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Cycloid Drawing Machine

$695.00

  • Image of Cycloid Drawing Machine
  • Image of Cycloid Drawing Machine
  • Image of Cycloid Drawing Machine
  • Image of Cycloid Drawing Machine
  • Image of Cycloid Drawing Machine

Two Cycloids will be ready to ship by September 27, 2019. These will probably be the last machines that I can make this year. More will be coming in January 2020.

The machine now includes an additional penholder; a revised 20-page instruction booklet with a complete table of node for every gear on all 3 turntables; 3d printed handle; and new 3d printed fulcrum slides. All the wooden parts from the previous machine are still included. The rods and penholders are cut from cherry hardwood. All the fittings are solid brass.

The small motor accessory is also done and ready to purchase. It can be used with any of my drawing machines since it has interchangeable drive gears. I will be listing it for sale tomorrow.

Price is $695

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Drawing Machines?

Way before there were plastic drawing toys like the Spirograph® there were wood and metal drawing machines. Some were elegant harmonographs from the 1880s. Others were simple wooden epicycloid toys like The Marvelous Wondergraph from 1906. While the harmonographs were infinitely adjustable, all the cycloid toys were simple and limited. We resolved to correct this oversight by the long gone inventors. Our Cycloid Drawing Machine has infinite adjustments to allow for a fulcrum that rotates and moves. Gone are the simple rotary drawings of old. The Cycloid Drawing Machine allows for massively complex artwork. By allowing the fulcrum point to move and having a huge number of interchangeable gears our drawing machine is more like an engine turning lathe.

Motors? Electrical Requirements?

No motors. No electricity. Just crank it by hand. There are lots and lots of gears. They are held in place by brass screws and brass knurled nuts. You operate the machine by cranking the gears.

Setup can be as easy as adding one gear and taping a piece of paper onto the turntable. No tools are needed to set this machine up. Every part is easily tightened by hand. By moving the fulcrum point--also a brass knurled nut--you will make radically different drawings. The penholder length can also be moved by changing a knurled brass nut. You can make a variety of beautiful drawings with just one gear. Different colored pens can be used and multiple drawings can be made on a single piece of paper for even more dramatic effects. (Three pens will be included in each set.)

An extensive instruction book will be provided but figuring it out for yourself is more than half the fun. The instructions will detail a few basic setups to get you started right away. More complicated setups will also be explained with easy to follow photographs.

The Cycloid Drawing Machine package consists of:

the base
3 geared turntables (120, 144 and 150 teeth)
18 wooden gears (30, 32, 34, 36, 40, 48, 50, 58, 60, 66, 72, 74, 80, 90, 94, 98, 100, and 108)
3 connecting rods
2 extender rods to lengthen gear diameter
newly designed cherry penholder
200 sheets of round 9-inch diameter heavy paper
plywood template for hexagonal paper so you can cut your own from standard 8-1/2 x 11 copier paper
3 colored pens (black, red, and blue)
roll of 3M Magic tape
3 fulcrum holders of varying heights
brass screws and knurled nuts
3d printed handle
3d printed fulcrum slides

Delivery

Cycloid Machines are made in small batches. The kit weighs 12-1/2 pounds and lives in a sturdy cardboard box. It ships in a 24 x 18 x 8 inch box. Shipping will be charged at cost. Any excess payments will be refunded.
EU residents should be aware that import taxes are not included in this price. The buyer will be responsible for paying them.

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