Art: Isn't it fun to trash bad factory dials! I do it every chance I get. (at least their pesdestals are nice).
By the way, I found another website (The Garden Gate) which sells GORGEOUS cultured marble and stone pedestals and tapered obleisks. They also carry some sundials too. <http://www.gardengateco.com/Sundials.HTM> John Carmichael Tucson Arizona John C. (At least their pedestals are nice.) >Dave Bell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > >> I'd call it a fairly expensive joke! >> >> Note that a "real" dial should, roughly speaking, have the hours from 0600 >> to 1800 in a semicircle, running from East through North to West (in the >> northern hemisphere). This is a clock face, with only room for 12 hours in >> a day! > >The sundial at >http://www.shopoutdoordecor.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online-store/scstore /p-AWS209S.html?L+scstore+wxsc3599ff367336+981445839 >is certainly poorly (criminally?) designed in that it gets out of >whack as the declination changes (by about +/- 1 hour, even if >properly mounted). The simple fact that there are only 12 hours in a >circle does not, however, make it totally useless. Since the foot of >the gnomon is on the circle rather than in its center, the shadow >falls at about the right spot near sunrise and sunset. > >In fact, if the circle were either perpendicular to the gnomon or >elongated to an ellipse along the 6-12 axis, it could be turned into a >perfectly fine sundial. > >In the "Sundial Installation Instructions", the company states, "These >sundials are designed for ornamental use and give an approximation of >time. As a very accurate sundial would require constant adjustment and >less ornamentation, these models have been selected to give years of >enjoyment without the aggravation of constant tuning." I find these >words rather painful, knowing that sundials certainly can be accurate >(limited in most cases by the Equation of Time), and having seen many >examples of the beauty the artisans of this list can bestow on such an >accurate dial. > >--Art Carlson > >
