marble toy pics

[Dan Cameron]

I just finished a marble toy for my grandkids and thought some might enjoy a few pictures. It was fun making gears, cams, and spirals out of wood. The answers to the questions are no and yes. The questions are do I have plans and do I seem to have too much time on my hands. (Retired one year ago)

[Dan Stuewe]

Dan,

That is a fabulous "toy"! You said you don't have plans for it, but I'd bet any woodworking mag worth its salt would love to feature that beaut in an article (or five because of all the technique articles needed)!

Thanks for sharing this wonderful gift!

[Chris Padilla]

Wow! I love all the mechanical thoughfulness you put into this! Everything appears to be of wood! Simply awesome!

[Byron Trantham]

Jeez guy; I'm happy when I can make two boards fit together! :o

Nice job. ;)

[Donnie Raines]

Supercool.......I wish I had one..... :rolleyes: :D

[Steve King]

Dan,
Very impressive, I particularly like the universal joint you made that is shown in the last picture.
Steve

[Alan Turner]

Dan
I am impressed. I bet not even Norm could have made that guy in 30 min. How old will they have to be before you transfer title.

Great work, and thanks for posting.
Alan

[Jim Ketron]

That's Cool
Nice job!
Jim

[Chris Rolke]

that is awesome

i want one for my bar in the basement ( drunk games ya know :) )

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Great design and craftsmanship!

[Lou Morrissette]

Great "toy" ! When will you be drawing up the plans?;)

[John Miliunas]

Whew! Now THAT is impressive, almost beyond words! :D You musta' been an engineer in your "past" life! I wouldn't be able to dream something like that up, much less design and execute! :rolleyes: Truly wonderful!!! :cool:

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Dan

What an awesome toy!!!!!

Please take the time to teach your grandchildren what you know. You are obviously a very talented wood worker. My grandfather was a machinist and I didn't know enough to ask him to show me how to do stuff.

I missed a great oppertunity. We have a great pic of my youngest brother with a hammer and some nails and his pantleggs nailed to the floor. Grandad was installing subfloor in the living room and his hammer kept dissappearing. Andy was about 2 at the time.

Great toy!

[David Wilson]

All I can say is WOW

[John Miliunas]

Dan, after looking at the pics for the umpteenth time, I've finally decided that you *need* to adopt an almost 48-yr. old grandson! :D PM me your address so that I can send you a copy of my birth certificate, family history and such. Want to make it, at least, kind of "official" you know! ;) I promise to post pics of your "new grandson" with his wonderful marble toy contraption! :D I'll even pick up the shipping charges! :cool:

[Ned Bulken]

beautiful work, one question, how do the marbles get up to the top?, I don't quite see from your pics the route they take up the geared wheels, could you describe the mechanism for us? thanks

[Daniel Rabinovitz]

Dan
That is wonderful!
What a keepsake.
Just out of this world. GREAT
Daniel :D

[Dan Cameron]

Ned, the slotted holes in the gears are milled at an angle so that marbles will roll into the holes when the holes are at the bottom and out of the holes when at the top. A piece of plywood covers just less than half of each gear such that a marble which enters a hole will be retained until that hole is at (approximately) top dead center. The marble then exits the hole in the gear onto a ramp which guides the marble slightly downhill and towards the bottom of the next higher gear. When the next hole passes the spot where the marble awaits, the marble enters the hole and rides up to the top of this gear, and so on for a total of three gear-lifts.

The bottom of the unit is made of two pieces of ply that are sloped towards the back and center so all marbles roll to one point. There is a slot wide enough for just one marble, and behind this slot there is a u-shaped bucket which moves up and down about an inch. This bucket is hidden in the pictures, but it is on one end of a pivot arm, the other end of which rides against a cam. The whole gear chain is driven by a four "tooth" pin gear, which is simply four dowels arranged around a circle coming out of the face of a disc and centered around a central axle. But the center of the disc is offset from the axle so that its outer edge comprises the cam mentioned above. Anyway, the bucket supplies marbles one at a time to whichever hole of the bottom gear is at bottom dead center.

I hope this answers your question aboout the "gear-lift".

[Dan Mages]

Beeeutiful work there! Rube Goldberg would be proud!! :D

Dan

[Frank Pellow]

That is one amazing toy Dan! I would love to see it in action.

[Dan Mages]

Where did you find the plans for this project?

Dan

[neil radcliffe]

fantastic love the workman ship and the skill I can only hope one day I maybe half as good.

[Frank Pellow]

Where did you find the plans for this project?

Dan

Dan, I believe that it is an original.

[Kent Cori]

Jeez, I'll bet you can watch that thing in action all day. Way cool!!! :cool: :) :cool: