Formula needed!!!

[Jens Jensen]

I am going to be building a 8 foot octagon picnic table this winter for a relative. Is there a formula to use to get the octagon started or do I need to scale it out and go from there?

[Brandon Maxwell]

found this on yahoo. maybe it will help you. i think if you know the diameter you want to make the table it should help.

http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/62671.html

[John Schaben]

HI Jens - Here's a calculator. Just enter any parameter and hit "calculate"
To try again, hit "delete" to clear the values.
http://rechneronline.de/pi/octagon.php

[Brandon Maxwell]

o yeah thats alot easier. have to save that one for myself.



John Schaben said:

HI Jens - Here's a calculator. Just enter any parameter and hit "calculate"
To try again, hit "delete" to clear the values.
http://rechneronline.de/pi/octagon.php

[Jens Jensen]

Brandon Maxwell said:

o yeah thats alot easier. have to save that one for myself.
Life is to simple thanks for the web site



John Schaben said:

HI Jens - Here's a calculator. Just enter any parameter and hit "calculate"
To try again, hit "delete" to clear the values.
http://rechneronline.de/pi/octagon.php

[Jens Jensen]

Thanks John it makes life easy

[Jens Jensen]

Found this one also
http://buster2058.netfirms.com/octagon/calc/octagon_layout_calc.htm

[John Schaben]

Hmm, I like the graphic display. Looks like either will work for you.

[Jens Jensen]

I think I'm in heaven now to new tools (calculators that is)

John Schaben said:

Hmm, I like the graphic display. Looks like either will work for you.

[greg darrow]

I am new to this forum but have an answer also.....if you have a construction calculator it is much easier. Put in the dimension you want the octogon to be in total width from one side to the other.....with a construction caculator you can do this in feet and inches.....times this dimension by .4142 and it will give the length of the individual legs (8).....long point to long point. Example.....if you want a a octogon which is 4 feet across....the measurement on each of the 8 legs would be 1foot 7 7/8 inch from long point to long point. When assembled your top would be 4 feet across.

[Jens Jensen]

Thanks all you have to do is buy me a calculator for my upcoming birthday and Christmas present. Just kidding but thanks anyway

greg darrow said:

I am new to this forum but have an answer also.....if you have a construction calculator it is much easier. Put in the dimension you want the octogon to be in total width from one side to the other.....with a construction caculator you can do this in feet and inches.....times this dimension by .4142 and it will give the length of the individual legs (8).....long point to long point. Example.....if you want a a octogon which is 4 feet across....the measurement on each of the 8 legs would be 1foot 7 7/8 inch from long point to long point. When assembled your top would be 4 feet across.

[Andy Van Driel]

http://buster2058.netfirms.com/octagon/calc/octagon_layout_calc.htm

Jens,

This webpage I use to calculate the length of each piece. Hope you can use it. It works great for me.

[John Schaben]

This may be a bit off thread but here's a little trick for translating decimal numbers to fractional.
Multiply the decimal number by an arbitrary number you want for the denomonator of the fraction, I usually use 32 as it's easy to reduce. The nearest whole number of the result becomes the numerator of the fraction.
example: decimal 0.163 multiplied by 32 is 5.216. Therefore the fractional equivalent is 5/32.
or 0.181 times 32 is 5.792 or 6/32 which would be 3/16.