small boxes and goblets right through to decent-sized bowls and hollow forms.
They come with a printed guide that walks you through using them on spindle work, and a link to a private video for an overview of their use. If you are new to the Golden Ratio, this will get you up and running. If you have been using proportion for a while, it is a handy reference to keep near the lathe.
This super tool will give you a language for proportion, a way to ask why something works, and a quicker way to find out. I have been using the ratio in my own turning for years now, and the biggest shift was not in the pieces themselves. It was in how I see them. Once you start noticing proportion, you cannot unsee it. These calipers are just the quickest way I know to get there.
Buy Your Own Set of Golden Ratio Calipers
Steel calipers with the Golden Ratio (1:1.618) built into their geometry. Set the outer points to any measurement from 26mm to 300mm, and the inner point instantly shows you the proportional sweet spot. No maths, no guesswork.
Use them to find where the widest point of a vessel should sit, how to proportion a lid to its body, how wide a foot should be, or where to place a decorative feature. One tool that answers the question every maker eventually asks: why does this look right?
Specifications
• Steel construction
• 163mm long, 54mm wide when closed
• Measuring range: 26mm to 300mm
• You will be sent either silver, gold, or black in a plastic wallet
• Includes printed guide with basic instructions and link to private how-to video
• Use in conjunction with Woodturning: Form and Formula
• Price plus shipping using Royal Mail Tracked Services
Shipping will commence from 7th April.