Jack the Jackhammer – Wooden Automaton

Happy New Year!
I hope 2026 will be another creative year for all creators.

For the first post of this year, I'd like to introduce a wooden automaton.
I like automata, but I haven't made many of them. In December 2025, the workshop was quiet on some days, and I saw it as a good opportunity to make one.

I wanted to keep the project simple. The idea that came to mind was a jackhammer. Many automata are fantastic and pretty - flowers, butterflies, and other gentle things. A jackhammer is none of those. It's loud, rough, and definitely not elegant.
That was exactly the point. 

The motion of a jackhammer is very similar to the up-and-down movement produced by cams. With that in mind, I designed several parts using 3D graphics software and printed them with a 3D printer.　Here is the 3D-printed prototype. 

At first, I planned to use two cams on separate, parallel shafts. However, that design required gears to keep everything moving together. Since my goal was simplicity, I rearranged the cams so that gears were no longer necessary. Fewer parts, fewer problems - at least in theory.

The most important part was getting the jackhammer's movement right. I made several serrated cams and tested them again and again.  

The cam for the jackhammer has large, jagged waves to create a strong impact. The other cam has smaller waves, just enough to animate the worker bravely operating the machine.

After many trials and errors, I finally completed the automaton, which I named Jack the Jackhammer.

It's not pretty, it's not quiet - but it does its job.

 

Making A Tiny Automaton in Frame

I have been making a marble run machine. It is almost half done. The next step is creating a new mechanism for the rest of the half part, but I am now stuck. I am still trying to think of a new idea.
The best thing to do when I am stuck is to do something different. On such an occasion, my husband said that two little frame-like trays remained, and he did not need them anymore. It would be a good opportunity for change, and I got two little trays.

These trays were originally for containing puzzle pieces. They look beautiful, and I did not want to waste them. All right, let me think about how I could use the trays.
Luckily, it took a short time to get an idea. I decided to make a tiny automaton using those trays. It is like a picture in a frame but an automaton.
Then, there is an issue, the size. The tray is too small. Is it possible to make small gears that are suitable for the tray?
I remember I bought a piece of thin plywood last month just in case I need to make something small. What a right time it was! I can use it for making gears. The inside of the frame is 8 cm square (3.14 in), and the depth is 1.35 cm (0.53 in). It is no problem, even if some parts stick out from the frame.

I want to make a flower automaton first. I know it takes work to design. I had made the flower automaton before. The mechanism of the first flower automaton was complicated, so I could not use the same design this time, which meant I had to think of a new one.

I am always pushing myself in this way. Yes, I know. I am amazed at my own inquisitive mind, even though it requires lots of effort, I cannot stop. However, this bad habit lets me challenge myself and learn new things. If I had not had this tendency, I believe I would have been making the same mechanism again and again, and it had not been improved.
I roughly drew two designs. I still need to find out which is the better idea. Are those ideas good enough to make?
I hope to write about my new tiny automaton on this blog if I can finish it.

Rob Ives's Paper Crafts

There are so many creative people in the world. I found some of them through Twitter. One of my favourites is Rob Ives's creations. He's famous for paper crafts.
He occasionally updated his new paper craft on Twitter. It's a paper-made automaton. I saw a pretty rabbit rotating a wire handle yesterday; it's called "CRANK RABBIT." The structure of "CRANK RABBIT" is simple, yet I cannot help watching it.

Crank Rabbit! #STEAMjunk automata to download and make. https://t.co/W24F0X8Zyz #crank #automata #mechanism #maker pic.twitter.com/OZ5ROc00yj

— ✄---Rob--Ives--- (@robives) February 26, 2023

He usually uses paper, wine corks and wire that anyone can get easily. This is what I admire about his work. He can think of unique designs and make them happen using ordinary materials. Not everyone can do it. It's like cooking something extraordinary with very ordinary groceries that can be served at a five-star restaurant. It wouldn't surprise you to see a treat cooked with expensive groceries.  What I have learned from him was the importance of ideas and how to show them.

I'm making a marble run machine. Luckily, I have some ideas for it, but I think I should consider more before making each part. Everyone has different tastes, so it's impossible to make everybody enjoy it, yet I would like to make a marble run machine that everyone cannot help but watch.

