Do Nothing Machine.

[EE_Bota]

I didn't know the best place to put this. It is called the "Do Nothing Machine." It was designed and built by my best friend's father who is in his mid 80's. The friend is a member of TBN (whitewater) but is very busy and gets more seat time that I do by far. His father was my high school advanced math teacher, and he is a very smart fellow. The machine is fun to look at, and when it is running, it will put a smile on anyone's face. I can't supply a video at present, but someday hopefully video will be up for folks to see.

Here is the album:
Do Nothing Machine :: Do Nothing Machine picture by botaphota - Photobucket

And here is the first picture in the album.

 

[MIKE R]

Cool. Can you explain in detail how it works!!!

 

[EE_Bota]

Cool. Can you explain in detail how it works!!!

No, sorry, but it is a kick to watch. I took the pictures, and then I took a video (my first ever with that camera) and accidentally blew the save process. So, me and his son tried again, but an important part of the machine quit working due to belt slippage. We messed with it a bit, and then decided that we were not going to risk hurting the machine while his dad was in the hospital, so we called it a day and turned out the lights. His dad is still recovering, and it is going to take a while I'm afraid.

 

[dex3361]

A friend of mine made this Gunderson Do-All Machine. It was a labor of love for him to build this machine. To appreciate it fully you need to watch the video listed under the photographs tab.

 

[Tig]

but an important part of the machine quit working due to belt slippage. We messed with it a bit, and then decided that we were not going to risk hurting the machine while his dad was in the hospital, so we called it a day and turned out the lights. His dad is still recovering, and it is going to take a while I'm afraid.

So if it's a Do Nothing Machine when it works, when it quit did it actually do something?
Best wishes to Whitewater's father.

 

[creekbend]

Thanks for posting. Best wishes and a speedy recovery in regards to "whitewater's" Father.

 

[BHD]

it is quite a machine and I but it was fun to watch when running, with all the things that are on it , (looked through the photos on photo bucket),

I bet it was a real labor of love,

did he start with just some small pieces and start to combine them, , or was there some plan or did it just grow uncontrollably ?

 

[EE_Bota]

it is quite a machine and I but it was fun to watch when running, with all the things that are on it , (looked through the photos on photo bucket),

I bet it was a real labor of love,

did he start with just some small pieces and start to combine them, , or was there some plan or did it just grow uncontrollably ?

It was definitely the latter...small bits, etc. One of the earliest bits was a grain elevator, with the long vertical belt, and the little buckets riveted to the belt. It was just like a full size grain elevator but shrunk, and it would move cornmeal I reckon, but a kernel of corn would be a chunk!

Over time, bits would come and go, and challenges would form and be overcome. I think a challenge early on was to find a motor with appropriate speed and power. But truly, the longest challenge, remaining mostly unsolved, is what to use for belting. The existing belts are bootlaces (not the leather ones, the woven ones) that are stitched together at the ends. He is a very sharp fellow, so I doubt he is botching these up, yet they don't serve him well.

For example, many of his tensioners are out of tension...I presume due to stretch of those laces. I think he is too sharp to have made them too long. There is the possibility that the wood is eroding, but I am skeptical. He has asked me and his son too for suggestions / ideas on the belting material, but we have mostly come up dry.

I am a fan of some sort of elastomer, so I suggested o-ring kits. But heck, if his boot laces eventually stretch, I know the elastomer will.

A service belt in real equipment will have the fiber of that boot lace, and an elastomer coating to aid friction. I wonder if his boot laces could be painted or coated with some sort of elastomer, which might allow a reduction of tension, and therefore lower the stretch.

 

[shaley]

Here is billiard ball machine my friend in Lexington has built.
John C. Schofield's "The Ball Machine" - YouTube

 

[EE_Bota]

Here is billiard ball machine my friend in Lexington has built.
John C. Schofield's "The Ball Machine" - YouTube

I like that machine a lot, but I bet it is way cooler in person where your eyes can better follow the action. I bet viewing that machine would elicit a different response from the viewer, perhaps more excitement. The other machines were more or less continuous, but this machine may give the viewer the feeling they should keep eyes glued due to a fear of missing something. Less like the other machines, the balls move on, and your eye's need to follow to get the effect. So the result is a bit more excitement for the viewer. If all the machines in this thread were side by side, they'd all elicit different effects from the viewer.

