A Change of Pace

I've been stuck lately and haven't progressed on my marble run machine and automaton projects. I had a strong desire to create, but unfortunately, I couldn't come up with any good ideas. I'm still struggling to figure out what to do next.

Then, I thought that doing something entirely different might be a good idea. While I was browsing the internet, I stumbled upon a cute crocheted pigeon doll. Fortunately, I had the materials in the same colour, so I purchased the pattern and began crafting it.

At first, I was a bit confused because the pattern instructions were different from what I'm used to in Japanese knitting books. Typically, Japanese knitting books feature both text instructions and diagrams. The pattern I bought was in English and mainly consisted of text. Nevertheless, I managed to understand how to create it.

 

And here it is, my cheerful-looking pigeon. I can't explain why, but I've grown quite fond of it. Whenever I look at this pigeon, it brings me a sense of comfort. I wanted to display it somewhere special and found the perfect spot. It was the dish on my marble run machine. Interestingly, the size of the dish and the pigeon happened to match, creating the appearance of a nest.

 

Now, I'm thinking about the next design, I cannot help but glance at the amusing, quirky pigeon in the corner of my eye. Who knows, perhaps this pigeon will inspire me with a new idea?

Crochet pigeon pattern: 

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/1088068916/pattern-crochet-pigeon-pattern-crochet?click_key=33a3b2881f5f5abb1a5dbd4f9838bce869481f92%3A1088068916&click_sum=a72a8e15&ref=related-2&pro=1&sts=1

More and More Pot Mats

I've been working on making my marble run parts. The marble run should have been completed in the plan already by now. The reality is it's still on the way.

I know the reason. It's because I've been through a lot of trial and error.
Then, here they are. After trial and error, many gears and strange parts remained that couldn't be used for the marble run.

Almost every time I made useless parts, I said, "I made pot mats" out of chagrin. They can actually be used as pot mats. Small gears could be coasters.
I once thought I could make something using these gears but designing them to fit already existing gears was more difficult than creating a new one, so I gave up.

I made a new big pot mat using the MDF yesterday. Actually, I was going to make a new part for the marble run and failed. My husband said sarcastically that the pot mat was needlessly elaborate in design. Well, these holes and gaps can release heat efficiently. I know that's a poor excuse.

My current situation is like resembling the last stage of a packing puzzle. What I mean is that when you first start putting pieces into a box, you can go on and on, but as the box fills up with the pieces, you gradually struggle that you can no longer easily put pieces into the box.

Yes, I totally hit a wall. What I usually do when I hit the wall, whether it's a  plasterboard or brick wall, the best way is to do something different; watching movies, listening to music or making something completely different can work.

Now, I worry that I cannot complete the marble run until the end of this year. It's not a big issue because there's no deadline, but I want to finish it as soon as possible. I'll see what will happen.

My Challenge to Make a Marble Run Machine - The Wavy Rail

The CNC router is a very convenient machine to cut. On the other hand, it requires some experience to use as you want it to be. I haven't used laser cutters, but it's easy to imagine CNC routers are more difficult to handle than laser cutters because you have to care about the height of the z-axis. 

 

While Juno had been to Japan to meet his parents, I didn't use the CNC routers because I was sure I would have made mistakes.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if someone who was a beginner using CNC routers broke many router bits or cut the point they didn't want to. There are many pitfalls using CNC routers. I'm lucky Juno warns me every time I do something stupid. I've now got used to using the CNC router a little bit. I can notice my mistakes before I make them, but still, it's not easy to manage.

 

I made a rail for my marble wirh the CNC router run machine yesterday.

It was the rail to supply balls to an oval tray. It would be more fun to make a wavy rail rather than a straight rail. The wavy shape can fill in unnecessary room, and it looks nicer.

 

Firstly, I drew the picture of the rail using ViaCAD as usual. Then, I exported the data as a DXF file and imported it to CamBam. Setting the data into CamBam is one of the hurdles. Depending on the data, it's important to set the starting point. I put the starting point when I cut the wavy rail.

 

Cutting a wavy rail with a groove by hand is challenging. Using the CNC router can make it nicely and quickly. 

 

Even though the groove can be cut easily using a T-shape bit. Here is the T-shape bit I used this time. It was so convenient.

The balls run smoothly on the rail, and I'm happy with the result.

I'm now thinking about a design for the next part. Hopefully, I'll be able to show you something unique next time.