New Project WIP

[xpro]

Automata could be described as a meaningless moving construction, a toy, a curiosity, mechanical theatre, an entertainment, and, as I see my work, kinetic art - art which has movement. What they all have in common is the use of mechanical devices such as gears, levers, springs, pulleys, pin wheels, cams, weights, racks and so on to create a scene which moves when a handle is cranked.
An ex cabinetmaker, not an engineer, I wanted to to convey something to the viewer by the creation of a scene, made from wood, so, in my case, an experiment.
I would like to present this WIP without explanation of its concept even after completion. I see it is a failure if it requires explanation. An explained joke is no longer humorous.
The beginning was the carving of the characters, seen in the attached photo. They were carved using rotary tools from Huon Pine. The central character is a businessman, 150mm high, followed by the male and female legs 45mm high. As the idea developed, the dog, grim reaper, later the red devil holding a wad of $100 notes. Since I don't really know what I am doing with mechanics, over a period of ten or so weeks I constructed a prototype which actually worked, but I think I have less hair. I have attached a photo of all the bits and pieces which had to be junked because they didn't do what I was hoping for. Hope, I have discovered is an effective motivator in the making of automata. The prototype is a mess of relocated pivots, screws, revised gears etc. and engines, but the theory succeeded.
Now I am constructing the "real thing", and would like to share this with anyone so inclined to see the process. The third photo shows the main drive gear, some camshaft connectors, and some gear supports and a cam.
Thanks for watching,
Gus

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[Keith_1]

Gus,

This is going to be great to watch. I am glad you got this section into the Forum.

Really Good Stuff :2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

Keith

[NCArcher]

Watching with interest. Looks good so far

[Christos]

I too will pull up a chair to watch the progress.

[Sawdust Maker]

damn, Christos pinched my chair!

watching with interest

[Christos]

damn, Christos pinched my chair!.....


You can have this one, I'll move to the other side of the room next to NCArcher :q

[xpro]

345030345031345032345033The major "engine" of this project is the mechanism which converts rotary motion to linear. The central character moves 250mm from one location to another, pausing at each place. The conversion happens via pin wheels at 90º to each other. Attached to the output wheel is a hollow olive shaped arm, connected to a lever. The pause is achieved by that olive travelling on while the lever is idling. The carriage, at the top, is attached to a small drawer slide, moved by another pin wheel, running along a rack, top and bottom.
The automata has two distinct parts, the "engine" and the "stage". I am constructing each element as a separate mechanism, eventually connected to create the intended movements.
The rectangular box is 19mm Rock Maple veneered ply, 800mm wide, 300mm high and 250mm deep. Other materials are mostly marine ply, Maple and pine. Gears and pin wheels are cut on a scroll saw. I use a free gear generator program, from woodgears.ca from which a printed gear is glued to the blanks. After cutting the teeth, I sand each one on a constructed setup with abrasive discs glued to each side. Hand sanding to finish, pivot points or bearings are attached. Pin wheels use store bought dowels, cut to size and glued into drilled holes. After many attempts to make things do what I want, there is quite a background of producing gears which were never used. Grist for the mill, good experience. Apart from simple calculations, eg, what diameter gears do I need to turn the output gear at say half speed. Beyond those, I have no idea about gear ratios and what will do things I want. Hence the experimental nature of the project.
Next will be the crankshaft.
Thanks for looking,
Gus

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[Keith_1]

Hi Gus,

Looks really good. Keep it coming.

Keith

[xpro]

345322345321Rainy days seem to be here for good in Sydney, really good for workshop progress ! The crankshaft is the main generator of all the movement. The main drive gear connects to the handle through a small gear, not shown in the photo.
The actuators on the crankshaft are;
- Main drive gear
- Male leg cam
- Linear drive gear
- Support post
- Turn cam
- Red devil clock cam
- Turn cam
- Female leg cam

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The shaft is store bought 9/16" Tasmanian Oak dowel, (which is sold as 12mm) and is oval rather than round. I made a simple tool to reduce it to 12mm and make it round. The support posts have bearings to aid smooth and resistance free action. Due to its length, there is a bit of lash at the end, but seems not affect the movement.
The video shows the movement, the carriage for the main character is now in place. Next is the leg movement actuators and the "stage" above.
Thanks for looking,
Gus

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[wheelinround]

wheelin in feet up cuppa in hand

[Enfield Guy]

Watching, very interesting.

[xpro]

Apparently the video and photo can't be opened. Posting them again, fingers crossed. Video is MP4, may download to your player first.

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[NCArcher]

Nice fluid movement. Looking forward to the next installment. :2tsup:

[wheelinround]

:2tsup:

I was going to disagree with Tony and say :no: this is a nice fluid movement :beer: but I have to agree his comment is correct :U

[Keith_1]

Apparently the video and photo can't be opened. Posting them again, fingers crossed. Video is MP4, may download to your player first.

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Thanks Gus,

That is now spot on. Your work is fantastic (and spot on). I love this stuff. Do a loco next :fingerscrossed:

Good on you for getting Automata on the Forum.

Thanks again

Keith

[xpro]

The video is a large file which seems to have an effect on the text, which has disappeared somewhere, so posting it first, will follow with the text next post.
Gus

[xpro]

The legs operate via a lever which is spring loaded. When the pressure is released by the cam under, the action happens, and the leg retracts assisted by a small spring. There is a mechanism under the leg which prevents the action until the carriage arrives at the end of its travel. I wasn't able to work out the timing of the second kicks to coincide with the timing of the linear move, so this is a way around the problem. The carriage arrives, disengages the 5mm dowel from the front of the shoe and the movement takes place.The carriage preforms four actions; moves the central character from one end to the other, rotates the dog, rings a bell in conjunction with the dog's movement, and enables the kick to take place. The dog "mindlessly" reacts to the bell. The bell and other small springs were donated by a disused manual typewriter.The Devil stands on a mechanism which rotates 12 times, counting backward. It is activated by a cam on the crankshaft.Nearing completion, what remains is to build the house for the female leg and the Grim Reaper, a factory for the male leg, the wiring network, and landscaping the background. I thank all who followed the process so far, and appreciate very much, the supportive comments posted,Gus

[xpro]

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Previous video was too large for most applications, hope these play successfully.

[Keith_1]

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Previous video was too large for most applications, hope these play successfully.


Very, very, very skillful work Gus :brava

Keith

[xpro]

Very, very, very skillful work Gus :brava

Keith
I thank you very much Keith,
Gus
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[xpro]

It seems that the project is nearing finality, so I was able to give it a descriptive label. The photo attached is how it looks, in the next few days I will hopefully make a reasonable video of how it works. Will advise the URL.
I very much appreciate the comments posted, and again thanks to all who watched it unfold.

Gus

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[xpro]

The video of this automata, "Journey of Life" can be viewed at

https://youtu.be/XV82TCILVH0

Thanks to all who followed this project,
Gus