Sky Duet Kinetic Sculpture by David C. Roy

Here is the latest wooden kinetic sculpture form David C. Roy. This one is titled Sky Duet.

You can see more images and read about the artist's process of creation on his web site.

---

A Moment of Silence - automaton by Al Conquergood

Check out this automaton by artist Alan Conquergood‎. In the scene, a woman is about to take the head off of a chicken, presumably for a meal. All around, a flock of chickens peck away at the ground happily. The woman carefully aligns the axe, then brings it down suddenly. The chicken's head has vanished and the others suddenly notice that something has happened. The black rooster turns in the direction of the incident. Thankfully, once the deed is done, the chicken's head soon reappears and the chickens resume eating.

See more automata by Alan Conquergood on his web site.

---

Want to get started with automaton-making this year? Timberkits are the way to go!

Timberkits make excellent gifts for the holidays. Here's a nifty fish automaton you can assemble. I think these kits are the single best way to get started with wood automaton-making.

From the kit description:

Making a Timberkit is to step into the whole world of automata, ingenious moving models and scenes. It is an art form in which you can appreciate the magic of mechanical action and a fascinating education and hobby for children and adults of all ages. No special knowledge or skills are needed, just a little time and patience to follow the instructions. Assemble the wooden cams, push rods, levers and cranks and understand what makes it tick. After you have made the model you can paint, varnish or customize it in your own personal way then try another!

The natural wood is sourced from sustainable forestry and fully machined with no further need for specialized tools. The minimum age recommended is 8 years. Adult supervision may be required. Timberkits come in designs of varying complexity and a wide range of themes to suit all interests.

Here is where you can get the Timberkits Fish Wood Model Kit.

Here is where you can check out all of the different Timberkits.

[ Official Timberkits Web site ]

---

Blast from the past: aging an authentic wood catapult kit, part 2

This is the second in a two part series reviewing the working wood catapult model made by Pathfinders. In the the first part, I reviewed the the kit and gave you some assembly tips. In this part, I'll tell you how I went about making the catapult look like it truly belongs on a medieval battlefield.


What is the Kit and Where Do You Get It?
The catapult kit is sold various places, but can easily be found from Amazon as the Pathfinders Medieval Catapult Wooden Kit.

Getting Ready to Get Old
Once the kit is assembled, you should have a bit of fun testing it out. I recommend throwing small grapes at a pyramid of empty aluminum cans. If you would like to make your catapult look old, read on. For this process, I used the following tools and materials:

* Carving knife
* Small wire brush
* Furniture finish touch-up markers
* Coarse twine
* Elmer's glue
* Sandpaper - 100 grit
* Minwax wood stain - Early American
* Round wooden disks
* Wooden wheel pegs
* Popsicle type "craft" sticks
* Soldering iron with wood-burning tip
* Gun bluing
* Portable hand drill
* Ball-peen hammer

None of these things are essential. You should feel free to use whatever tools and materials you have on hand or can obtain easily.

Making the Catapult's Wood Beams Look Old
The first thing I did was removed the string and washers from the model.

I used a carving knife to take the corners off of the straight edges of the wood. I didn't remove a lot of material because I didn't want to compromise the strength of the wood.

I just shaved off small, irregular shavings to make it look a little less perfect and perhaps as if the beams had been hand-hewn. I also rounded the spoon-shaped end of the throwing arm.

Next, I added the wood knots to the beams. I have a set of three wood finish touch up markers. I used the second darkest color. By gently resting the very tip of the marker on the unfinished wood, pigment from the marker is drawn into the wood fibers in a way that looks something like a real wood knot. Use the underside of the model to perfect your technique.

The knots may look a little too dark at this point, but don't worry. After placing knots of various sizes on the beams, I gave the entire model a coat of Minwax wood stain. I used "Early American" simply because I had some around. You can use whatever color you like, so long as it is considerably lighter than the knots you have made with the marker. This allows the knots to show through the stain. At this point, you should give your catapult some time to dry.

