Linker Logs

[angus_hines]

Is looking for a few good teachers. Find more info here:

http://linkerlogs.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=30

[mccoy178]

The Central Ohio Technology Education Association has an area at the Ohio State Fair every year. This year they have asked me to help with the exhibits. I plan on setting up my second machine which is a prt96. In doing so, I plan on making a bunch of the Linker Logs for the middle area that kids play in. I will then donate them to our Elementary school. I bought 100 2'x4'x1/2" birch plywood sheets for $3 each off a guy on Craigslist and this looks like a perfect application for some of them!

[bill.young]

Hi Ben,

That sounds great..what can I do to help?

Bill

[angus_hines]

Hey Ben make sure you get plenty of pictures back to us of what the kids make and of them playing with them

[mccoy178]

Bill,
I'm looking for any suggestions you guys might have about setup. I watched the video and saw that you have had a display setup yourselves. Any thing you would change next time around? More of some parts, less of others? Anything to help the kids get going, i.e. pictures, etc....

[bill.young]

Hey Ben,

Well...we were pretty much winging it at the Maker Faire so didn't really do any planning ahead of time. I just cut a couple of sheets worth of parts and sent them out, with a dozen or so 2'x4' blanks. I'll look through the log files and see if I can figure out how many of each we cut, but after a while we ended up cutting "by request"...someone would need some 4-slot pieces or 30 degree angles to finish their design!

The 2x4 blanks worked well on the Buddy we were cutting on...I had a bunch of files with different parts layouts that I could pick from...and since you'll have the same size blanks it will make it easier for you too. We ended up cutting all the blanks I brought and bought another dozen or so at Home Depot. That ply was a little thicker which made a tighter fit...it's good that you'll have all the same material.

The one thing we could have used was more room for building...the kids were filling up the aisles and we kept having to move our booth tables around to make more room. Also we needed someone to continuously take finished structures apart when kids left and pile those parts back up, so that there was always fresh building materials.

I've been working on some new connector pieces and will post the files on the linkerlogs website as soon as I get some feedback from the local "building crew".

Let me know as your plans develop...I may just have to make a trip out to the Fair to see how it goes.

Bill

[angus_hines]

If your limited on space just dont use the longest pieces and it will help contain the size of the structures.

Also, having someone to monitor the area , dis assemble the finished structures, tell people to feel free to create whatever they want and to sort of steer traffic around the area ect. ect. is important

[mccoy178]

The project has begun!

I used the latest files that were full sheet and positioned my 1/4 sheets accordingly. I did move the angle pieces over just a hair to avoid cutting on the plywood edges. The pictures should make sense to Bill and Angus as to how I have it set up. This cut is for the new angles full sheet that I just received. Thanks fellas!

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[mccoy178]

83% 4 hours and 40 minutes into it.