More mechanical wooden silliness

[frankwilliams]

Mitch and Steve M, Sorry to bug you guys, but what software have you done your drawings in... solidworks?

[mitch_prest]

mine is in solidworks..

m

[mikeacg]

I'm with Russ on both counts. I think I will work with the linkages and put a sheet of clear plexi on top. I want people to see it!
I dug through my camera parts drawer and found the lens I used for my window shade design. The advantage to having the parts slide over each other is that the out ring does not have to be so much bigger than the smaller ring. The bottom piece has 12 equally spaced holes:

50223.jpg

and the upper piece has 12 slots:

50224.jpg

The iris parts are stamped out of very thin metal with a dimple on each end - one up to ride in the slot and the other down to fit into the hole. Turn the top ring (when you adjust your f-stop) and the iris closes.

50225.jpg

A pretty simple mechanism actually!

Mike

[navigator7]

@ Mr. Schnorr,
You wrote: "A pretty simple mechanism actually!"

Where you find simplicity, you find brilliance.
Why helicopters fly, I'll never know. A true contradiction.
The little clickers on the top of pens are fascinating to me.
This little doodad below is an air valving part of a hydraulic intensifier .
If you put 100 PSI air in, you get 1200 PSI hydraulics out.
The Doodad makes the machine automatically reciprocate with a brilliantly simple theme of pressure and area.

50232.jpg
The marketing appeal of SB's ability to produce quality Rube Goldberg products shouldn't be underestimated.
Here is a classic Rube Goldberg Honda Commercial. It's worth watching just to get invigorated. It reduces stress, loweres blood pressure, removes lines and wrinkles from the face, increases scalp hair growth and improves ones performance!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWk9N92-wvg

An aperture in a door or other prop, no matter how refined or how Rube Goldburg....if it works, How Cool!
I think these would be a heck of a Father's Day gift for women looking to get something for a man who has everything.
The cut file should be part of everybody's portfolio.

(So......Michael, have you figgered out how the protruding dimple is going to work?;-)

[scottbot]

I'm with Russ too.
I like the look of the linkages. You could leave them curved or make them cigar shaped and put some holes in them to make them look kind of Steam Punk. Paint them with some Sculpt Nouveau and you've got a pretty cool looking sculpture.
Instead of bearings on the outer ring you could go with Mitch's idea and use gears.
We're ShopBotters. It's almost a requirement to jazz this up.
Simplicity has it's place but in my opinion this isn't it.

[navigator7]

There is that word again!
"Steampunk"

50235.jpg
I'm liking that a lot.

[shoeshine]

I'll throw in my $.02 for overly complex geegaws and whatsits. As long as the mechanism works.

When I get the final version of this thing working I intend to put all sorts of engraving and detailing on it. maybe sculpt nouveau faux finish and patina. Probably a few gears that function but don't necessarily "do" anything.

This is definitely Steampunk in origin, In fact I got the idea from brassgoggles.uk which is one of the best SP resources out there.

SP has gone through a lot of iterations, in fact it hit mainstream a couple of years ago with articles in Vanity Fair and the like. The pop version of it has come and gone. With unfortunately a lot of people just gluing clock parts on toys spray-painting it brass and calling it steampunk. The ethos of the aesthetic though is functional items using low tech. The Victorian ideal of hand built craftsmanship, rather than mass produced. Mechanical rather than digital. Ironic that I am making it on a bot and talking about it on the web, I know.

anyway My favorite quote is "I love SteamPunk, I hate SteamEmo".

[chiloquinruss]

OK Chuck so i'm setting here LOL and my grandkids ask why? So I show them the clip, and then again, and then . . . . .


Thanks for the post. It is really fun to watch. Russ

[mikeacg]

Russ,

Don't encourage him! Ha ha ha!

Mike

[bcammack]

It'd also make a cool ceiling aperature for one of those Solar Tube skylights.