The Woodshop Shed

Table for my sister

Furnished content.
(from Lumberjocks.com)


All wood from branches we've had to trim or trees we've had to take down at work. This is the second time I've tried sliding dovetails to put legs on like this. I've gotten better but definitely room for improvement. The pedestal is a piece of apple that was a bit wormy and split a lot while drying so I filled in the splits and worm tracks with blue wood filler. The sided of the top are sycamore with just a bit of spalting, the middle is ash wihch being nice and white worked well to take the blue stain without making it look green. The blue leg is also ash, and the other two legs are jut oak, probably pin oak, just because I already had some little pieces milled up.

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Automata on Display.

Furnished content.
(from Lumberjocks.com)


Boys and Girls,I have no Idea what spurred me on to taking up this project's concept, as regrettably, I have never really made toys for children or had the opportunity to do so, as most of the toys I get involved with are more so considered big boy's toys... and I'm not referring to tools, but rather T & J (and like) models.This project emanated from an ”out of left field” reply I made to a project in the past, promising to post my limited experience (and lack of knowledge) about automata. I should stop here, but as the missus refers to me as a pig headed duck, I will press on (she keeps insisting I should have ducked when they handed out the heads)
I apologise, not for the head, but forgetting the member's name that the promise was made to.Just to set the mood Quite a few years ago, during an inane debate with a woodworking mate, for some uncanny reason he drew my attention to an article in a magazine regarding toy automation. If I remember his sales pitch, it was centred around this picture

which he reputed to be the ”answer” to all toy automation movements.
I am no authority on automata and don't want to get involved in theologian debates about mythical robotics… any form of contradictory opinions can be channeled towards that said friend who now refuses to be identified, and even if he was, he's training to be a Victorian politician (Australia) and is practicing the current political privilege of forgetfulness.Without upsetting the racobite viewers, I fired up SketchUp and started designing after my traditional preliminary ritual of a glass of ”...iarch…” ( insert appropriate racobite chagrin here) vinoInitially my intentions was to create a board that would activate all the automata actions as one with the use of an ingenious combination of gears driven by a single handle,
Unfortunately the ingenious quickly morphed into a genuine ass as I not so quickly realised that I'd need a bucket load of bearings, friction pads and other expensive hardware to permit such engineered motion with just one single knob.
Nevertheless, my friend was very impressed when presented with the SketchUp model and asked if I could laser cut the parts for him I was unimpressed by his impression, but for the sake of friendship I obliged then when he asked if I could assemble it I was further unimpressed and related my feelings accordingly.
I believe it was at this point that the venture stagnated.It wasn't till a few years later (circa 2020… C19 self-isolation… now-ish) that my buddy must have swatted up on Shakespeare and in a perfect Julius II impersonation, uttered the famous words of Duckangello, when will you make it end?.
The timing was coincidental as while disinfecting what pottzy calls my NASA laboratory, I came across a baggie of sized automata scraps (cut but un-assembled) and when I realised it wasn't a stash I got a fit of conscience not for my buddy, but to that LJ member I mentioned above and for some stupid reason at that time, promised I would make up the automata model and post it here at LJ (not in the mail) Well I can't remember who that member was, but I do remember my promise.Running out of excuses (not a cask of ”...iarch…” vino), a revisit with SketchUp (without further reading), and resulted in,
Apparently each assembly is responsible for a unique action, depending on where and how one secures an attachment to it with the intention that the appropriate movement is achieved by the rotation of a driving wheel, as in a cart, rolling toy or a handle.
I really haven't the foggiest of which does what, however, I planned to make a video highlighting the individual actions, that if you use your imagination, might find an animation for the action. I do recall my friend pointing to one of the mechanisms in the original picture stating that is what one would use to make a wood-chopping action toy but damned if I remember exactly which one he pointed at. Just remember that these are small models with no attachments. Even I can foresee a large model with appropriate attachments that could generate spectacular results.
Confused?... wait for the video… if it ever gets created… actors are hard to find with C19 restrictions… even I'm self isolating so currently unavailable.Processed the “cut” layouts

through the laser, (yaaay... finally… actual workshop and/or “wood” pictures)

and created a new baggie of goodies and snail mailed it to my buddy,

as I had little bit of trouble using email.Eager to beat my friend to the first working model, I tried a prototype with just two of the movements,

and got totally concerned about the difficulty of activating the new simplified geared movement,

only to realise rubber mats are not a great friction pad for MDF.Being winter, production stagnated again, but this time due to lack of springs (the above two movements didn't require springs)...
Fortunately during a pilgrimage to my local bottle shop, I ventured into the adjoining Mitre 10 hardware store and found these budget packets of miscellaneous springs,

With a new spring in my steps (and hands), it was back to the workshop. The base was built and the movements constructed,

The base was buffed to provide a slicker turning surface,

(shiny)It was at this stage that I realised that the original dowel handle

was a bit cranky, and designed a hollow dowel handle with a tenon

to compensate for the 3mm spacers.
While this was workable, I soon decided that a moving picture would better demonstrate the functionality of each movement and in anticipation of a future video, with some trial and error, I redesigned the handle,

and was happy with the result,
Now I'm no expert in automata and certainly don't plan to be, however, since I took the trouble of making up this display board I should at least demonstrate its functionality. While there may be other movements, and I think some on the board are far too similar, I have been assured that these are a good sample.
So again I ask, don't shoot the messenger, even in duck season. Following this, eventually there will be a link to a video I'm planning to make, however, as I haven't made it yet, I can't discuss it any further.Talking about videos… like in a movie… big print…..... 2 DAYS LATER .....The video was made and published. There is also a link to the SketchUp animation.For any budding toy makers who might be tempted to experiment., here is a link to the SketchUp, original and layout PDF's. When it comes to the layout, exact dimensions are not critical, unless you want to print and make the meshing gears

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Walnut and Purpleheart scarf holder

Furnished content.
(from Lumberjocks.com)


Another older project. We did a gift exchange and I told anyone if you got my name I will build nearly anything they wanted. I was asked to make a scarf rack and this is what I came up with.

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