Later, I used a wire brush to give the catapult some scratches and wear marks to make it look like it had been used for years. I also used a wood-burning tool to add some grain lines and cracks to some of the beams. Make sure these lines follow the grain of the wood so that they appear natural.

I dipped the the string that comes with the kit in the Minwax and wiped the excess off with a rag. This makes the "rope" look old too.

Adding the Twine to the Crossbar and Throwing Arm
I am not sure if it is authentic or not, but I thought some cordage wrapped around the throwing arm and crossbar would look good. I also figured this would provide a bit of cushioning. I used a coarse three strand twine for this. I unraveled the strands so that I had a single strand. I tied one end of twine around the crossbar.

Next, I spread some Elmer's glue on the section where the twine was to be placed. I then wrapped the twine in a tight coil around the crossbar. I tied off the end and put a drop of glue on it to keep if from coming off.

This process was repeated on the throwing arm where it meets with the crossbar.

Making the Wooden Wheels for Your Siege Engine
I purchased a set of round hardwood discs that are 2 - 3/4 inches in diameter. I also purchased some wooden toy axle pegs and some craft sticks -- really they are just Popsicle sticks. All three items can be found at craft stores.

I used a soldering iron with a flat wood burning tip to create parallel lines on the wheels to make it seem as if they were constructed from individual planks. I also burned the edges of the wheels a bit to simulate wear and wood grain.

Next, I glued two short lengths of Popsicle sticks to the outside of each wheel to model the boards that would hold the wheels together.

I drilled a 1/4 inch hole in the center of each wheel and in the four corners of the catapult base. I sanded flat sides on the axle pegs and darkened them with marker.

Using the toy axle pegs, I mounted each wheel to the catapult. I glued only the holes into which the pegs go, so the wheels can move freely. Finally, I gave the wheels a coat of wood stain.

Finishing Touches to The Antiqued Catapult
The catapult was starting to look pretty old at this point, but the bright metal washers on the outside ruined the effect. I used the rounded end of a ball-peen hammer to dent one face of each washer. I then rubbed some gun bluing on the surface to give it a dark, oxidized look. DO NOT get this stuff on your tools.

In the end, I spent 30 to 40 minutes making the basic functioning catapult kit, and 4+ hours making it look old! I had a lot of fun doing it.

Where to Get the Kit and Other Supplies
Most of what you need can be found at your local hardware store, craft store, or hobby shop. If you have any difficulty finding these items locally, here are some online sources:

* Pathfinders Medieval Catapult Wooden Kit
* Wood carving knife
* STEEL SCRATCH BRUSH
* Sharpie Touch up Markers - 3 pack
* Sisal Twine
* Elmer's Glue-All
* 100 Grit Sanding Sheets
* Minwax Wood Finish - Early American
* Wood toy wheels
* Wood toy wheel axle pegs
* Cuisipro Frozen Pop Sticks
* Woodburning and soldering tool set
* Perma Blue, liquid gun blue kit
* Cordless drill
* Ball peen hammer

---

Blast from the past: building a wooden catapult kit, part 1

 

 

This is the first in a two part series reviewing the Pathfinders Medieval Catapult Wooden Kit. In this first part, I will tell you about the kit and give you some assembly tips. In part two, I'll tell you how I went about making the catapult look like it truly belongs on an ancient battlefield.

The kit comes with nearly everything you need to assemble the catapult. The only material you need to provide is white Elmer's-type glue. The kit comes with a small swatch of sandpaper and suggests that you have a ruler and scissors available. The kit arrived in a slender cardboard box with instructions and parts separated into two plastic bags. No excessive packaging, no impossible-to-open-plastic-clamshell. I like that.

The kit contains just over a dozen wooden parts, two washers, some string, a small bit of wire, and some soft Play-Doh type clay -- otherwise known as "ammunition".

The wood is a clear-grained pine. Just one of the pieces of my kit had a medium sized knot in it. It had been filled with a little plastic-wood type filler to keep things solid and smooth.