Nuremberg Toy Fair Final day, He's still going strong! #NurembergToyFair #automata #STEAM pic.twitter.com/PRAzcQebV1

— ✄---Rob--Ives--- (@robives) February 5, 2023

 

Here is the link to Rob Ives's website and Twitter.
If you are interested in linkage, you would love them.

https://www.robives.com/
https://twitter.com/robives

Yohei Nagatomi - The Tiny Gear Accessory Creator

There was one accessory I had always wanted, and I finally bought it. It was designed and made by Yohei Nagatomi. Here is the accessory. 

Unbelievably, those tiny gears rotate perfectly and smoothly. I love the linkage mechanism, so when I saw it for the first time, I thought this was perfect for me.

オーダー品完成！
この作品は見た目、構造こそ単純だけど裏にはそれなりの試行錯誤があったり…
意外とどの作品もそれなりの数の試作を行ってます pic.twitter.com/sHRLJbCEec

— Y.NAGATOMI (@Tominaga_Tech) July 23, 2022

Yohei creates accessories with gears based on the idea of a "wearable link mechanism."
He started the creation for the purpose of making watches. From the knowledge acquired in the process, he started making accessories. For instance, this is one of the watches he made.

Let me show you more of his unique creations.

Here is Kinetic Heart. Rotating a gear in the lower heart-shaped frame, the piston moves up and down, and the Geneva mechanism makes an intermittent motion.

One of the great things about his creative work is that he integrates various mechanisms into his work. When planetary gears are also made as his creation, it looks like this. 

Until I started writing about his creation, I didn't notice he had also made a flower-shaped automaton.

It's interesting to see the different mechanisms of the automaton because I have made the flower-shaped automaton, "Columbine" before. As a matter of course the petal movements are similar, but the mechanism is different.

As he says he is interested in watches, he has got tools I have never seen.
Look, this is a Boley's watch lathe. It's small!

This is a projector to scrutinize the shape of gears. I can imagine how much effort is required to make those small things.

His pendant head accessories are made with brass and duralumin. Duralumin is commonly used for aerospace parts; it is a very light and durable material. 

He makes those accessories by build-to-order manufacturing, so it requires about one week to be shipped. His shop can use PayPal, and it was convenient for me.

Most puzzle lovers are also gear lovers. If you are interested, please take a look at his shops.

Creema : https://www.creema.jp/c/Kinetica/item/onsale
minne :  https://minne.com/@kinetica
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tominaga_Tech

Automaton - Dancing Koala

I finally finished making my 6th automaton yesterday.

Originally, I was going to make a complicated design automation, but I thought that it seemed difficult to make it. So, I've decided to make it step by step.

Therefore, this automaton is a part of an automaton that I want to make in the end. I have made it for making sure whether those gears work well.
The feature of this automaton is two gears that have only four teeth.

These gears make the other gear that is connected to a rack always rotating the same, which means the gear turns the opposite direction on the way and it makes the rack swing side to side. Even those gears with four teeth rotate the opposite way, but the rack swings the same.

At first, I made a mistake with these gears that have four teeth. After I tried to rotate them, I noticed that I had to cut two teeth at each end of these gears a little otherwise the gears mesh with each other and get stuck.

I thought it did not look good with only gears, so I have made a koala doll on the rack.

The koala legs are connected to the rack and his legs, arms and head can move a little bit like he's dancing.
I had just added the koala for fun without thinking too much, but it was a bit difficult to attach him to the rack and a back board. Thinking about the movement of the koala, I should have used a steel washer between the back board and the koala. If I had used steel washers, the koala could have taken a more brilliant step, I guess.

It was disappointing that I could not hit on using steel washers, but it was a good try that I could make sure this mechanism works.

My next target is an automaton that I really wanted to make, but I know it is arduous. It is an automaton with a pendulum. I hope I am able to show you pictures or videos of my next automaton someday.

 

Trial and Error

I'm very happy with the latest automaton, "Flower Automaton" that I made last month. So, I got carried away and decided to make the next one.

Through trial and error, I got an idea of a fish automaton. It seemed like a good idea (I thought) when the idea first popped in my mind, yet as I considered it carefully, there were some issues. Even if I could make it, I don't think it would be that interesting. So, I put it aside and restarted thinking of a different design again. Things like this happen quite often. An idea that came up in my mind seems brilliant at first, then it gradually lost its glare.

An idea is crucial. Think, think! I mumbled to myself.
I tend to do something stupid while I'm thinking about these kinds of things, so I must be careful.

I remember when I was in Japan, I was a loyal reader of a monthly science magazine "Kagaku Asahi." There was a puzzle on the back cover, and I loved it. One rainy day I was thinking how to solve the puzzle in the magazine and headed to a subway station in Tokyo. Then I noticed that I was holding an umbrella left open at the entrance of the subway where there was an underground. The other passengers might have thought that I was a crazy person.

