Team Charcool study models

Side view of our study model

Study Model

Large gear

Large gear

Medium gear

Small, Medium, and Large gears connected

These are our studies of the full model and our gears. The gears will be placed on a plate just under the top plate (that will hold the paper) of the box-part of the study model. They will be turned by a crank attached to a vertical gear that connects to the rest of the horizontal gears. Each gear has at least one half inch hole in it where a magnet can be placed. The gears will be made out of dark wood and cut out on the lasercamm. The final box will be made out of light wood, and the arms will be made out of dark wood. The squares on the top of the study model represent two plexiglass pieces that will dispense charcoal onto the paper below. One of the plexiglass pieces will have cups filled with charcoal and iron shavings and the bottom will have holes, so when that bottom one is pulled away, the charcoal will fall onto the paper. The magnets placed in the gears will pull the charcoal and iron shavings as they turn, thus creating a drawing.

Trifecta

Our entry in the Naef Toy Competition consists of twelve triangular pyramids - only half are shown above - which come in three distinct sizes. The four smaller pyramids can stack into the four mid-sized pyramids which can then stack into the four largest pyramids.

All twelve pyramids can be arranged into one large four-sided pyramid...

... or into a cube.

They can also be stacked or arranged in numerous other ways. This toy provides plenty of leeway for them the user to be creative.

Team Charcool

 Drawing of the complete machine.

 Cross-section of the box itself.

 One of the large gears, with three options for magnet placement. 

 Test drawing - we pulled magnets in circles below the paper with charcoal and iron shavings on top to simulate the machine's drawing. 

 These are the cups that will be placed above the paper and box.

We are making a drawing machine that will dispense charcoal mixed with iron shavings from cups above a piece of paper. The paper is going to be resting on plexiglass at the top of our box. Beneath the plexiglass, inside of the box, there will be gears with multiple spots to place magnets. These gears are going to be horizontal. There will be one vertical gear attached to a crank. When someone turns the crank, the vertical gear will move, ultimately moving the other gears and magnets - thereby pulling the charcoal and iron shavings to create a drawing.

First Year Competition

Our prompt was was "Using a 19x24 sheet of Bristol board, no more and no less, craft a work of play."

Marble Machine Sketches

This is a sketch of our marble machine. The user will turn a crank which will send the marble up the stairs as they rise and fall into the ink container. The marble will then land on a double pivoting table and create marks on paper.

Top View

Result of an inked plastic marble rolling on paper

The Pendulum Takes Shape

 A rough sketch of what the final design will look like.  A pendulum swings in the center of three cable-stayed legs.  The drawing is made when the paper moves under an inkwell.

A sketch of the pendulum bob.  This will hold the paper as it swings below the inkwell.  Three metal-lined holes will attach to cables , which will be suspended from a ball joint.

 The ball joint with three cables attached.

The inkwell and removable attachment to make refilling and washing easier.  The valve allows easy control of the flow of ink or paint.