How were the instructions?
The instructions are printed in black and white on 8 pages. There are instructions in English, French, and German which is nice, though they are intermingled in a way that requires a bit of scanning and rescanning. I found the directions to be very good, though there were a few vague spots. I'll address these very minor pitfalls in the next section. The line drawings in the instructions are simple and clear and serve as the primary means of instruction.

What helpful hints do you have?
Overall, the kit itself took me a little over half an hour to make, though they suggest that you set aside 1 to 2 hours. The kit is suggested for ages 9 and up. That sounds about right to me.

Here are a few helpful hints for the assembling the catapult kit:

1. Read the entire instruction manual all the way through, paying attention to the drawings. This won't take long and this will prevent any possible confusion.
2. At first, I wasn't sure how to tell the crosspiece that the holds the trigger from the upright braces. It's quite simple really: just read the directions (I hadn't yet). Note that they have thoughtfully placed red marks on the crosspiece and the base with which it mates.
3. The kit is held together with pegs that are glued in place. There are 18 total. Be sure to sift through the lot to find the two that a just a bit longer than the others. These are used to add tension to the string.
4. I found that the pegs fit rather tightly. The glue helps to lubricate them a bit. I gently used a nonmarring hammer to tap the pieces together. Alternatively, you could use the included sandpaper to slightly taper the ends of the dowels and ease their entry.
5. Add a safety/trigger - The trigger arm didn't always want to hold the throwing arm in place when under tension (OK, yeah...so maybe I have it wound too tightly). I rigged up a small diagonal piece of wood that fits in a notch to keep the trigger arm from swinging. By pulling this diagonal piece out, the trigger arm is free to swing and the catapult will fire. (See image below for my safety/trigger addition.)
6. A small hobby or razor Saw is handy if you want to trim some of the dowels that are left a bit over the surface of a few parts.
7. Consider staining and/or sealing your model to increase its beauty and lifetime. More on this in part 2 of this series.

So...does it work?
The packaging claims that the catapult can throw a soft clay ball over 15 feet. This is absolutely true. I easily achieved distances over 20 feet and don't think I have put undue strain on the model. Should you choose to add extra horsepower to your model (and this is just my speculation), I believe some added string and a reinforced crossbar would allow you to throw a grape twice as far as advertised.

The Verdict?
This is a well proportioned and historically accurate catapult. More specifically this is a mangonel variety of catapult that uses twisted fibers for its power source. I gather that many had a sling on the end rather than the spoon shape we typically see. (You can learn more about catapults from The Art of the Catapult: Build Greek Ballistae, Roman Onagers, English Trebuchets, and More Ancient Artillery)

Everything that was promised was delivered and the model outperformed the advertising copy. When was the last time you purchased a product that did that?

I give the Pathfinders Medieval Catapult Wooden Kit high marks.

What's next?
In the next installment of this article, I'll show you how to the catapult model look ancient and ready for a siege.

---

Spring-driven Steampunk Impulse Engine designed by Clayton Boyer

Adrian Iredale has made another of Clayton Boyers amazing wood machines and was kind enough to document some of the process on video. He regards this as a nice easy project with impressive results. I like this one a lot!

Here is where you can buy this plans for Clayton Boyer's Steampunk Impulse Engine.

---

Moving-eyed monster clock by Dug North now on display

I combined my love of clocks with my affinity for wooden monsters to create this new piece. The monster is made of basswood, ebony, and tagua nut. A small weight-driven German-made clock movement powers the eyes and clock. It is titled simply "Monster Clock No. 1", which implies I may be making more of these!

The monster clock is part of an art exhibition titled "All Creatures, Real & Imagined" at The Arts League of Lowell Gallery in Lowell, Massachusetts. The show runs from June 6th to July 13th. The Reception for the show will be Saturday, June 21 from 4 PM to 6 PM. The piece can be purchased from the gallery at this time.