Unfortunately, I feel like I don't have as much ability to concentrate that I had before. If I think positively, I don't have to worry about holding an umbrella left open in a subway station or hit my forehead into an electric pole which is good. Luckily, I live in a remote area in Australia not in Tokyo. Even if I did something really stupid, people rarely notice, only birds and kangaroos. 

One day, I was watching YouTube looking for hints. Then, I found several videos of kinetic sculptures. There were two guys I found who make wooden kinetic sculptures, David C. Roy and Robert Hains. Surprisingly, one of them lives in Queensland, Australia. Their sculptures are so beautiful. Here are their works. 

Calligraphy kinetic sculpture by David C. Roy

 

Tip Turkey - Robert Hains

I admired their kinetic sculptures, and of course, I felt like making my own. Even though I haven't started making it, I have already imagined where I should hang the kinetic sculpture and looked for an empty wall. Yes, I know. I'm a bit impatient.
Come to think of what I have made, there is a little similar one, Moire Gears. It also used the moire effect. It seems difficult to make a kinetic sculpture, but I think I can do it if I spend a lot of time. 

When my first kinetic sculpture is finished, I will show you it someday here.

The Flower Automaton

Hello, puzzle and automaton lovers! It has been a long time since I updated the last blog post. I had been struggling with an automaton.

In November last year, one idea of a flower shaped automaton popped up in my mind. It was a flower facing upward. I thought it would be good, however, when I searched the key words, "automata" and "flower" on YouTube, I found some flower automata that bloom upwards. If I could, I wanted to avoid making something similar to others. Therefore, I have decided to make a flower automaton that blooms horizontally.

Then, I started thinking of the structures of the automaton. I realized that a vertical bloom automaton could use gravity to open petals which is convenient. On the other hand, an automaton that blooms horizontally can be obstructed with gravity. It depends on structures, the upper petal would easily face down by gravity.

Hmm, it seems a bit awkward.

If it is alright having big linkage structures behind the flower, I thought it would not be difficult to make. I tried to imagine how it would look. No, no. It makes no sense if the structure is more conspicuous than the flower.

In the meantime, November was over. December passed very quickly having no good ideas. Then, January and February passed wastefully, and I was getting a bit anxious. I thought that I might have not been able to come up with any good ideas. When I was almost giving up, I picked up a book, "507 Mechanical Movements" and finally got an idea. The book gave me a hint! 

 

After many trials and errors, also having kind help of woodworking by Juno, I finally finished making the flower automaton yesterday.

Here it is, this is my flower automaton.

I named it "Columbine" because it happened to look like a Columbine flower. This is a double flower, and it caused many mistakes while I was making it. I guess that it would be much easier if I made a single flower. 

The petals are made from PNG Rosewood. Probably, you may notice that I used the rest of the timber that was used for the sequential discovery puzzle, "SDBB Master." The stem and the calyx are made from plywood that I bought at a hardware shop, the base is made from the off cut of American Black Walnut which has been used for Coin Case, Juno's Arrow, SDBB Master and so on. 

Before I started making this automaton, I had made a prototype. This prototype faces upward. The feature of this flower automaton is moving any angles. It moves regardless of the force of gravity. I am happy with the idea. Having said that, if I make another one, I will change some parts of the design because I have found some improvements. Sometimes you cannot tell shortcomings just by making it once, you know?

 

This automaton was 7th creation of mine including prototypes. The first one had quite a simple structure, it had only two cams. It is deeply moving to see the improvement and complexity of the design from only two cams automaton to the latest one.

I already have a next new idea for automaton. I will show you my next automaton someday on this blog.
See you then!

 

Automaton of a horse pedaling bicycle

I have finally finished making my third automaton.

I have been busy these days, but when the CNC router was not in use, I cut all the parts of an automaton. While the CNC router was cutting the parts, I could work for my regular work, making puzzles and it was very time efficient.

Same as before, I used plywood this time because this is a prototype. Plywood will not warp, and it is good for making gears. On the other hand, cheap plywood like I bought does not look very good. I bought plywood at the same shop, and unfortunately, there were variations in quality. Some top boards easily come off and it was a bit awkward.

At first, I drew pictures of the automaton using 3D software. It can be a help to understand each position and also it can export the data for the CNC router. I do not know how other automata creators do, but to me, this method is convenient. After exporting the data, there were several settings and work and then, it was the time for cutting. This is one of the exciting moments.

