Updates
| July 27, 2007 | — | Thirty domino blanks. |
| June 16-17, 2007 | — | It was a Labyrinth construction weekend. |
| June 15, 2007 | — | Labyrinth Plans |
| June 9, 2007 | — | Shoot the Moon is done*! I was able to roll the ball uphill to level 4. My worst nightmare was that when scaling everything linearly, as I created the design from the original toy's measurements, the whole thing would fail due to some non-linear scaling, such as the mass of the ball increasing with the cube of the linear dimension, for example. But everything seems to work exactly as desired. *Done means that it is completely assembled and works, but I need to stain it, clear-coat it, and add the words. |
| June 5, 2007 | — | Testing! I assembled a test of the two pipes, and I was able to control the bowling ball, rolling it "up hill"! I made a slight mistake in milling the end block, but I know how to fix that. (The problem is that I did "plunge milling," but that style of milling generates so much force that the milling machine's Y axis slipped about a mm.) I'll redo that part and put it at the bottom of the stack, so the misaligned holes won't show. I also welded the "captive bolts" for the field joint. I must find my camera. |
| June 3, 2007 | — | Another Shoot the Moon day! Five hours without a break: the big holes in the platform are cut, the six cups are mounted, and the platform is attached to the upright through the new field joint. Then blinner (breakfast / lunch / dinner), shopping at OSH for the pipes and a bi-metal hole saw, onto another hour of work, and the two steel pipes have been bored at just the right angle. Tomorrow I visit Chris and Linda (who have donated some materials for Labyrinth), and Tuesday I'll cut the slot in the plywood for the pipes. I need to finish assembling Shoot the Moon in the next few days because next weekend is a Labyrinth weekend. |
| June 2, 2007 | — | It was a Shoot the Moon day. It took hours, but all six wooden cups are done! Then I tried to weld the metal brackets for the field joints, but since I had forgotten to get a larger welding-torch tip, the metal pieces remain unconnected. The welding store is closed tomorrow, and so I change the plans: I bought some Simpson HD2A brackets which I will use instead of making my own brackets. |
| May 30, 2007 | — | I milled two of the six wooden cups required for Shoot the Moon, but I can't find my camera. I'll post photos when I do. |
| May 28, 2007 | — | Progress made on Shoot the Moon, Labyrinth, and the love seat. |
| May 27, 2007 | — | Designed the hardware that connects Shoot the Moon's platform and its upright.
Picked up the order from the mill. |
| May 26, 2007 | — | Ordered materials and millwork for Shoot the Moon. As they say, progress is being made. |
| May 25, 2007 | — | Dominos problem resolved! |
| May 24, 2007 | — | It's time to order raw materials for the dominos. Oops! Problem! |
| May 21, 2007 | — | Shoot the Moon's plans are done, and the plans for Labyrinth are more than half-way there.
Playatech asks anyone who uses their love-seat design to donate $5 per love seat to Black Rock Arts Foundation. Done! Late update: Tonight's JRS mentions that the Berkeley Adventure Playground can use nail-free, unpainted wood. That's another destination for the wooden 2x4s that make the fence. |
| May 15, 2007 | — | The Love Seats' plans are done. |