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Paper model Earth to download and make. Members can download the parts for free. Thanks for signing up!
The five parts fit together like this before being glued up into a globe.
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Mars assembled.
Members can download and make the parts for free at the link. There are no instructions as it is pretty self explanatory, there is however a video of me putting together mine. I managed to keep the action in frame for at least 50% of the time.
I'm planning on putting up a tutorial of the design process shortly. Meanwhile, enjoy putting this together.
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This working bevel gear has been designed as part of my forthcoming Gear Zine. The larger gear wheel has twenty four teeth, the smaller one has sixteen teeth.
Members can download the parts for free from the link at the top of the page, non-members can download the parts for £2.50
Print out the four sheets onto thin card (230 micron / 67lb) Score the dotted lines and cut out the holes before carefully cutting out the parts.
Starting from the end of the bevel ring without the tab, glue the first tab of a tooth piece with matching colour into place.
Work your way along gluing the flats to the grey areas as accurately as possible. A coffee stirring stick is handy for pressing the parts into place.
The first tooth section into place. The next tooth piece glues down overlapping the first.
Work your way round gluing down the tooth sections. Leave the very last section open as shown.
Curve round and glue down the ring then glue the last of the teeth pieces into place.
Repeat this process with the other gear ring.
Assemble the large base plate as shown being sure to note the hill and valley folds.
Glue the axle tube into place so that it is aligned with the top of the centre support pieces.
Fit the gear ring into place gluing it to the eight tabs as accurately as possible. Tweezers are useful for nipping the tabs down.
Assemble the smaller base as shown.
Glue the gear into place on the gear base as shown.
Glue the two axle supports into place then glue the axle tube into the hole.
Roll round the long axle tube so that the edge lines up with the edge of the grey area. Apply glue along the entire length of the flap...
...then roll it round and glue it down. The shorter axle is made in the same way.
Slide the smaller bevel onto the long tube, don't glue it down.
Push the smaller axle into place. Again, there is no need to glue it down.
Glue the two box stiffeners into place on the inside top of the base so that they just touch the hole.
Assemble the base box and glue on the two triangular stops.
Glue on the feet then fit the large gear into the base.
Glue the end piece onto the base making sure that it is exactly at right angles with the base. Fit the second gear into place.
Complete the project by adding the second box end.
That's it! The project is aesthetically quite attractive in its own right but could also be used as the internal drive mechanism for your own project. Have fun!
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So I started watching the new series "Defiance" on the TV when this mysterious glowing space shape thing appeared on the screen. I'm afraid that was as far as I got through the program. When I finally looked up from trawling through the ever fascinating Geometry Junkyard and the Wikipedia pages on 3d shapes Defiance had finished. I'm afraid that happens a lot. I do like to go to the cinema with #truelove. She really doesn't approve if I use my phone to explore internet rabbit holes at the pictures so I tend to be able to watch films right to the end without getting distracted. Just so long as I stay awake.
Anyway, it turns out that the shape is a Rhombicosidodecahedron. It is made from 12 pentagons, 30 squares and 20 equilateral triangles. There is all sorts of fascinating information here on the Wikipedia page. I tried out a few nets before settling on one with five parts spread over two pages. If you are a member you can download the parts and make your own for free. Non-members can join in the fun for £2.50
Score along all the dotted lines (there are loads. Sorry.) then carefully cut out the pieces. Fold along all the crease lines before you start the assembly to ensure crisp creases.
There are a total of five pieces. Two large, slightly different from each other and three smaller pieces all the same as each other. Find the two larger pieces. One has a black dot on a tab, the other has a black dot near an edge. Glue the tab with the dot to the edge with the dot. Line up the parts as accurately as possible.
Accurately glue one of the remaining three pieces to the central pentagon. Use the picture above to help with orientation.
Glue the other two pieces to the central pentagon, again using the picture for alignment.
Starting from the central pentagon, work your way round and up gluing down tabs to make the 3D shape.
Work your way upwards...
...until only the last pentagon remains.
Complete the shape by gluing down the last pentagon. Nice!
The questions remain. Was Defiance any good? Did anyone watch it? Should I go back and try watching it again? What other 3D shapes will distract me if I do?
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A crank slider driven snake. Turn the handle and the snake rocks back and forth. Is it charmed or is it about to strike!? Build your own and find out.
This project is free for members to download - thanks for signing up! Non-members can download the project for £2.50
Print out the parts onto thin card. Note that the three sheets come as a colour version and a line version. the colour version is printed on both sides. Print out one side, flip the card over and return it to the printer then print the other side. Score along all the dotted and dashed lines and cut out the holes before carefully cutting out the pieces.
Fold over the crank shaft ends and glue them down to make double thickness card. Once the glue is dry cut out the centre holes then cut out the pieces. Set them to one side.