This is the picture of cutting parts with the CNC router.

I needed some tiny parts and I prepared more than I needed, because tiny parts might be inhaled by a dust extractor after cutting. This is the tiniest part that survived.

After cutting all the parts, I assembled them together. The picture below is gluing the jockey and holding it with a clamp.

I said that I used plywood, but there were two exceptions, one is the base and another one is a carrot. This prototype does not have any colour and looks bland, I wanted different colours. This carrot was made from Jarrah.

This automaton is based on my old online jigsaw puzzle design. A jockey and a horse are riding on a bicycle and the jockey is holding a fishing rod that has a carrot on the end, and the horse is pedaling the bicycle instead of running. The horse's eyes are, of course, chasing the carrot.

After I made this automaton, I thought that I could also make another version of this. The horse that sits on the bicycle can be replaced with a rabbit. Replace the carrot with a wad of bills and the horse can be changed to a human.

I am mostly satisfied with the result of the automaton. I made the jockey's leg so that it can be wagged, but the automaton does not vibrate as I thought, and it does not wag at all. It was a miscalculation.

Unexpectedly, there is one that is satisfied with the automaton more than I am, it is my cat. He loves punching the carrot very much. He is not interested in some toys I bought for him, but he loves the carrot. It was another of my miscalculations. I put the automaton out of reach of the cat for safety.

Thanks for reading and watching the video.

Automata, pendant heads and puzzle ring creator, Hideo Fukuda

I found Hideo Fukuda through Twitter long ago. He designs and makes silver accessories and automata. Once you look at his unique sense of designs, you will not forget them.

Recently, one tweet with pictures that he has uploaded caught my eye. Here are the pictures I was fascinated with. It's a maze ring.

The structure of this ring is two layers, an outside ring and an inner ring. There is a tiny projection on the inner ring and the projection can go through between the grooves of maze that are on the outside ring. Yes, that's right. You can play with this ring. Two rings can be separated after you finished solving the maze.

Unfortunately, this ring is one-of-a-kind. However, Hideo says that he is going to commercialize the ring as a slightly improved product with almost the same design. I'm looking forward to seeing it.

He also designs automata. Most of his automata are very small and I feel a little melancholy and warmth about them. Here is a video of his automata.

It's unbelievable making such a small doll that can be moved. It must be a very difficult job.

He designs not only automata, but also works on pendant heads that are made of silver. As you see, those pendant heads are all animal designs.

My favorite is "A cat traveling to space" because it's a pendant head that can be moved by rotating a tiny handle like an automaton. Isn't it fun?

「宇宙へ旅する猫」シルバーペンダントのギミック。 pic.twitter.com/DfNpzT2BSL

— アトリエpuchuco (@puchuco709) February 2, 2019

A pendant head of Opisthoteuthis californiana is charming too. It looks like an alien that people imagined long ago or a Pac-Man. One of the surprising things is, he has made octopus's feet finely. That's an amazing work! It seems like this tiny octopus is one of the best seller pendant heads.

There is one design I have never seen. A pendant head of a doll whose organs can be seen. What a unique way of designing! The preferences may be different depending on the person, but there is no doubt that this pendant head is a unique design.

Those accessories he has made used SILVER 925. Until today, I didn't know the meaning of silver 925. I googled it and understood that it means it contains 92.5% of silver. He says that all the works are finished by hand, so the color and texture might differ one by one. In a sense, I think it's nice that all the products are not exactly the same. You can have one thing in the world.

Those beautiful works are available only inside of Japan. If you would like to buy his work, ask your Japanese friend. I put his online shop link below.

Atelier puchuco : http://puchuco.jp/
puchuco's Twitter : https://twitter.com/puchuco709

 

Kazu Harada, Automata Creator in San Francisco

The world advances towards the development of cutting-edge technology every day. Technological development is remarkable and makes our life convenient. I'm interested in the state-of-the-art technology, it gives me dreams of what I had thought might be impossible would be possible.
Having said that, I like low technology, like automata and cannot run away from the fascination of automata.

As I have introduced him on this blog before, there is an automata creator named Kazuaki Harada (aka Kazu Harada) who has a worldwide reputation.

I have heard that he is going to join the program, "Curious Contraptions, Inside the Fairy Tale Factory" at Exploratorium at Pier 15, San Francisco. This has already started from 8th November until 20th January 2019 and he will join from 3rd December to 15th December 2018. There will be three days off (Fri.7th, Sat. 8th and Fri. 14th) for him during the period. If you would like to meet him, please avoid these days.

