K'nex - the other angle: triangle tower

Building towers with k'nex is cool, but hard when you are low on pieces.
With this instructable I'll try to show an alternative way of building a k'nex tower then the well known square shape.

This guide consists of the next parts:
Building the basic shape (steps 1-3)
Building the base of the tower (steps 4-5)
Strengthening the structure (steps 7-9)
"Getting it up" (step 10)
my towers (steps 11-13)

This is my first instructable so it isn't enything overly special but yet I found it something interesting to share, I add or change certain sections at times if i come up with extra information or if i find errors.
Most of the images are a bit cutted at the sides (that's why the odd shapes) and are reduced in file size (less sharp).

Step 1: Building the the basic shape I

We will be using a triangle shape, this gives us corners of 60 degrees.
To start off, use a connector like the (old colors:) yellow or white one.
Take one type of rods as the length of the 'tower' and the bigger rod as diagonal.

To make a first shape of the tower, make three of these.

Comments

[Sorunome]

I should try some day....after my next ball machine maybe :D

[lichking4421]

How? How is that even possible? You have an amazing talent my friend.

[brentbrent]

its actually really easy

[floris2burn]

Did you make one than?

[Serial-Cricket]

How? How is that even possible? You have an amazing talent my friend.

[Atalung]

You could build some sort of tripod eiffel tower like base.

[floris2burn]

I'll try posting something on youtube, though the camera didn't realy do as i wanted so i only got the first 3 pieces put together (out of 6 pieces aprox 1.5m tall) I'd retry recording but the weather is bad and i'm getting tired of this tower XD

[PikminRed]

HOLY! awesome 5*'s

[Ps2playa]

Cool! I hope I have enough parts!!!

[KnexFreek]

 Holy cow that is tall!!! 5stars btw!

[DELETED_Haon]

(removed by author or community request)

[floris2burn]

I inserted it in 2 ways, caus most people that use meters also use the decimal comma while people using feet mostly use the decimal point.

let's say it's 9m 38cm or  30ft 9in tall

[Mr. Muggle]

I always stick grey rods into the ground on the bottom section, It helps keeping the tower straight up

[floris2burn]

That's a good idea, I'll keep it in mind.
though, i think the rods would need to be a bit sharpened in order to be easilly sticked in the ground. Not sure if i'll mess with the pieces that much..

[thefunktopus]

in one of the last photos there was a trampoline, pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase build a tower on it. youull be a legend forever if you do!!!!

[Bartboy]

Could the top support a video camera?

[floris2burn]

they're not that heavy, but imagine it falling 8 meters down. Not going to risk that one :p

[Oblivitus]

It's called a suicide camera.

[floris2burn]

if i could somehow protect the camera, i'd record how the camera goes up to the top and then crash down :p eny instructables about bouncy camera?

[Oblivitus]

Make a plastic box, but use a cheap camera just in case.

[bowmaster]

Get a box ~3 times the size of the camera. Then hold the camera in the middle of the box with surgical tubing. The cover the out side with 1-2 inches of closed cell foam. Then 1-2 inches of open cell foam. It's heavy but protects the camera really well.

[Oblivitus]

Tell that to floris2burn, it's not my instructable, but that sounds good anyway.

[bowmaster]

I played soccer with it.

[I_am_Canadian]

Now I have to make my own mega tower! Looks great. Nice work!

[Bartboy]

YES! Make the tallest tower ever! Then turn it into a ball machine. Imagine, a lift that goes 30 ft, then a ball free falls into a funnel....

[I_am_Canadian]

I was going to try, then I learned that I have to beat 106 feet...

[Bartboy]

So? You could cream that! go for 106 metres!!!

[bowmaster]

Use a helicopter.

[I_am_Canadian]

You kidding? Do you have any idea how many pieces that would take?!

[Bartboy]

You might have.

[I_am_Canadian]

I made 10 feet, and I realised that there was no way.

[floris2burn]

I failed at making a system using wires (caus i don't have enough chain pieces) but couldn't realy make it flip the ball away so i focused on the tower instead.

[Oblivitus]

Wow, those are really tall. How long have they been outdoors?

[floris2burn]

these 4 picktures are the same tower, just going up :p it's been standing till.. it crashed from the wind or for some minutes till i took it down again after taking picktures and small video recording. i've made several, going higher each try to find weak spots and such (i also tried putting this uhm wind-directioner atop, but it's pretty heavy so it was a smaller tower (see the intro page)

[Oblivitus]

You should try to come up with a mechanism that will counter the force of the wind.

[floris2burn]

unless it involves using supportive wires (which won't make the tower that cool enymore) i think there's pretty much nothing to do. I was thinking of building some support beam from out of my window, but as I said, I want it to be single standing without eny supports or such. using a mechanism involving a weight would be to counter a swinging movement which isn't happening here. The tower just bends over to one side and then crumbles at that corner. That's why i put those extra strengthening diagonal rods at the bottom (going to attach more of those soon)

[Oblivitus]

You could try using taught string within the tower to support it by hooking it straight from the top into the ground.

[floris2burn]

maybe, but that would result in a lot more strain on the bottom pieces, as if you put a lot more weight on it. Again, the tower would get a lot more fragile. The sole reason the tower needs to be stronger is to survive the extra strain the wind causes, if i find some other ways to make the pieces at the bottom of the tower stronger, I could either go a lot higher or make it immune to the wind. And i think i got an idea or 2. Oh, and building this large base higher would take a huge ammount of pieces as it's sort of 9 times the tower attached by the corners. so one level at the bottom would require 9 levels from the available length. I'll keep you all posted when i manage to build the tower again, I need some time, daylight and good weather (which isn't exactly now).

[Oblivitus]

I have an idea that I am working on in a drawing to counter the wind using weights.

[floris2burn]

i tried building a 9 metre tower. though when i was bringing it up (like i said, i let the top rest against the drainage) the top section was getting so tall that the slight angle already caused to much pressure at the point supporting at the drainage, it made it collaps there leaving 2-3 metre section at the roof that i barely got off (after one hour of different approaches). and now it started to rain, yay -_-