Craft Your Own Cosmic Clock With This Easy to Build Celestiscope.

Creating a wooden orrery with enhanced features is both accessible and rewarding. This guide will walk you through the initial steps, making the process enjoyable and educational. Unlike a simple orrery, this very precise version incorporates a moon phase indicator, a date pointer, and a year counter, ensuring its accuracy for generations. Its compact 13 cm width makes it effortless to find a suitable wall spot for display. By simply turning a wheel to set it to the current date, the mechanism will seamlessly handle the rest. For those who wish to add an extra touch, integrating a battery-operated clock is a straightforward option.

Supplies

a piece of multi-layered basswood 300x300x1.5 mm (parts)

a piece of multi-layered basswood 200x200x1.5mm (front panel)

a piece of wood 200x200x3mm (back panel)

toothpicks

laser cutter

wood glue

metal rod 15mm with a diameter of 1mm

a set of earrings in different sizes to represent the planets (from ali) or use something similar.

Step 1: Creating the Parts

To begin, use the first black and white image, ensuring it's sized to 300x300mm, and proceed to engrave this onto the basswood. Then, use the contours from the second image to accurately cut the required parts, being careful not to lose any small components. (click on each image and use the download button in the bottom-left to get a higher resolution image, or message me with your email address for an 8k image)

For the front panel of the Celestiscope, size the third image to 200x200mm and engrave it onto another piece of basswood. Next, use the contours from the fourth image to cut the front panel.

Take a piece of 200x200x3mm wood and cut it using the last image.

Use the first b&w image and make sure the size is set to 300x300mm that engrave this on the basswood. Use contours of the second image and use that to cut the parts. Be sure not to loose any small parts. The third image is for the front of the Celestiscope. Set its size to 200x200 mm and engrave this on the other piece of basswood. Then use the contours of the fourth imaga to cut the front. Take a piece of 200x200x3mm wood and cut it using the last image.

The exact thickness doesn't matter, but I thought to make the back plate a bit thicker to add a bit of rigidity to this model. But you can easily do everything with 3 or 5 mm wood if you prefer to do so.

Thanks to Michel Cand for converting the images to SVG files. For cutting they should be of help for some of you, for engraving the images are probably still the best choice.

Step 2: Building the Orbital Rings

First off, the excitement kicks in as we attach the ring dedicated to Mercury's orbit onto the gear with 13 teeth and a tiny hole. It's like fitting together the perfect puzzle piece. Watch out for stray glue – if it dares to venture into the gear's teeth, we're ready with our trusty toothpick to save the day. The goal here is absolute precision, so here's a tip: use the circular part from within Mercury's ring as a guide. Pierce it with a needle and align it with the gear's hole for that spot-on centering.

Next in our orbit-building adventure is pairing up the other rings with their planet gears. These rings are designed to be just slightly less roomier on the inside – a tiny fraction of a millimeter, to be precise. Don't fret; we'll smooth things out with a gentle touch of sandpaper. Remember, keep those adjustments minimal – we're working with tight tolerances here. When we stack these rings, they should glide together like a harmonious dance. It's all about precision, and we're rocking it!

Step 3: Stack of Driver Gears

Take that 1mm rod and insert it into the central hole of the back panel. The largest driver gear (54 teeth) should slide onto the rod and spin freely, taking charge of Mercury's motion.

With Mercury done, it's time to introduce the next celestial performers. Apply glue and stack the next biggest gear for Venus (39 teeth) on top of Mercury's gear, followed by Earth (40 teeth) and Mars. The Mars gear has 25 teeth, but there are two with 25 teeth. Choose the one with the 1mm hole in the center.

