10 Handy Tricks for Woodworkers & Automaton-makers

The latest installment of my column on automaton-making is now live on the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre web site. This one focuses on little tricks that help with automaton-making and woodworking in general. You'll find tips on how to make your own transfer paper and wood filler, some unlikely sources for tools and materials, and a handful of other useful gems. The image above shows a jeweler's ring clamp being used to hold a small piece of brass. This makes filing the piece much easier.

Here is where you can read Dug’s Automata Tips, Techniques and Tricks No. 12 featuring 10 Handy Tricks for Woodworkers & Automaton-makers

I hope at least one of the tips proves useful to you!

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How to fuse custom-size urethane belts for your projects

In my latest Tips, Tricks and Techniques article for Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, I show you exactly how to make custom-sized belts from urethane material. It's an easy method that produces a strong welded joint. It just requires the right materials, a bit of preparation, and some patience.

Here is where you can read my latest article on how to fuse custom-size urethane belts for your projects.

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String-operated Japanese karakuri figure

Here is an interesting form of karakuri doll posted to YouTube by artist Osamu Kanda and attributed to GOTO. This figure differs from the spring-driven variety of karakuri in that it is powered by the viewer. A system of strings allows the user to manipulate the doll something like a stationary marionette.

Here is the web page with pictures and additional information (some English, mostly Japanese) about this string-operated karakuri figure.

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Reciprocating motion from an axle rotating on same axis

One reader of The Automata / Automaton Blog wrote to me with an interesting question. He wrote: "I'm looking for a simple mechanism to convert rotational motion to reciprocal motion along the SAME axis as the rotation, not perpendicular."

I decided to investigate potential solutions in one of my favorite books on mechanisms, Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements. Below are some of the solutions I found listed by the numbers that appear in my copy of the book (Astragal Press, 1995).

• 95. Oblique disc imparting rectilinear motion to rod resting upon its surface
• 106. & 107. Uniform reciprocating rectilinear motion produced by rotary motion of grooved cams
• 136. Crown tooth gear with rod pressed against rim
• 143. Sliding worm screw and toothed wheel
• 165. Circular to rectilinear motion via waved-wheel (or cam)
• 167. Drum or cylinder with endless groove and follower
• 237. Crown-ratchet (driven by crown, not pawl)
• 272. Beveled disc with follower on its circumference.
• 351. Partially toothed pinion and rack with return mechanism

I have probably missed a few in the book, and there are certainly many more possible solutions.

Order your own copy of Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements: Embracing All Those Which Are Most Important in Dynamics, Hydraulics, Hydrostatics, Pneumatics, Steam Engines...

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