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owln_1 Loyal user dallas /now live by tulsa 222 Posts |
Hello all; I was wondering if any one could tell me the quality of the Abbotts Workshop plans, or they as good as Paul Osborne ( dear god; did I spell the name right this time?) plans. I tried to search the archives but it was not working, as I’m sure this has probable been asked before. Thanks Owln
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M-Illusion Special user 549 Posts |
Certainly, the Osborne plans provide more detail and often, modern improvements over the Abbott's plans. However, I still think that they are great plans, the illusions are all build-able from them and are also great for illusionary education (my perspective is that it's great to go back to the original sources) or to update / modify to your own preferences.
I have built over a dozen illusions from the Abbott's plans and currently have two in the works right now. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask. Good luck! |
asianmagic Regular user Philadelphia 130 Posts |
Hnmmm... So the Osborn plans are updates of the Abbotts plans?
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owln_1 Loyal user dallas /now live by tulsa 222 Posts |
Thanks I was wanting to get some of Abbotts plans but the cheap $5.00 had me worried, I feel better about it now, and will buy some. thanks again, Owln
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M-Illusion Special user 549 Posts |
They are definitely well worth the $5.00. For instance, I bought the Shredder plans with NO intentions of building the illusion, but wanted to study it for the mere education of the mechanics.
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Based on my experience, Abbott plans are basic. You can certainly build by them, but having a knowledge of general construction techniques will help you make sense of certain things. In certain regards, Osborne plans are often similar, with a difference, which I will comment on momentarily.
Seeing the dimensions of a box, table, or cabinet, doesn't fully reveal some of the finer details that can make all the difference in how well the finished apparatus might function. You must be able to make the adjustments necessary to account for stock thickness, and how joints intersect. In some cases, I have found that overlooking such seemingly minor details can make a huge difference in the fit of another part that may be cut and added later. Overlooking the added, or subtracted thickness on say, 3/4" stock, multiplied by both left and right ends of a box's dimensions can possibly mean a 1 1/2" difference (+ or -) in the dimension of the completed piece. Cutting a piece too long, usually only costs you time to correct. Cutting a piece too short can get expensive quickly. I find it best, unless specific cutting dimensions are given, on a piece by piece list, to consider dimesions given to be guidelines. I completely redraft (to scale) the plans from which I will actually cut the parts and build the item. Buy a very large drawing pad and this will make your self-drafted plans easier to make and follow. Osborne plans are quite good for their creative applications of existing illusion concepts, they are certainly nicely rendered, and they quite often contain little tips and additions that actually do make improvements. In that regard, I find them more interesting and thought provoking than Abbott plans. But they lack that one item that I find vital (at least on the plans I have seen)... the materials/cutting list. Here is a quick non-magic example of one such list: http://www.buildeazy.com/coffee_lounge.html Unless there is a typo involved, you know EXACTLY what you need to have to build such a project, and more importantly, that all the parts will fit as they should. The Owen plans that I have seen, have these crucial things. At the very least, the plans should be drafted as working blueprints, so that you can visually see how the joints intersect, accomodations for stock thickness, etc. "The Great Illusions of Magic", a 2 volume set by Byron Wels is loaded with reproductions of old Thayer blueprints, and some others. While somewhat dated in style, these plans have very detailed drawings of the internal construction of these illusions. From there, you can begin to make desired alterations to customize an illusion to give it a more appropriate design. The point is, it will likely save you a lot of time and money if you have the finer details in mind before the saw blades start spinning.
~michael baker
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