Glue the 7-tooth gear for Jupiter and the petite 5-tooth gear for Saturn. These tiny teeth may seem fragile, but when glued to their gears below, they become much stronger. Ensure each tooth gets a dab of glue, and, of course, don't forget to tidy up any excess glue once you're done. (the image shows a 6-tooth gear for Jupiter, but I later improved the design so it is more accurate)

Step 4: The Wheel

Let's keep the assembly process going:

Apply glue to join the 3 grip wheels, which are actually gears with 180 super tiny teeth, along with the gear containing 10 teeth. Together, we'll refer to this assembly as "the wheel" and you'll use it to advance the orrery to a new date.

Now, secure a toothpick firmly into the back plate, and carefully slide these four gears over it. The goal is to achieve a smooth rotation while ensuring they engage with the 6 driver gears seamlessly.

Step 5: Mounting the Orbital Rings

Let's wrap up the final touches to make this orrery come alive:

Stick a tiny 0.7 mm rod through mercury into the back plate. I used a big earring to represent the sun, and it happens to have a 0.7 m rod. (see later in this instructable to add a clock to this orrery).

With all the rings neatly stacked on top, your orrery is now complete and operational. Simply give the wheel a gentle spin to witness its celestial dance. Remember, a counterclockwise rotation sets it in the forward direction.

Never try pushing the rings manually this can exert excessive force on the delicate 5 teeth driver gear. You might wiggle them a bit in case the orrery gets stuck, but that shouldn't be needed.

Stay tuned as the following sections of this instructable introduce captivating features like a date pointer, a year counter, and a moon phase indicator. Prepare to take your orrery to celestial heights!

Step 6: Start Building the Year Counter

Proceed by attaching the 30mm gear with only two teeth to the disk featuring a notch. Make sure the notch aligns perfectly with the two teeth. Repeat this for the other set as well.

Choose one of these sets and apply glue to the side with the two teeth. Carefully attach it to the remaining gear with 25 teeth, taking care not to use excessive glue, as it can be challenging to remove. This set will connect to the date pointer and can be set aside temporarily.

Then, glue one of the matching spacer disks and a 20 teeth gear onto the side with two teeth of the remaining set. This assembly will function as the last digit of the year counter.

Step 7: The Carry Wheels

Attach the distinct 4-toothed gear onto the 8-toothed gear, ensuring they align perfectly. Now, here's the unique part: use a file to create a slight angle on the inside tips of the remaining 4 teeth of the 8-toothed gear. It might seem puzzling, but once you consult the assembly image, it will make sense. Repeat this process for the other set; these sets act as carry wheels, transferring the 10th rotation to the adjacent digit of the year counter.

Moving on, join two 9mm spacer disks securely and place the two half 9mm spacers on top. Insert a toothpick as an axle and position one of the carry wheels on it. It should rotate effortlessly; if not, a light sanding of the toothpick might help. Secure the toothpick firmly into the back plate and trim off any excess sticking out from the back.

To ensure the correct orientation of the half spacers, refer to the 25-toothed gear. It meshes with the 25-toothed gear on the central axle, and the halved spacers provide the necessary room for this additional 25-toothed gear.

These precise steps bring us closer to completing the intricate year counter mechanism!

Step 8: The Last Digit of the Year Counter

Begin by attaching a toothpick to the back plate, using one of the 20mm spacers to glue it securely it in place.

Next, gently slide the last year wheels that you crafted in step 6 onto this toothpick. Ensure that they rotate smoothly and seamlessly mesh with the 8-toothed gear.

However, it's important not to glue the digit disk in place at this stage. It needs to be precisely aligned with the first year digit wheel, and we'll address that in the next step.

Step 9: First Year Digit

Begin by inserting two toothpicks through the back plate. On the right toothpick, glue one small spacer disk, and on the left toothpick, attach two small spacer disks.

On the right toothpick, place a carry wheel, and on the left toothpick, add an 8-toothed gear.

Apply glue to a matching spacer disk and slide it over the left toothpick.

Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how this counter functions. Watch it in action here

Next, glue the digit disk on the left side, ensuring it's correctly oriented.

