Here we are in the month of March and Spring is right around the corner! Here in West Michigan we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It has been another cold winter but at least for me, last year was worse. Unfortunately the cold weather has limited the amount of time I spend in my small garage workshop. The little propane powered torpedo heater I have just can't warm up things enough to make it comfortable. I have worked on a couple designs and played around with some mechanical devices. I have spent more time on the computer working on designs waiting for the warmer temps. Hopefully I'll be able to "crank" out a few pieces shortly.
I thought it might be of some interest to describe my typical workflow from idea to reality. So let's give it a go!
First thing is the idea or concept. Where the ideas come from is hard to pin down. This idea came from a trip to Alaska my wife and I took in the summer of 2014. Somewhere along the trip we were talking to a tour guide or local about the possibility of renting bicycles and checking out some trails. With a big grin the person said, "Do you know what we call tourists who rent bikes in Alaska? Meals on Wheels!" This referred to their large and dangerous bear population. I immediately had a picture of a big grizzly bear chasing a bike and its rider down a road, a great automatan. The first thing I do is record the idea before I forget it, it happens, what can I say. I have a Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Note that I have a folder of ideas for projects. The tablet has a stylus and I can draw and write down ideas of what it will look like and possible ways to mechanize it.
I thought it might be of some interest to describe my typical workflow from idea to reality. So let's give it a go!
First thing is the idea or concept. Where the ideas come from is hard to pin down. This idea came from a trip to Alaska my wife and I took in the summer of 2014. Somewhere along the trip we were talking to a tour guide or local about the possibility of renting bicycles and checking out some trails. With a big grin the person said, "Do you know what we call tourists who rent bikes in Alaska? Meals on Wheels!" This referred to their large and dangerous bear population. I immediately had a picture of a big grizzly bear chasing a bike and its rider down a road, a great automatan. The first thing I do is record the idea before I forget it, it happens, what can I say. I have a Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Note that I have a folder of ideas for projects. The tablet has a stylus and I can draw and write down ideas of what it will look like and possible ways to mechanize it.
screenshot from my tablet
I think the tablet is a great tool but I grew up with pencil and paper. That is where I start developing the idea. I have several spiral notebooks that I fill up with doodles and ideas. I am not very disciplined with my doodling. I should label and date everything but don't. I end up spending a lot of time trying to decipher what my thought was at the time.
Once I have a good idea of what I want it to look like and how it may function I turn to the computer. I use 2 programs, Sketch Up and Inkscape, both free. I like to look on the web for reference pictures that I can import into Sketch Up. There I can trace and modify the elements I need. Then I scale them to a size I think I will be able to construct and mechanize. I then import that file into Inkscape where I can do a better rendering job of the elements and create pattern pieces that I convert to a pdf file and print out.
Before I do any cutting of wood I make a paper or foamboard mock up to see if my ideas actually work and do any tweaking in the design that's needed. This is especially critical with the bike and rider. I knew I wanted the rider to be standing on the pedals rather than in a seated position to add to the urgency and speed of the piece. Getting the leg geometry correct before doing a lot of cutting and carving is critical.
When the mock up works then it's back to Sketch Up to develop the mechanics. In this piece I thought the bike propulsion was the starting point of the design. The axles of the bikes are 5 inches apart so the friction wheels are 4 inches in diameter. I decided to give additional movement to the bear and bike by placing them on a separate rack that pivots on a central axle kind of like a seesaw. It is just a matter of coming up with a gear train to connect all the pieces. I use a gear software program developed by Matthias Wandel. I can size the gears and then print out patterns to cut out of wood.
I now have nearly all the elements. I have the characters, I know their movements and how they will be powered. All that is left is to design the case to contain all the mechanics.
I now have nearly all the elements. I have the characters, I know their movements and how they will be powered. All that is left is to design the case to contain all the mechanics.
It's time to cut some wood. I usually start with the gears. I place them on a scrap piece to get the a definite axle location. Once I get them working well on the scrap piece I transfer the locations onto the final piece. Even after being careful there are always alignment issues that need to be worked out.
Once the gear train is working then I turn my attention to the figures. They are cut and shaped a bit and given a trial fit.
Once the gear train is working then I turn my attention to the figures. They are cut and shaped a bit and given a trial fit.
Bear and bike in position.
Bear's legs in "closed" position.
Interior showing temporary wiring of the leg mechanism. Further refining to take place.
Gear train and tilting racks
Bike and rider blocked out, ready for carving.
He's a wide guy due to the chunky nature of the bike.
Lots of detailing left to do as well as making sure all the mechanics work smoothly. Probably another 2-3 weeks to go.
