It's Time to Spread the Gourd News!

Yes, it's time to spread the gourd news of movin' and groovin' to other like-minded people. Automata can be made from wood, metal, plastic, paper, etc., but the time has come to let gourds come front a center. They are a natural fit with mechanical movements: light, similar to wood, can be decorated, and because of their naturally unusual shapes can hold a viewer's attention.

When this blog began, I was interested in approaching gourds from a new angle. As I learned more about the science and math behind movement, I admit I became overwhelmed. However, now the knowledge has come full circle, all the way back to simplicity where movement is as basic as what do I want my gourd to do?  Given a base and a crank, how can I put together pieces of gourd that will make the action happen?

Basic skills, a basic understanding of what shapes do, and we are off and running!

3 Sisters Singing in the Harvest

There's more to this post than the end result and I will upload the process in a few days, but for now get a load of the newest automata...just in time for the autumn harvest!

A Bit of Music

A bit of success just adds fuel to the fire, you know? I have three chickens dancing. What's next? A bit of music perhaps?

After some minor adjustments...

One vital lesson is to make sure to test the automaton when assembled. In theory, it should work but after testing, it became clear some minor adjustments were needed.  One chicken kept turning around and showing his behinnee when it needed to face forward. Also, one rod appeared to be looser than the others, which made another chicken swing from side to side instead of facing forward.

So, after some adjustments.....

Importance of Pre-planning

Here's an example of how pre-planning, even though thought out carefully, can run afowl (no pun intended) in hindsight. Once the gourd scraps and miniature spinner gourd were measured  and in place, the crank could not be turned a full rotation. It seems the miniatures spinner gourd, though small enough to fit, does not fit once the crank shaft is positioned off-center.

It was positioned off-center so the chicken's rod it associates with would be moved up and down. However, now the space above it will need to be ground out to allow clearance. The other option is to disassemble everything and start anew. Since wood glue was used, disassembling would entail completely destroying the whole thing and starting over. Better to make the patch repair by making space for the gourd to turn full circle and learn the lesson for the next automata.

Gourd Scraps as Gears

Upon reflection, it seemed appropriate to stay with gourds for the gears of this automaton since the chickens were gourds. Pieces of gourd scraps became two of the gears and one spinner gourd become the third one. The head of a miniature bottleneck gourd was used as the catch for the left side of the crank. The catch keeps the crank shaft from shifting out of position.

At this point, a crank handle is needed and a title. Automatons have a name, usually affixed to the front...a clever twist of words that can be a pun or ironic. That will take some thinking! When I figure something out, I will probably woodburn the words onto a blonde piece of gourd and attach it to the front like a trophy plate.

What title? The Three Amigos? Shakin' a Leg in the Barnyard? The Sky is Falling?

Carpentry Skills

Building the wooden deck for the automata has been a window into the unique skills a carpenter needs to produce a woodworking project. Sanding the edges smooth, grinding the dowels so they are indistinguishable from the surrounding wood was much easier using a belt sander. Doing it by hand was going no where fast...so to speak.

At this point, the deck and crank need to live up to the artistry of the chickens themselves.