Hello All, I had no idea that the azimuthal dials would create so much interest and discussion. Ever since Art Carlson praised it and its Dali cousin more than a month ago, I was determined to understand it, evaluate it and maybe even make one. But after much work and analysis, I have concluded that it is NOT an appropriate design for me to build. For me, the cons outweigh the pros. Here are two lists I made of the pros & cons:
Azimuthal Pros 1. It looks different, original and pretty (especially if you like the Batman logo!) 2. It can be made to tell Standard Time 3. It requires a simple vertical gnomon 4. It can be designed by Fer's Spin program 5. It is horizontal (usually), and horizontals are very commercial 6. It tells time from sunup to sundown Azimuthal Cons 1. It requires an absurdly tall gnomon at middle and lower latitudes which would make the sundial look odd and would have severe shadow fuzziness problems in the summer. 2. To avoid using a tall gnomon, the shadow must be artificially extended by visual guesstimation or by a string shadow extender, both of which would make the dial less precise. Also, changing the date ring order complicates calculations and makes the dial even harder to read. 3. It is inherently hard to read even with just one hour time lines, especially for the novice, without instructions. 4. It is very difficult to make this dial precise with small time line divisions.(For fun, try Spin using five minute time increments (step hour=5/60=.0833, and you'll see what I mean) 5. Small time increments make the dial even harder to read. 6. There is severe time line compression on the inner date rings, making engraving and reading difficult. 6. If the geniuses on the Sundial List have a hard time understanding it, I doubt my customers ever will! So there you have it. I promiss I will never ask another azimuthal question again! Thanks to you all for all your help with my (our) azimuthal education. Even though I reject the azimuthal design, the struggle to understand it has been well worth all the trouble. (Besides, the discussion has lead to new friendships) John Carmichael Tucson, Az
