Thread: Marble Labyrinth Game - WIP

Hi bpj1968,
Thanks for the great tip! I've picked up a bit of decking to give it a go.

Also, some small progress. I've used a roundover bit to make a base, which will give me enough clearance under the rods for the marble to roll to the 'exit hole'
Attachment 200035
Attachment 200036
I've got a bit of cleaning up to do on the mitres but I'm pretty happy with the way it is looking.

It's finally coming together Cam.
I'm enjoying watching your progress.
Thanks for the WIP photos and good working notes.
Cheers, crowie

It may have been a results to a stuff up but I think the round over base adds to the piece.

Most common reference is design modification. I do it all the time.

Hi,
Cheers for the comments and kind words crowie and Christos.

I've made some progress and have done a quick play test to see how it all works together (it's been way too hot to get much done ). The controls still need some tweaking and the bottom has a flat spot right at the exit hole which means the ball fails to roll out some of the time. I also had to add an a bit more to the base to lift up the tilt rods a bit higher once the sloping base was installed. So there is still a bit of work to go.

Sketched out the maze:
Attachment 201109

The base and tilt controls:
Attachment 201110

Maze in place (maze walls cut from decking board - thanks bpj1968)
Attachment 201111

And here is a quick play test to see how the controls work (demonstrated by my lovely partner)
Marble Labyrinth Play Test.mpg - YouTube
Not sure how to embed a youtube video into the post.

I will probably re-make the maze part with some nicer wood and rather than cut each wall out individually I will cut out joined segments as a single piece to make it look better. I'm not sure of what sort of finish to use on the box, maybe a stain, some of that spray on poly stuff (never used it before) or just a wipedown with some oil. Any suggestions would be great.

Hi all,
Been too busy to get into the shed for a while, but managed a few hours in there this weekend to finish off this project...well almost.
I've remade the maze insert with a ply base and tidied up the maze walls, added some knobs, and given the whole thing a good coating with linseed oil. All that is left is to glue the top to the base and then make a stencil to mark on the maze directions (probably just use a sharpie marker, hopefully it won't bleed on the plywood). But after that I'm calling this one done.
I'm a bit disappointed that I couldn't get the dovetails on this one, but I will keep working on that. Overall, I'm quite pleased with the end result though.

I am hoping to post up the plans for this project soon for anyone who is interested. Though I am heading over to the US for a few weeks in April for a holiday so it will likely be a while before I can complete the drawings.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who followed along and gave encouragement and helpful suggestions. It was a lot of fun to make and I think my woodworking has improved over the course of this project. Already got a few ideas for my next project

The pics!
Attachment 203701Attachment 203702
Attachment 203703Attachment 203704

Looks great. You could even have a selection of interchangeable mazes

An interesting and worthwhile project CCC!!

Don't know that I have the will to tackle that!!

G'Day Cam,
Wow it's finished and it surely has come up very well.
Well done indeed.
Thank you taking the time and effort to do all the tutorial on the "how to" as that makes what you've built even more special.
Keep up the good work.
Looking forward to the next project.
Cheers, crowie