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Al's Automata Blog

Excavator Progress

5/23/2012

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Not a whole lot of progress on the automata front this week. I spent a lot of time working the railroad this past weekend. Weather was really nice so visitors are starting to show up.

Anyway I did manage to get the excavator for "Call Before You Dig" close to done. I need to adjust the boom at the lower end to coordinate with a revised design of the gear train assembly. I also do not have an operator In the cab yet!
The dowel extension on the front corner is temporary!
Picture
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Hoe Hoe Hoe.

5/14/2012

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Well, I got started on my new piece this week. Usually I'm fairly practical and work on the mechanism first but his time I could not resist starting with the top works. On the right is a photo of the arm of an excavator which is part of the piece. The boom is 1/2" wide and the bucket is about 2-1/2" long.

When completed the bucket will pivot and the arm tips giving it a reasonable digging motion. 
Picture
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Spring is here - maybe!

5/8/2012

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Spent a few days getting the leaf litter off the garden railway and doing the initial weeding. All-in-all things survived the winter fairly well. I had to do a little ballast repair but things were not in bad shape. The highlight of the annual opening  is donning the bathing suit and reinstalling the two submersible pumps in the lake that feed the railway ponds and rivers. If you are wondering if the water is still very cold - I'd say about three octaves cold!

The first train of 2012 ran this past weekend, a CP rail RS3 pulling a short haul boxcar and caboose. It could have been a lot sooner but the "Urban Terrorists" kept me busy in the wood shop.


While puttering away on the garden and working a few a few leftover automata bits, I was still able to start a little prototyping for my next original piece. It requires an excavator boom. In the photo you can see one of the prototypes hacked together from masonite. It is a worthwhile investment to make several mockups in that it allows me to see which adjustments make the motion most realistic and integrate with other parts of the piece. This one uses one rotating 1-1/2" disc with a pin running in a slot to move the boom and oversized 7/8" cap acting as a cam to move the bucket. Overall it gives a fairly realistic motion.
Picture
First 2012 weeding. The plants are starting to show life?
Picture
A mockup of a possible excavator arm
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A Couple of Nautical Prototype 3D Puzzles

5/2/2012

1 Comment

 
Having recently completed a major project it was time to clean up the shop and do a few odds and ends. I am working one small automata as a gift, and installing the mechanism in one I had left unfinished for some time.  I have also completed a couple of nautical themed 3D puzzles along the same style as "Noahs Ark" that have been kicking around as ideas. There are two different watercraft with two puzzle contents which I consider interchangeable. The "Large Fishing Boat" has wildlife commonly found around around the cottage environment; fish, frogs, turtles and birds. The "Cabin Cruiser" has boating safety equipment , lifejackets, a whistle, a bailing bucket, a  throw line, flashlight, and fire extinguisher. In the cabin section of the cruiser there is an instrument panel, chart and life raft. I may yet paint some passenger faces on the interior window blocks. For now these pieces have been for fun and serve as toys for the grand kids when they come.

I have started the design of a new automata called "Call before You Dig" which is a reflection of things possible in the pipeline business I worked in for a few years!
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Large Fishing Boat
Picture
Picture
Cabin Cruiser
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    Why Automata?

    Automata is a creative blend of my life interests , engineering, art  and woodworking. 

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Home     Contact    About   
  • Home
  • Automata Blog
  • Automata Gallery
    • The Balsam Lake Elevator Co. >
      • A Tour of the Hoist Room
      • The Key BLEC Employees
    • DJ's Bee Bop Palooza >
      • Roles of Bees in a Hive
      • The Bee Bop Characters
    • Swimming With The Dolphins
    • Tubing The River Styx
    • A Boat, A Boy, And A Dog
    • Parking Lot Wars
    • The Invisible Audiophile
    • Black Bear Bliss
    • The Chase
    • Baa Baa Bad Sheep! >
      • Baa Baa Bad Sheep Photo Gallery
    • The Penguins' Revenge
    • Cirque de Poulet
    • I'm Thinking & Laura
    • The Bipolar Brain
    • Tempest in a Teacup
    • Inner Demon
    • Sewer Rat Symphony >
      • Musican Profiles
    • The Captive
    • Bored Out of My Skin
    • Waiting at the Clinic
    • The Diagnosis
    • Snowbirds
    • The Not So Early Bird - The Common Sleptin
    • 1 HP Heart Pump
    • The Trojan Cat
    • 7-1/2 Horsepower
    • Howdy!
    • The Bus Stop
    • Rhinoceros Racing
    • It's an Uphill Battle
    • When an MRI Goes Badly
    • A Moment of Silence
    • Who Slew the Chicken?
    • The Dentist's Office
    • Owl Hijinx
    • Horse of a Different Colour >
      • Horse of a Different Colour Features & Specs
      • Horse of a Different Colour Photo Gallery
    • March of the Penguins
    • The Extraction >
      • The Extraction Media Gallery
    • Poultry in Motion
    • School's Out!
    • Pond Life >
      • Pond Life Photo Gallery
    • Rat Co. >
      • Rat Co. Employee Profiles
      • Rat Co. Photo Gallery
    • Happy Birthday Daddy! >
      • Happy Features & Specs
      • Happy Birthday Photo Gallery
    • The Raving Fans
    • The Waiting Room >
      • Waiting Room Photo Gallery
    • Cottage Cabernet
    • Neighbourhood Watch
    • Check Please!
    • Fishing >
      • Fishing Photo Gallery
      • The Mechanism
      • Brutus the Catfish
      • Crawford the Crayfish
      • Bigmouth the Largemouth Bass
      • Buddy the Chocolate Lab
      • Gertrude and Heathcliff
    • Ian's African Lion Safari
    • Call Before You Dig >
      • Features & Specs
    • Crossing The Mara >
      • Features & Specs
    • Migrating Caribou >
      • Features & Specs
    • Rocket Pack Raccoon
    • Urban Terrorists >
      • Exploring the Urban Terrorists
      • Features & Specs
    • Top Gun
    • Miss Communication
    • Hula Hoop Girl
    • Java Jane
    • The Cranky Caterpillar
    • A Case in Point...
    • The Leafs Score!
    • Enough With The Fish!
  • Learning Centre
  • Automata Store
  • Workshop Tour!
    • Sanding
    • Drilling
    • Cutting
    • Measurement
    • Carving Tools
    • Hand Tools
    • Working With Brass
    • Work & Assembly Areas
  • Mechanisms, Tip & Tricks
    • The Why and How Of It!
  • Who Am I?
    • Making Automata
  • Contact Me
  • In The News
  • Links
  • The South Bay Railway
    • Murray's Mill
    • Rivers, Creeks & Ponds
    • Early Days Photo Gallery
    • Layout Photo Gallery
    • Layout
  • Totems
  • Some Other Small Projects
    • Misc Projects
  • Driving Home for Christmas
    • Designing the Float
    • A Penguin Prototype
    • The Human Flock
    • The Float Penguins
    • The Float Video
  • Members Page