Hand-cranked mechanical bank featuring a snail that grabs the coin

Check out this lovely mechanical wooden coin bank by artist Christopher Blasius. When you turn the handle a snail emerges to grab the coin and pull it into its shell. The reverse side is covered in Plexiglass so the mechanism can be seen. Love those gears! Plans are available and the latter portion of this video shows you just what you'd be getting into if you decide to make one for yourself.

Here is where you can buy the plans for the mechanical snail coin bank.

[ Via the Spiel und Kunst mit Mechanik blog ]

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Improved video footage of the inside of a mechanical bird coin bank

I posted the other day about this mechanical tin bank that comes to us by way of mechanical master, Falk Keuten of the Spiel und Kunst mit Mechanik blog. He decide to reshoot the video to show the mechanism better. It worked. Thanks Falk!

If you prefer your mechanical birds to give rather than take, you might like the toothpick dispensing bird I referenced in that post. I use toothpicks in the workshop a lot. It just occurred to me that this would be a much easier and fun way to store and dispense them.

If you like this kind of thing in general, here's a list of posts on mechanical banks that I've done over the years. It could keep you busy for a few minutes.

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Wooden marble machine with pretty ring gear lift

I spotted this last week over at the excellent blog called Spiel und Kunst mit Mechanik.

This beautiful machine made by Roland Waters is well-document in the video shown here. The number of different mechanisms packed into such small space is extraordinary. The gear-based ring elevator is amazing, as is the rate of feed.

From the YouTube description:

This is intended to be an awkward, overly complicated mechanism for the sole purpose of entertainment and to make noise in the process. People seem to enjoy watching gears turn and marbles running around in circles making noise. There are 16 gears hand-cut from 1/2" Baltic Birch plywood driven by an electric gear reduction motor.

Here's the original post from Spiel und Kunst mit Mechanik.

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