I was in the hospital 9 days last month, but in all my walking, I didn't actually get to see this in operation.

The non-stop ball factory - YouTube

It does give you an idea of the difficulty of filming and the eyes-glued effect.

Unrelated, though interesting, I did go through that area one day, and though the ball factory was not in operation at the time, there was a Farmer's Market!

 

[EE_Bota]

Also unrelated, Harbor Freight or Northern Tool used to market a two book set of "mechanisms" if I remember right, and I am curious of anyone who see's this message actually bought one of those books, and if so, what did you think?

 

[mikehaugen]

It was definitely the latter...small bits, etc. One of the earliest bits was a grain elevator, with the long vertical belt, and the little buckets riveted to the belt. It was just like a full size grain elevator but shrunk, and it would move cornmeal I reckon, but a kernel of corn would be a chunk!

Over time, bits would come and go, and challenges would form and be overcome. I think a challenge early on was to find a motor with appropriate speed and power. But truly, the longest challenge, remaining mostly unsolved, is what to use for belting. The existing belts are bootlaces (not the leather ones, the woven ones) that are stitched together at the ends. He is a very sharp fellow, so I doubt he is botching these up, yet they don't serve him well.

For example, many of his tensioners are out of tension...I presume due to stretch of those laces. I think he is too sharp to have made them too long. There is the possibility that the wood is eroding, but I am skeptical. He has asked me and his son too for suggestions / ideas on the belting material, but we have mostly come up dry.

I am a fan of some sort of elastomer, so I suggested o-ring kits. But heck, if his boot laces eventually stretch, I know the elastomer will.

A service belt in real equipment will have the fiber of that boot lace, and an elastomer coating to aid friction. I wonder if his boot laces could be painted or coated with some sort of elastomer, which might allow a reduction of tension, and therefore lower the stretch.

not sure that it would really fit the theme of this machine, but where I work we use very small timing belts. Off the top of my head I want to say that they are 8mm pitch and about 8mm wide. They are used to drive encoders off of some of the main drive motors for some of our equipment. They don't slip since they have teeth on them, and you can get small (maybe quarter size) pulleys for them.

We also use some very small roller chain... maybe 06b? not sure but maybe check that out at well?

...also, I would think that the shoe laces would only stretch so far. Maybe make them small and pre-stretch them?

 

[EE_Bota]

not sure that it would really fit the theme of this machine, but where I work we use very small timing belts. Off the top of my head I want to say that they are 8mm pitch and about 8mm wide. They are used to drive encoders off of some of the main drive motors for some of our equipment. They don't slip since they have teeth on them, and you can get small (maybe quarter size) pulleys for them.

We also use some very small roller chain... maybe 06b? not sure but maybe check that out at well?

...also, I would think that the shoe laces would only stretch so far. Maybe make them small and pre-stretch them?

Thanks for the ideas, and your final point I have considered, but I am assuming he does this because he is such a brilliant man. But once I see him next, I am going to inquire if he actually pre-stretches the boot laces. I would think hanging weights fro them ought to get most of the stretch out.

Maybe pre-stretched and then painted with that rubberized tool dip would be a good belt.

 

[Danno1]

.


Here are a set of books with mechanisms:

McMaster-Carr


Here are drive components:

Precision Gears Timing Belts Timing Belt Pulleys Precision Bearings Brakes Clutches Precision Couplings Sprockets Chains and Maufacturing from SDP/SI



.

 

[dex3361]

Here is a link to the Gunderson Do-All machine on You tube
Machines in Motion Gundersons Do All Machine - YouTube

 

[EE_Bota]

.


Here are a set of books with mechanisms:

McMaster-Carr


Here are drive components:

Precision Gears Timing Belts Timing Belt Pulleys Precision Bearings Brakes Clutches Precision Couplings Sprockets Chains and Maufacturing from SDP/SI



.

Thanks, I am thinking about getting some references that would suggest mechanical solutions for some problems I see at work. One book I bought was called the "Machinist's Bedside Reader." I am an electrical guy, but I encounter lot's of mechanical problems I'd like to be better able to speak too.

The Machinist's Bedside Reader: Guy Lautard: 9780969098027: Amazon.com: Books