9:24 Mesh Gear + Free Christmas Tree!
An #EssentialMechanism #PaperAnimation project
A new paper project for you to download and make. Turn the handle on the 9:24 mesh gear to make the vertical shaft turn.
This project is a new addition to the Essential Mechanisms on the www.robives.com website. The aim of these downloads is to make automata starting points available so that you can print out and make the mechanism then add your own characters and bring them to life. In this starter, the crank drives a nine tooth pinion which meshes with a twenty four tooth main gear turning the vertical shaft coming out of the top of the box at just less than a third of the speed of the handle. Here are some possible ideas…
The design of the mechanism is based loosely on previous mesh gear projects, see for example the sheep animation model and also the sketch on the top right of the sketchbook page below. Usually when I’m developing a new mechanism I’ll experiment with a whole range of different layouts to see which works best. Gradually, over time I tend to home in on a preferred configuration. See for example the crank handles I have used on paper projects which started off in my early models with a whole range of different designs and are now basically all the same to the point where I can just cut and paste them from a previous project. With paper gears I’m still in the experimental phase. It’ll be interesting to see in the long run which layout wins out. I’m certainly pleased with this design, I think it is easier to assemble than pervious designs and has good visibility so that you can see the gears working in the finished project.
As I needed to make a video at the end of construction I added the rotating Christmas tree to make the movement more apparent and to make it more visually interesting.
The project comes as a downloadable pdf file with parts and step by step instructions ready to print out. If you are a paid subscriber to this newsletter you can download the file at the bottom of this page - thank you for your support! Members at www.robives.com can also download the project for free here. Non-members can also download the project for £5 or equivalent from the same place