There are three paper tubes to make. Each is made from tightly rolled paper. I roll the paper round a chopstick to make a smooth curve. Roll the tube so that the end lines up exactly with the edge of the grey area then glue down the end. Assemble all three tubes like this.
Glue the long push rod together the make a square section tube. Glue the two push rod ends into place using the grey areas for alignment. Fit the longer round tube into the push rod ends and make sure that it is running square to the main push rod before the glue on the push rod ends dries.
Make up the two shorter square tubes and glue one to each end of the round pin as shown. Make sure that they are lined up with each other and the pin remains free to turn.
Glue on the two spacers and the two longer square tubes as shown above. Make sure everything stays lined up!
Glue the two remaining pins into place as shown.
Assemble the handle in three steps. Fold the two square sections and glue them down. Fold and glue one square section into the other. Roll round the long tab and glue it down.
On the two box sides, fold up and glue the triangular section tubes to make right angled triangles.
Glue the two box sides together.
Fold the box round and fit the crank shaft pins into the circular holes in the box.
Glue the box together.
Thread the lid and slider tube down over the main push rod. Glue the lid to the box and then glue the bottom flaps of the box down making sure to keep everything square.
Fold in the four flaps and glue them to the inside walls of the box.
Glue the handle to the drive pin.
Glue the two parts of the snake together.
Complete the model by gluing the small tab on the top of the main push rod to the back of the snake's head and the snake's body to the top of the box.
That's it. I hope your ssssnake looks sssssuper!
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A set of paper bellows/springs to download and make. Members can download the template at the link, thanks for signing up! There are three designs in the template file, pentagon, hexagon and nonagon (9 sides) Check out the previous blog post if you would like to design you own with a different number of sides.
Print out the pages onto standard printer paper, not card. Score along all the dotted and dashed lines then cut out the page along the surrounding line. You may have to set your printer to "Scale to Fit" to ensure that the whole template is printed out.
The three pages look like this.
Pre-crease all the dotted and dashed lines before you glue the parts together. These instructions are illustrated with the six sides spring but apply equally to the other two.
Glue along the back of the edge opposite the grey area.
Roll the tube round and glue down exactly on the edge of the greay area.
Okay - now this is fiddly and a little tricky. Take your time.
Starting one row of parallelograms from the top. Pick a parallelogram. Fold the centre diagonal as a valley fold and the four surrounding edges as hill folds.
Once done move onto the next parallelogram on the same level and repeat the process.
Work your way round to complete the row.
Repeat the process with the next row down.
Work your way right down to the end.
Complete the spring/bellows by folding in the ends noting that the hill and valley folds are swapped in the ends compared to the main body.
...now if I can just fit some sort of sound generator, perhaps a whistle or two, into this mini squeeze-box...
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Two interlocking gears, one with eleven teeth, one with nineteen teeth. This project is from page one of the gear zine. (coming soon)
Rather than printing out in colour this project is intended to be made using coloured card. You will need three sheets of white card and three sheets of different coloured card. Follow the directions on the download as to which sheet of card matches with which page.
Score all the dotted/dashed lines and then cut out the holes before carefully cutting out the pieces.
Start by constructing the 19 tooth wheel.
Join the two rim pieces together. Make sure that they are accurately aligned. The edges should be one long straight line.
Starting from the end without the taper, glue one of the teeth pieces to the first grey area as shown.
Work your along the rim gluing the lower part of the teeth (between the dotted lines) to the grey areas. Use the black arrows to help with alignment.
When you get to the end of the strip glue the start of the next strip onto the top top of the end of the last strip.
Work your way to the end of the rim. Don't glue down the very last tab.
Roll round and glue together the ends of the rim using the grey areas for alignment.
Complete the rim by gluing the free end of the teeth into place.
Glue the two stiffeners across the centre disks using the grey area and the edge of the square hole for alignment.
Fold round and glue down the stiffeners to make right angled triangle sections. Repeat this process with the other disk.
Thread the axle into place using the grey arrow for alignment.
Glue the two disks back to back with the cross pieces perpendicular to each other.
Fit the centre disk into the wheel rim. Locate the tabs with the edge of the rim and glue them down.
Roll the pin tightly so that it just fits into the axle tube. Glue the end down.
Thread the pin into place to complete the gear wheel.
Repeat this process to make the smaller gear.
Assemble the support box.
Glue the three legs to the grey areas, two on one side, one on the other.
Complete the gear by carefully threading the pins through the holes in the box and meshing the two gears together.
Here is the top view.
In the photography for the gear zine I used a support box made from the same color card as the backing card so as to emphasise the gears.
Turn one gear the the other gear is turned by the interlocking teeth. Notice that the gears turn in opposite directions. The larger gear turns at 11/19 the speed of the smaller gear.
----
With thanks to Urmish who pointed out that the large gear has nineteen teeth, not twenty one as I had originally stated. Oops!