Exploratorium "Curious contraptions"
https://www.exploratorium.edu/curious-contraptions

While he is at Exploratorium, one of the events "After Dark" will be held whose theme is "Glow" and he will join the event too. I heard that he is going to make automaton by using something that glows, but he hasn't decided the details yet, so it's going to be a surprise!

After Dark: Glow
Thursday, December 6, 2018  6:00 - 10:00 p.m.
https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/calendar/after-dark/december-6-2018

Honestly, I have never seen his creations with my own eyes because he lives in Japan and I live in Australia. However, I know his creations are awesome through the internet.

The Nobel Prize Organization seems one which is fascinated with his creations and recognized his talent too. Well, of course, he was not nominated for a Nobel Prize. He has taken on a request from the Nobel Prize Organization and made two automata that are related to two novels; The Wonderful Adventures of Nils and The Bluest Eye.
Those two creations are going to be at the event which is related to the Nobel Prize in Literature that will be held in UAE in February 2019.

In March 2019, he is going to attend World Wood Day in Austria. He attended the same event this year that was held in Nepal. I found a YouTube promotion video of World Wood Day where Kazu and his wife wearing funny glasses are on the video.

His activity is spectacular, but there is more. I heard that there is a plan to publish his book. Isn't it wonderful? I'm anticipating more activities from him in 2019.

What? Oh, yes, my automata plan. Well, yes of course, as I have written I will make the second automaton next year. I promise.
Kazu is a man of the world creator and I'm a woman of my word creator.

Kazuaki Harada: https://twitter.com/kazu_automatist
Exploratorium Twitter: https://twitter.com/exploratorium

My First Automaton "Jumping Kangaroo"

My dream finally came true!
The dream I have been having is making automata.

I couldn't make automata when I was in Japan because I didn't have enough tools and a workplace. Now, there is a workplace for puzzles and it's a very convenient environment to make automata.

The first automaton I have decided to make was a very simple design. There are only two cams. I thought a simple structure would be good for the first challenge. 

Ta-dah! 
This is the first automaton I made. It's a jumping kangaroo.

The body of the kangaroo is connected to the stick underneath the box and it's touched one of the cams. Unfortunately, the shape of this cam wasn't good. I drew straight lines where I should have drawn curvy lines, that was the big mistake. Therefore, the movement of this cam is not perfect, but looks not bad.

As you can see, the kangaroo's front feet and ears don't move. I wanted to move those parts, but you know, this was the first challenge and I didn't think I could do it. After I took those pictures, I have noticed that I forgot to make eyes. I'll add the eyes later.

This time, I didn't draw a detailed design in advance. I made a box roughly. So, I'm going to draw a detailed plan using 3D software next time. I haven't decided what will be next. At the least, I want to use gears.

Please look forward to the next automaton!

My dream - Becoming an automata creator

I have lots of dreams. I know I'm a bit greedy.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said "I have a dream", only one dream and it was a noble aim for not his personal purpose, for everyone. Mine is very personal. I know sometimes I can't make progress if I have a finger in every pie, but each dream is attractive and hard to abandon. However, maybe it's time to focus on one dream now.

My dreams are acquiring English ability, acquiring a skill to draw pictures, especially birds, getting knowledge of plants and animals and becoming an automata creator.

I've been trying every day for practicing English, I think. I'm interested in creatures and science, therefore, I tend to learn insects' names that I saw in the backyard or remember wild bird's names, which I have very few chances to use in my daily life, but these are all English words, so, yes, I think I can say I'm practicing English. Currently, I don't make any efforts for the other dreams. Simply, I don't have enough time and want to focus on one special dream, automata.

On twitter, I declared that I'm going to be an automata creator. Do you know why? It's because I'm not a strong-willed type of person. I'm a genius at finding the reason that I can't do the things that I promised to myself. I always keep promises with other people, but not mine. Therefore, I asked my friends to point out if I neglect working on automata.

I have already a rough design idea. The next step is thinking about a concrete mechanism. I bought a gear generator program long ago, so I use this program which is convenient. I'm very sure that I need lots of time even to start making it.

All right let's draw a mechanism using CAD software.
It's like a snail moving forward, but it's making progress steadily.
It's exciting getting closer to the dream.

My valuable old scribbled memo pads

If your house is on fire, what would you take out with you?