Attach the other digit disk to the right stack, aligning it so that when the number 9 transitions to 0, the left disk advances.

Step 10: Date Indicator

Let's move on to the next step:

Begin by using glue to create a stack of three small disks on the base plate. Place them just beside the big gear, slightly below it. These disks will provide support for the date disks.

Next, take a toothpick and attach it to the date disk you crafted in step 6. Insert it through the front plate and secure one of the arrows to the front end. Make sure that it can rotate freely within the front plate.

This step marks significant progress in the assembly of your mechanism. Well done!

Step 11: The Moon Phase Indicator

Apply glue to attach the tiny 8-tooth gear to a 16mm spacer and to a toothpick that passes through it. This toothpick will extend through the front plate and drive the moon phase indicator. On the front side, secure the arrow to this toothpick. Ensure that it can rotate freely but doesn't wiggle excessively.

Next, glue a 20mm spacer and a toothpick directly onto the front plate. Then, glue the 47-tooth gear, a spacer disk, and the 19-tooth gear together. Slide this assembly over the toothpick. The 47-tooth gear should mesh smoothly with the 8-tooth gear. Make very sure it rotates freely.

Step 12: Mounting the Front

Glue those little rings to the front with a burst of personality. On the left, you've got the moon phases, with the majestic full moon reigning supreme at the top. On the right, it's all about the dates, with January 1st taking the lead. And hey, there's one more, purely for aesthetics, making its way to the center.

Now, for the grand entrance! The big ring with the zodiac takes center stage, encircling the large opening. It begins with Aries, positioned precisely on the left. The line between Aries/Pisces and Virgo/Libra should be exactly horizontal. To represent the planets, I used different-sized earrings, drilling tiny holes in the orbital rings to mount them.

Building up the foundation: Craft four stacks, each comprising six spacers with a hole in the center. Glue them securely to the bottom of the front panel, ensuring they align perfectly with the holes in the back plate.

Before mounting the front plate, orient the carry wheel in the correct orientation as seen in the picture.

Now, the moment we've been building toward – gently slide the front panel into its designated place. It may require a slight clockwise rotation, allowing the gears of the date wheel to partially move beneath the carry wheel.

Seal the deal! Secure the back plate to the stack of six spacers using four tiny screws. Your celestial masterpiece is taking its final form!

Step 13: Calibration

Calibration is key, and for this orrery, it's a breeze. Just refer to an online solar system for accuracy and make comparisons. Open the device and rotate the date so it is just about to start incrementing the year counter. Use the provided image as a reference for 21 December 2020 to set everything to the correct position before closing it again.

Given that these gears are made of wood, don't be surprised if it doesn't run as smoothly as you'd expect. Patience is the name of the game. If things get stuck, gently wiggle the moon phase pointer and perhaps nudge some of the planets to free them up. But when carefully constructed and some use of sanding paper it should run smoothly.

In this model, we've used the following orbital periods (with real values in brackets):

• Mercury: 0.2407 years (0.2408)
• Venus: 0.6154 years (0.6152)
• Earth: 1.000 year
• Mars: 1.880 years (1.881)
• Jupiter: 11.86 years (11.86)
• Saturn: 29.40 years (29.45)
• The time between two full moons: 29.531 days (29.531)

Note that only Saturn shows a significant difference with the expected value, but as it rotates very slowly, you will never have to re-calibrate your orrery ever again. It really is very precise. (but to be honest, you might want to re-calibrate Mercury and Venus after 10 years or so by skipping it by one tooth)

Here's a bonus feature: I've designed it in such a way that you can replace the sun's axle with a DIY battery-operated clock mechanism. Opt for one with a slightly longer shaft so that the clock hands gracefully glide over the planets and make a bigger hole in the back plate. However, in the end, I decided to keep it as-is and proudly hang it on my wall.

Calibration is the finishing touch to ensure your orrery reflects the celestial wonders accurately. Enjoy your handcrafted masterpiece!