What
All Creatures, Real & Imagined

Where
The Arts League of Lowell Gallery
307 Market Street, Lowell, MA 01852
Phone: 978-221-5018

When
June 6th to July 13th, 2014
Wednesday - Saturday: 12 - 6 PM
Sunday: 12 - 4 PM

Here is where you can see more work by automaton artist Dug North.

---

Chicken Head - a simple and realistic automaton by Bliss Kolb

Here's the latest bird-themed automaton form artist Bliss Kolb. Though the motion is simple, it captures the essence of the chicken perfectly!

Here is where you can see more art by Bliss Kolb.

---

Wood automaton depicts the waves from a droplet of water

Check out his wood automaton that depicts the splash after a water droplet hits a body of water.

From the video description:

The object of this project was to produce an Automata [sic] that was inspired by the work of Reuben Margolin. All components were hand made the aim was to recreate the reaction of droplet as it impacts a body of water.

The machine was made by Dean O'Callaghan. Here is where you can see more by work by Dean O'Callaghan.

---

Variation II Sun - wall-mounted kinetic sculpture by David C. Roy

Check out the latest beautiful and mesmerizing kinetic sculpture by David C. Roy! The piece provides a variety of kaleidoscopic patterns ranging from sunbursts, to solar flares, pinwheels, and spinning circles.

From the artist's web site:

Variation Sun has gone through lots of iterations. It proved a more challenging design than I had originally imagined. I wanted an asymmetric design where the points of the arc of one wheel followed the back of the arc of the adjacent wheel. I also wanted the clockwise pattern to be different than the counterclockwise pattern. It was easy to do on the computer but hard to find real world shapes that would balance. The double arc design solved the problem and I think enhanced the design.

Learn more about Variation II Sun by David C. Roy on his web site.

---

Pirate and octopus engaged in whimsical combat in this Timberkits automaton kit

Here is a new Timberkits automaton or, at least, new to me. When complete, this automaton kit depicts a pirate and octopus fighting it out with waving tentacles, hook, and sword! As with all of their kits, the wooden components come shaped and drilled. It is left to you to do a very little sanding, assembling and gluing. The kits are well-designed and come with complete instructions. Here's where to get the Timberkits Pirate Panic Automaton.

Be sure to check out all of the Timberkits wood automaton kits. There is one for every person on your holiday shopping list. Think of it: everyone gets an automaton that suits them as a gift and you all assemble them as a group! Best. Christmas. Ever.

---

Downloadable plans for action toys at PlayfulPlans.com

Woodworker and author Kevin McGuire has a web site featuring downloadable plans for vintage-inspired wooden playthings. The devious little toy shown in the video above is one of my favorites. On his site will also find plans balance toys, rolling toys, gravity toys, games, and more. His plans include step-by-step instructions, illustrations, and photos of the finished project.

Here is the site's intro video:

Here is where you can check out Kevin McGuire's action toy plans at www.playfulplans.com.

---

Video profile of Will Matthysen, a modern-day clockmaker

Working diligently in his workshop outside of Victoria, Australia, Will Matthysen has a rare profession, that of clockmaker. He's made over 170 clocks in his lifetime. Enjoy this lovely video profile of this talented craftsman.

Here is a longer article about Will Matthysen, titled The Clockmaker.

---

Spring-driven kinetic sculpture that operates for 15 hours on one winding

Here is another graceful and compelling wall-mounted kinetic sculpture by David C. Roy. This one is titled Variation II Wave.

From the artist's web site:

Variation II Wave is the result of applying what I've learned mechanically to the Variation concept. The mechanism is a single spring drive that delivers about 15 hours of run time. Part of the efficiency is due to a better use of bearings and part to how the mechanism itself is balanced.

Here is where you can learn more about Variation II Wave by David C. Roy.

