Samfire
Established Member
Amazing, I can only admire your dedication. I can't even pronounce the name of the mechanism never mind even thinking of cutting those gears.
Sam
Sam
Antikythera mechanism
- Thread starter Mechanism Man
- Start date
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bugbear
Established Member
Samfire
Established Member
Great piece of work, I can't wait to see the finished item.
Sam
Sam
Mechanism Man
Established Member
Sorry for the stoppage of recent progress reports on this, work, life, and Christmas are getting in the way at the moment - hopefully normal service will resume very soon!
Mechanism Man
Established Member
Well after a few months doing other bits and bobs I'm finally back at it again.
So, here's where I'm now at. The rebuild to replace the ropey frames is now done, and everything runs great (with the excepting of two gears that are binding a little, so they'll need a bit of attention at some point).
I've attached a few more photos, and at the end is a YouTube link to quick film of it being spun in its makeshift frame. The pointers are also temporary (cocktail sticks!), but they do a good job of showing the weird backwards and forwards retrograde motion of the planets in the film.
So I reckon I'm about one third of the way through it now, so lots more still do - but it's getting there! One bit at a time - one bit at a time...
Antikythera mechanism planetary unit.: http://youtu.be/G60GOw5FCUw
So, here's where I'm now at. The rebuild to replace the ropey frames is now done, and everything runs great (with the excepting of two gears that are binding a little, so they'll need a bit of attention at some point).
I've attached a few more photos, and at the end is a YouTube link to quick film of it being spun in its makeshift frame. The pointers are also temporary (cocktail sticks!), but they do a good job of showing the weird backwards and forwards retrograde motion of the planets in the film.
So I reckon I'm about one third of the way through it now, so lots more still do - but it's getting there! One bit at a time - one bit at a time...
Antikythera mechanism planetary unit.: http://youtu.be/G60GOw5FCUw
monkeybiter
Established Member
This looked like a mammoth task until I looked at your YT orrery !
Excellent work and perseverance.
Excellent work and perseverance.
martinka
Established Member
Gobsmacked at the both the Antikythera and the orrery.
The Earth on your orrery looks familiar. Is it pinched from one of the magazine kits, or did you make that as well?
The Earth on your orrery looks familiar. Is it pinched from one of the magazine kits, or did you make that as well?
Mechanism Man
Established Member
Thanks all! Being a bit different is half the reason I'm on here, I just wanted to show that our humble fret saw can do more than just cut simple shapes - you can go on to make some pretty groovy things with those shapes!
And yes Martin, I make the orrery planets as well. I made the decision early on that I would make everything that I possibly could, and apart from anything else the only commercially available planets were horrible and generally plastic - and nobody sells Uranus....
They start as as solid wooden balls and then I print and hand cut paper strips to create each planet. Scaling them to the perfect size for the wooden globes was the biggest headache, but having made so many over the years I've pretty much got the technique down to a fine art now. Still tedious though... especially for the Moon, which is only 1 cm tall...
Here is Jupiter's paper pattern - it's easier to show than it is to explain:
And yes Martin, I make the orrery planets as well. I made the decision early on that I would make everything that I possibly could, and apart from anything else the only commercially available planets were horrible and generally plastic - and nobody sells Uranus....
They start as as solid wooden balls and then I print and hand cut paper strips to create each planet. Scaling them to the perfect size for the wooden globes was the biggest headache, but having made so many over the years I've pretty much got the technique down to a fine art now. Still tedious though... especially for the Moon, which is only 1 cm tall...
Here is Jupiter's paper pattern - it's easier to show than it is to explain:
bugbear
Established Member
Mechanism Man":13iykzgv said:Here is Jupiter's paper pattern - it's easier to show than it is to explain:
It's too early in the morning to post gory pictures!
BugBear
Woodmonkey
Established Member
That's a thing of beauty, you sure must have a lot of patience, well done!
martinka
Established Member
Mechanism Man":37relktc said:
After I posted I realised it was a bit silly saying it looked familiar. :roll:
Here is Jupiter's paper pattern - it's easier to show than it is to explain:
Nice job. My sister would be impressed with that, she takes a lot of photos of Jupiter and its moons.