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A pop up robot to print out and make. Fold the model flat and it pops up when released. Slip it into a greeting card as a delightful robo-surprise! Members can download the parts for free, non-members for £2.50
Print out the parts onto three sheets of thin cardboard, score along the dotted lines, cut out the holes then carefully cut out the pieces.
Make up the body by gluing the two hook pieces face to face making a square shaped tube,
Repeat the process with the head.
Glue the head and body together by joining the two grey areas together with the two small holes aligned. Fold the small tab through the hole and glue it to the back of the adjoining piece.
In each of the four box sides, glue together the two sides that are opposite the hooked tabs.
Fit a long thin elastic band over the hook in the head. Thread the elastic band through the small hole then fit the other end over the hook piece in the body.
Glue up the remaining sides to complete the head and body.
All the remaining parts are made from double thickness card. Glue them and fold them in half. Once the glue is dry carefully cut the piece out. Repeat this process for the arms, legs and antennae
The arms glue to the small semi-circles on the side of the body.
Complete the robot by gluing on the antennae and legs.
Fold the model flat, slip it into a greeting card and it will pop out when the card is opened.
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Free for everyone to download!
Another seasonal paper decoration based on one of the platonic solids, this time, the cube.
There are two version within the one download. One, a cube based Reindeer and the other a very badly packed present, you can choose which to make or make both!
Download the file at the link above. Print out the parts on to thin card. 230 gsm / 67lb. To make the reindeer, print out sheets one to three, for the parcel, pages two to four. Score all the dotted lines and cut out holes before carefully cutting out the pieces.
Fold in half and glue down the head, legs, tail and antlers to make double thickness card. Once the glue is dry carefully cut out the parts.
Making the Standard Reindeer
Fold up and glue together the box leaving the top open as shown. Glue the tail tab to the box tab as shown.
Close the box to complete the body.
Fold up the neck piece and glue it to the centre front of the body.
Glue the antlers to the back of the head.
Fit the head to the neck.
Glue the legs to the body lining up the grey areas on the back of the legs with the edge of the body.
Complete the reindeer with the other pair of legs.
Reindeer Parcel
Make sure that you have cut along the lines for the leg holes and the neck hole in the main body.
Curve up the triangular flaps to give the appearance something bursting out of the paper.
Glue up the box leaving the top open.
For each of the legs, add glue to the top of the leg on the opposite side to the grey area.
Thread the legs through the hole in the box from the inside. Again, line up the grey area with the bottom edge of the box and glue the leg into place.
One leg fitted as seen from the inside.
Repeat this process with the other legs.
All four legs fitted.
Fold up the neck, this time with the three tabs folded outwards.
Thread the neck through the hole in the body from the inside and glue it into place.
The neck fitted into place.
Glue the two ribbons into place around the box. The longer of the two ribbons runs around the width of the body.
Gently curve the three bow pieces and glue them together to make loops. Glue the loops to the top of the ribbon to make a bow.
Glue the antlers to the back of the head and complete the model by gluing the head to the neck.
Done! Festive felicitations one and all!
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A working paper iris to download and make. This seven blade iris is the same mechanism that is used in camera lenses. I'm sure this mechanism will come in useful for future projects!
Members can download the parts for free at the link, non-members can download the parts for £2.50
Print out the parts onto thin card. (230 micron / 67lb) Score along the dashed lines and carefully cut out the holes before cutting out the pieces.
Flip over the inner front piece. Working from the back, thread the vane tab into the slot. Use the picture above to ensure that you have the alignment correct.
Fit all seven of the vanes into place so that they overlap each other and are lined up with the edge of the hole. Notice that the tabs on the free end of the vanes are folded up at ninety degrees.
Locate the inner back piece so that the small handle is slightly to the right of the small handle on the inner front piece. Fit the vane tabs through each of the seven holes.
Fold over the three strips of spacers and glue them together to make double thickness card. Set them aside until the glue dries.
Cut out the spacers.
Flip the iris so that you are looking at the inner back.
Glue a spacer to each of the grey areas. Line up the end of the spacer with the edge of the hole. The spacers are just slightly shorter than the width of the inner back, this ensures that the spacer doesn't stick out past the edge of the back.
Lay the iris on its front and glue the back cover to the seven spacers.
Flip the iris over so that you are looking at the front.
Glue the remaining spacers to the grey areas on the inner front again lining up the spacers with the inner edge of the hole.
Prepare the iris front cover without gluing anything yet.
With the iris fully open, line the end of the grey arrow with the right hand handle. Hold all the parts together.
There are six tabs used to join the front to the back. The first tab fits between the two handles. Glue the tab to the front and back covers to that it is over the spacer inside the mechanism.
Work your way round in an ant-clockwise direction adding a tab aligned with each of the spacers.
Once complete let the glue dry completely. Once you are complete, hold one handle and move the other to open and close the iris. See if you can extent this project by putting the iris to use. Perhaps a gift box or cover for a picture.
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