---

Kinetic art by Dolf Perenti uses a fascinating wood escapement

Check out this lovely kinetic sculpture by Dolf Perenti. The various hardwoods and high-grade plywood are combined to form a mechanism called an escapement. These are the heart and soul of clocks. I'm going to let Wikipedia explain escapements further:

An escapement is a device in mechanical watches and clocks that transfers energy to the timekeeping element (the "impulse action") and allows the number of its oscillations to be counted (the "locking action"). The impulse action transfers energy to the clock's timekeeping element (usually a pendulum or balance wheel) to replace the energy lost to friction during its cycle, to keep the timekeeper oscillating. The escapement is driven by force from a coiled spring or a suspended weight, transmitted through the timepiece's gear train. The escapement releases the tooth of a gear, which therefore changes from a "locked" state to a "drive" state until the opposite arm strikes another tooth on the gear, which locks the gear again. A clock's tick is the sound of the gear train stopping as the escapement locks. The gear train is accelerated and decelerated with each tick of the clock. This locking action of the escapement allows each cycle of the timekeeping element to be counted. During each cycle the escapement permits a gear train to advance or escape slightly. The periodic advancement results in moving the timepiece's hands forward at a steady rate. This starting and stopping accounts for most of the energy usage from the spring or weight when a clock is in good working order.

I'm not sure if the one shown here is an esoteric form of escapement or something the artist invented himself. Either way, it's beautifully made and captivating!

If you want to learn more about escapements, Laurie Penman's book Practical Clock Escapements comes highly recommended. I need to get a copy myself, actually.

---

Carved wood and clockwork devil automaton in Milan from the 16th century

Photo by Bob Frishman, 2013

This devil automaton now housed at a museum in Milan was made by taking a sixteenth-century torso -- possibly that of Christ at the Column -- and applying a clockwork mechanism to it. The automaton when cranked would turn its head and eyes, stick out the its tongue, and make an inarticulate sound. A seventeenth-century description mentions horns and a collar which are now lost.

The piece is part of the Applied Arts Collections Museum in the Sforza Castle in Milan, Italy. Another interesting blog posts about this devil automaton can be found on the io9 blog.

[ Thanks to Bob Frishman of Bell-Time Clocks for the discovery and photo! ]

---

Did anyone design better wooden machines than Leonardo da Vinci?

Here is some video showing part of an exhibit that was at the California University of Pennsylvania titled Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion. In it, we see the breadth of Leonardo's genius. There is a large-scale wing designed for human flight, a pillar lifting device, and a water-powered saw mill. This, of course, just scratches the surface of what he created, but it gives you a feel for the ingenious way in which his mind worked on a both practical and fanciful problems.

If you are as fascinated by Leonardo's machines as I am, you might want to check out the book Leonardo's Machines: Da Vinci's Inventions Revealed which gets a 5-star rating on Amazon -- no small accomplishment.

From the book description:

This unique volume combines work from the original secret, coded, notebooks along with modern computer imaging, to piece together over 30 of Leonardo da Vinci's mechanical inventions into a sensational set of never-seen-before artworks. From Leonardo da Vinci's descriptions and drawings - and by using digital imaging - armoured ships, hydraulic machinery, winches and machines destined for use in war, work and pleasure emerge fully equipped and functional in stunning 3-dimensional, computer-generated artworks.

Also of interest may be a different book, Leonardo's Machines: Secrets & Inventions in the Da Vinci Codices. This one explores what Leonardo's inventions would have looked like if his sketches were brought to life in three dimensions. Sadly, we can't preview the inside of this book on Amazon, but the reviewers like it. Let me know if you have it and like it.

---

Laser-cut marble machine kit with a catapult lifting arm

Check out this nifty little marble machine kit from the folks at RetroTime. The most unique feature of this little marble track is the arm that lifts the ball bearings to the top of the run. A geared hand-crank powers a small arm, something like one you might see on a catapult. No, it doesn't throw the ball bearing. (Sorry, if I gave you the wrong idea.) It simply places the steel ball at the top of the track with a smooth motion. It looks as if you can effortlessly keep marbles flowing down the track at more that one per second. It creates a nice rhythmic motion and sound that I find soothing.

The kit includes laser cut wood components, steel balls, a screw pack, sandpaper and wood glue. The product page for the kit also features a nice tutorial video.

Here is where you can get this laser-cut marble machine kit.

---