Mechanism Man
Established Member
Hello all,
I've been back in the business of gear cutting again - lots, and lots, of gear cutting...
Thankfully I'm almost finished now, although the great big 223 tooth gear I did have to cut three times before I got it right. Never had issues before - just had to happen on the biggest gear that I've ever cut though - doh!
I'm at the stage now where I'm setting out the gearing for the main part of the machine so that I can cut the supporting frames - and two big 5 rovolution spiral cut dials, should be fun!?!
I've been back in the business of gear cutting again - lots, and lots, of gear cutting...
Thankfully I'm almost finished now, although the great big 223 tooth gear I did have to cut three times before I got it right. Never had issues before - just had to happen on the biggest gear that I've ever cut though - doh!
I'm at the stage now where I'm setting out the gearing for the main part of the machine so that I can cut the supporting frames - and two big 5 rovolution spiral cut dials, should be fun!?!
bugbear
Established Member
Mechanism Man":u5o3d03r said:Hello all,
I've been back in the business of gear cutting again - lots, and lots, of gear cutting...
Thankfully I'm almost finished now, although the great big 223 tooth gear I did have to cut three times before I got it right. Never had issues before - just had to happen on the biggest gear that I've ever cut though - doh!
I'm at the stage now where I'm setting out the gearing for the main part of the machine so that I can cut the supporting frames - and two big 5 rovolution spiral cut dials, should be fun!?!
The coward in me would have wanted a bit more framing inside the large wheels for rigidity and/or strength. Awesome cutting skills!
BugBear
Mechanism Man
Established Member
Wow - thanks all! I just hope that it all works when it's finished - it will have been a pretty pointless 18 months otherwise!
Hi Bugbear - yes I see what you mean about the lack of material on the biggest wheels, but they are actually much beefier and robust than you'd think. The ply I'm using is 6mm, so it's pretty thick and chunky and basically solid as a rock and 100% warp free. The aim is to make the whole machine as open and skeletal as possible so that you can peak inside and try to see how the heck it all works! I have absolutely no intention of resorting to using perspex in its construction as two or three others have done in the past, but am going down the route of making both the wheels and frames with as many holes in as possible, yet still make it look attractive as apposed to simply an educational display piece. It's gotta look pretty!
Latest cutting progress photo is attached below. So many spokes... So little time...
P.S. - Claymore, the Hadron Collider project is going to have to wait until after I've finished Babbage's Difference Engine...
Hi Bugbear - yes I see what you mean about the lack of material on the biggest wheels, but they are actually much beefier and robust than you'd think. The ply I'm using is 6mm, so it's pretty thick and chunky and basically solid as a rock and 100% warp free. The aim is to make the whole machine as open and skeletal as possible so that you can peak inside and try to see how the heck it all works! I have absolutely no intention of resorting to using perspex in its construction as two or three others have done in the past, but am going down the route of making both the wheels and frames with as many holes in as possible, yet still make it look attractive as apposed to simply an educational display piece. It's gotta look pretty!
Latest cutting progress photo is attached below. So many spokes... So little time...
P.S. - Claymore, the Hadron Collider project is going to have to wait until after I've finished Babbage's Difference Engine...
AES
Established Member
It seems I missed the beginnings of your post Mechanism Man, but I've now been all through it.
I can only echo the others in posting my admiration for such excellent (and more!) work, dedication, patience, and overall skill. A real motivator for dumbos like me!
Thanks for posting.
Krgds
AES
I can only echo the others in posting my admiration for such excellent (and more!) work, dedication, patience, and overall skill. A real motivator for dumbos like me!
Thanks for posting.
Krgds
AES
Mechanism Man
Established Member
All gearing - cut! Well that was a job and a half... Hopefully I've not rushed any and got them all right first try, only time will tell.
So just a bit of sanding on the last few that still have the paper patterns fixed to them, and then it's varnish time. More repetative work - yay....
More soon when I start on the frames.
So just a bit of sanding on the last few that still have the paper patterns fixed to them, and then it's varnish time. More repetative work - yay....
More soon when I start on the frames.
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