I have an experience of evacuation from 10th floor of a 12-story residential building. Suddenly, the emergency bell rang, and I heard the electronic voice "Fire! Fire! Evacuate immediately!"
I took articles of value, mostly public documents and bank documents, and CDs on which were copied my puzzle game programing, then got out of the building. The programing files were my treasure at the time. If I lost them, it would have needed lots of time to program again.

Luckily, it wasn't a real fire. One of the residents left a tap running and went out, then water overflowed, that's why the alarm system was wrongly set off.
If the house was on fire now, I would let my two cats get out first and if it's possible, I would take a folder that contains lots of memos.

This photo is for illustrative purposes, this is not my drawing.

I have lost lots of ideas before and as usually people do, I also felt like the ideas I lost were all awesome. The fish you lose is always the biggest, you know? I don't know why, but I always remember a fact that I forgot an idea and couldn't remember what it was. Therefore, I have started writing anything that comes up in my mind and keep all the memos in the folder. Even if it seemed like a trivial idea, I wrote it down.

I used to create lots of online jigsaw puzzles games before with moving pictures. I called it an animated jigsaw puzzle. For making animated jigsaw puzzles, I had to draw animated cartoons which repeat the same short movements. For example, I drew a girl who plays with a jumping rope or kids who play on a seesaw, otherwise the data would be heavy. It was long ago; the internet connections were not so fast like nowadays.

Now, I don't create any online puzzle games and I don't need new ideas for them, but taking a memo is my habit and I'm still doing it. I thought that those ideas would have a chance to be used for a different purpose.

This photo is for illustrative purposes.

Then, the time that I can use those ideas has finally come. As I wrote on the blog in April, I have been thinking to make automata. The movement of automata are repeatable movements. That means I can use my old ideas for making automata. I'm glad that I didn't throw my old scribbled memo pads away. I know that making virtual creations and making wooden creations are very different, but still I can use them.

The workshop where my family business (making wooden puzzles) runs is always busy and I'm not sure when I can realise my dream, but I will not give up on my dream.

Hopefully, I can show you my first automaton on this blog someday.

photo credit: fabola Perpetual Motion via photopin (license)
photo credit: fabola Curious Contraptions via photopin (license)

Dusting my old dream - Automata

There are lots of interesting things in the world. I don't know whether it's good or bad, but my attention goes to various fields. However, there is one thing that has been on my mind for a long time and is unforgettable. It's automata. 

It was a long time ago, when I was in Japan, that I went to Yokohama to see automata. If my memory is correct, Rob Ives's creations were displayed in the hall of the Yokohama Landmark Tower and I bought a book "PaperAutomata."

Rob Ives's creation was new to me. I hadn't known his creations until then, but I knew Japanese traditional automata. Japanese call them Karakuri dolls. Karakuri is similar to mechanisms with tricky ideas. One of the most famous automata is a tea-serving doll. One Japanese publishing company, Gakken, has started selling kits of tea-serving dolls. (It seems all the kits have sold out now.)
Here is the video of a tea-serving doll.

Tea-serving dolls look very advanced to me, but it's too far to understand its mechanism. However, when I saw Rob Ives's book, I thought I may be able to make something like an automaton. His real wooden works are very complicated and artistic, but his book indicated simple paper automata for beginners. His book gave me a little hope. The reason why I say "a little hope" is because, at the time, I didn't have a woodworking environment.

One day, when I was watching TV, a man who makes automata was introduced. His name is Kazuaki Harada. He has been making amazing automata. Looking at his creations, I can feel his sense of humor as well as his woodworking skill. Luckily, I found his Twitter account and I can see his current activities. He has been working energetically and participates in the worldwide event "World Wood Day." 

On seeing his creations, my old dream that was put away deep in my mind has come back. I made several gears using an electric scroll saw. Acquiring woodworking skills are not easy and also designing automata is difficult. I considered some ideas and noticed that some of them didn't work. I always have a ball-point pen and a small memo pad just in case I come up with good ideas. You know, there is an old saying that every fish that escapes appears greater than it is.

Honestly, I was still unsure if I really could make an automaton. The difference from when I first saw automata in Yokohama and where I live now is that I have a woodworking place for puzzles and tools. I can use them for making automata. If I won't challenge it now, the next chance won't come.
It's time to dust my old dream and go for it!

Hopefully, one day I am able to show you my first automaton here.

* Rob Ives
* Build: The Gakken Karakuri Tea Serving Robot
* Kazuaki Harada