10 Handy Tricks for Woodworkers & Automaton-makers We’ve focused on techniques in this column up to this point. Now it’s time for some small tips that can make a big difference! Here are some woodworking tricks that I have found useful for automaton-making. 1 – Make Your Own Carbon Paper I often use carbon paper […]
How to Make a Ratchet Mechanism – Dug’s Tips 11
How to Make a Ratchet Mechanism A ratchet can be a very useful mechanism within an automaton. It can be used to keep the handle from being turned the wrong way or to divide the cycle of action into a series of small steps. This is one way to extend the duration of the performance. […]
Making Urethane Belts for Automaton Projects – Dug’s Tips 10
Making Urethane Belts for Automaton Projects In the last article, we looked at how to make pulleys for automaton projects. We also made belts from O-ring gasket material. Custom-sized belts can also be made from urethane belting material. Joining the ends of this material is one of those jobs that seems to require three or […]
Making Pulleys and Belts for Automata – Dug’s Tips 9
Making Pulleys and Belts for Automata Pulleys and belts are incredibly useful to the automaton maker. They can transfer power from one axle to another and change the speed, direction or plane of rotation! Check out Cabaret Mechanical Movement for more information about pulleys. In this article, we will use a simple approach to make […]
Creating Wooden Joints for Automata Figures – Dug’s Tips 8
Creating Wooden Joints for Automata Figures Often an automaton figure without jointed arms and legs will work just fine. But, if you want to create a character pedaling a bicycle, those knees will need to bend! To depict a realistic human motion, it is helpful if the figure’s joints only bend the way real humans […]