GearHeads Corner

I finally figured out how the reciprocating arm escapement works with a little help from a Turkish friend I met on YouTube.  He did not want me to share his design so I modified it to the point where his design is no longer recognizable therefore I feel comfortable revealing bits and pieces with this little community.  My "proof of concept" mechanism can be seen here https://youtu.be/O2JafxJ8yuM.  It's very crude and downright butt ugly but it works!

Here are some observations:
1) The flywheels act similar to a pendulum in a recoil escapement.
2) Timing is controlled by the spacing of the cage gear pins, placement of the pawls, and length of the string.
3) The mass of the flywheels control how fast things move.
4) The arms need to be weighted with the center of gravity offset so they retract far enough.
5) The string should not slip on the flywheel pulleys.

I hope this helps my fellow gearheads who may be interested in this type of ticker.

Mark

Mark:

Very interesting. I think a few of David Roys sculptures use the same type of mechanism..

Ive always thought it looked real nice.. I may have to try something similar one day..

Art

The beauty of this mechanism is it's simplicity.  It's easy to construct with a couple of parts, no springs, no magnets and it can be used to drive any flywheel design.  I forgot to mention that the flywheels work best when balanced so there is no need to use offset weights.  Pawls are triggered by the recoil generated by the flywheel's momentum.

Mark

Very nice.! I am surprised by the thickness of the fly wheels. Are you saying that the heavier the slower?

Dan Mauch

marklazarz wrote: I finally figured out how the reciprocating arm escapement works with a little help from a Turkish friend I met on YouTube.  He did not want me to share his design so I modified it to the point where his design is no longer recognizable therefore I feel comfortable revealing bits and pieces with this little community.  My "proof of concept" mechanism can be seen here https://youtu.be/O2JafxJ8yuM.  It's very crude and downright butt ugly but it works!

Here are some observations:
1) The flywheels act similar to a pendulum in a recoil escapement.
2) Timing is controlled by the spacing of the cage gear pins, placement of the pawls, and length of the string.
3) The mass of the flywheels control how fast things move.
4) The arms need to be weighted with the center of gravity offset so they retract far enough.
5) The string should not slip on the flywheel pulleys.

I hope this helps my fellow gearheads who may be interested in this type of ticker.

Mark

Heavier wheels take more force to get going, so drive weight and flywheel weight are related in that regard.  It's all part of the fine tuning process.

What you saw in the video was my first attempt at the flywheels so I made them thick to give them some mass (had to start somewhere).  Next time, I will work on a pleasing design and I'm sure that they will be considerably lighter.

Mark

Hi Mark,
Flywheels are really interesting things.  I remember from my school days (long ago) that it was the weighted rim that was critical for stored momentum.
Anyway its worth while looking up some engineering information on.

John

Really cool, Mark.  Not sure how I missed this from December. 

Dan

Thanks for the comments.  I have a fairly decent sculpture nearly completed.  Just waiting for the warmer weather so I can spray paint outdoors.

Mark

Sounds good.  Looking forward to seeing it.  I purchased Clayton's Zinnia a while ago primarily to see how the mechanism worked.  I cut much of it on a small 3040 CNC, scaled way down, and will eventually get to it's assembly.  Over the last few months I built a larger Solsylva CNC with a cut area of around 2' x 2' which would be much more appropriate for kinetic art pieces. 

Dan

I too missed it the first time around; impressive.

Your shop in the background is impressive, too.  I don't think mine has ever been that neat and organized.  Is that a Grizzly wood lathe hiding in the background, only caught a quick glimpse of it?

Kirk

Kirk:

You opened a can of worms asking about my shop.  Others have commented on it from time to time so I will give you a little pictorial tour.  FYI, my shop is not overly neat, it varies depending on the state of my work in process.  I will probably have to post over three messages due to the number of photos.  Since I have limited space (don't we all), most stationary tools are mounted on wheels and I move them into a clear space as needed.  One thing for certain, I have a very understanding wife!

Mark

More shop photos (2 of 3).

More shop photos (3 of 3).

I need more room and a bigger allowance :)

I looked at (online...) the tabletop Delta midi-lathe, but went with the 12" VS PSI since I've used one in the adult shop at the high school - if it holds up to HS students it should work for me.  Had it about a week now, even made a couple things that didn't go into the woodstove.

We have the same metal cutting bandsaw, but mine is red and had a 20% off coupon.  I'd like the Simpson metal rack, better than leaning it in corners against the wall...

Still impressed, and it's way neater than mine.  Gotta get out the broom and shop vac, not to mention another sort and put away session, longer than the last one.  Your pics are an inspiration!

Kirk

That Simpson rack was on sale at a building center that closed.  I think I paid $10.00 for it loaded with all kinds of metal shapes and threaded rod.  You will also notice lots of General brand equipment, I believe it is all made in Canada - very happy with the quality.

I never touched a wood lathe in high school.  Purchased this one at a local hardware store for no other reason than I thought it would be fun.  I spent the first year discovering that wood turning begins at the grinder, not the lathe.  Once I got over the fear of killing myself, it's great fun and easy to make something in a couple of hours.  It really comes in handy for making things like wooden clocks, kinetic sculptures and incidentals associated with Gearotic parts.  Shavings are used in my gas grill to flavor meat.

Whenever someone posts photos of their projects, I always look at the shop behind the scene.  Must be a guy thing.

Mark