This is the Pic that came with the plans. If your interested
in getting the plans, there is a link at the bottom of this page, and on
the pages that follow the progress of this project.
Doesn't look that tough does it? Little did I know what
I was in for! Lets start with the 6 piers and the supports that connect
them at the top.
Ahhh, looks a little tougher now! Each of the cross supports
are compound angle cuts of 60 degrees by 4 degrees. The first creates the
hexagon shape and the latter makes the piers flair out toward the bottom.
Yes, this step was a pain in the @$$!!! This was the second attempt. The
direction wanted the piers first attached to the base!
This left me trying to attach the upper supports between
these floppin piers. i got too aggravated and started over. I first attached
one pier to one upper support till I had 6 assemblies. Then I started to
combine them till the assembly was complete. This was also awkward so maybe
the original plan was the way to go.
OK, that looks better! Not a very good pic but it came
out pretty close to perfect. I still need to add a handle to the top, do
that later.
Here's a closeup of the feet, 3/4" walnut glued and screwed
to the base. The base is 3/4" ash plywood with a 3/4 by 3/4" walnut trim
covering the end grain.
Now the fun starts! A 3/4" core box bit centered
at 1/4" depth makes the gutters for the marbles. Again I'm using walnut
but later I'll use some leftover laminated walnut/ash pieces. Feather board
and a push stick are required to push this thru the router table saftly!
Here I'm drilling a 3/4" hole for the marble to drop
through. You can see the laminated walnut & ash
in this scan. Always clamp securely when using Forstener Bits.
OK here's a whole mess of gutters and things all mounted
in place. The gizmo releases the balls one at a time with about a
2 second interval (so I an told! We'll see!) I have it temporarily mounted
to a piece of plywood to aid in
adjusting the mechanism.
Here's a closeup of the release mechanism. Load the marbles
at the top and then manually start the first one down. As it travels the
weight of the marble loads and then releases the next marble. Works nicely!
