Hand-cranked paper bellows bird call project by Rob Ives

Here's another great mechanical paper design by Rob Ives called the "Twitterer Type 3". This one really sounds like a tweeting bird!

From the project page:

In the previous blog post I showed a design for a crank driven bellows to be used at the heart of a bird box project. I have taken that basic design and made it more sturdy. I liked the way the bellows in the previous model were completely visible so I've fitted the crank to the inside of a box but kept the bellows on a pair of slide rails outside the box. You can see the result in animated action on Instagram by clicking the picture to the left.

If you are a Member of Rob's site, you can download the parts to make this project. An annual membership to Rob's site, which provides access to LOT of amazing paper projects, is $14.95 per year. Here is where you can see the step-by-step instructions for the Twitterer Type 3.

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Paper automaton kit reveals why there are no magical fairies in the world

This new automaton from cool4cats titled A Tasty Snack explains why there are no fairies left. It would appear that the carnivorous plants have taken care of them all.

An interesting feature of the model is some gearing which is similar to the hour/minute hand arrangement of a clock. In this configuration, both hands rotate on the same spindle so they display on the same dial. In clock, the gears have a 12:1 ratio -- converting the hourly rotation of the minute hand into a 12th of a rotation for the hour hand. In this automaton, they have used a 4:1 ratio. It also looks as if they've used a paper belt drive. Very clever!

Here is where you can get the A Tasty Snack paper automaton kit.

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One book with five amazing dinosaur automata you can make!

Check this book on how to make moving paper dinosaurs!

From the book description:

Create moving models of five different dinosaur species — from ichthyosaurus, the fish lizard, to Tyrannosaurus rex, the tyrant king, along with the armor-plated stegosaurus, the flying pterodactylus, and the bone-haded pachycephalosaurus. Kids ages 10 and up can follow simple directions that explain how to build the crank-powered replicas. The book is also loaded with facts about all sorts of dinosaurs and includes a background play scene and a convenient pocket for storing loose pieces

Though it's sold in book format, it really a kit, or five kits to be exact. Dinosaurs and automata -- two things that kids love!

Here is where you can get Amazing Automata -- Dinosaurs!
 

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Paper indexing mechanism by Rob Ives -- download and make one!

Rob Ives continues to create amazing paper machines and automata. Recently he's created this indexing mechanism.

From the creator's web site:

An indexing mechanism or intermittent drive is a mechanism that turns a wheel or shaft a small amount then stops for a set amount of time the turns again repeating this process over and over as the drive handle is turned.

Indexers are used for all sorts of things including digital displays when a sequential number can be displayed or in machines used to cut gear teeth.

This paper indexer has a twenty four tooth drive wheel. It takes twenty four full turns of the handle for the geared wheel to make one full turn. Download and make this model to find out first hand just how an indexer works. Use it as an exercise in pure mechanism or as the starting point for your own designs.

You can download and make this paper indexing mechanism. It will cost you £2.50 (about $3.90). Well worth it, I would say.

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Tour of a paper automaton shop in Bremin, Germany

Here's a fun little tour of a paper automaton shop in Bremin, Germany. Many of the kits were made by the father of the young man giving the demonstrations.

If you are interested in making your own, check out some of these paper automaton kits and books. In the same order, you can get your tools such as a hobby knife, self-healing cutting mat, a good pair of scissors, and some white glue.

[ Thanks Karin! ]

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Rob Ives to create paper gear zine!

Paper Engineer Rob Ives is in the midst of creating another one of his zines. This one will take the same format as previous zines -- six pages, each featuring gear-based facts including perhaps worm gears, bevel gears as well as gear trains and the standard gears featured here. Each page will have a link to the downloadable, printable, make-able version of the featured gear project ready for you to make. Check his blog regularly for updates

Here is the post about the gears set shown above which will be the first part of the zine. This project includes two interlocking gears, one with eleven teeth, one with nineteen teeth.

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