Introduction: Xylophone Automata Chord
Let's get ready to build!
Step 1: Your Materials
For today's project you will need:
-finished wood
-2 1/4 inch Dowel rods
-1 7/16 Dowel rod
-1/2 inch wooden spheres
-Little Tikes Xylophone
-3 cams cut for a drop off (3 inches)
-2 4 inch gears
-4 oblong elbow screw brackets
-3 straight oblong screw brackets
-necessary tools (I used a table saw, drill and necessary drill bits, and wood glue)
Step 2: Cutting Out Cams and Gears
I had the advantage of being able to use a laser cutter for my cams and gears, but I'm sure you can buy gears and easily cut cams with a jigsaw.
Step 3: Creating Your Hammers
Take your spheres and drill a hole 7/16 inch wide. Take your wood glue and put a little bit of glue. Now take your 7/16 inch Dowel rod and stick it in the hole in the sphere. Clean the glue and let the three hammers dry.
Step 4: Taking Apart Your Little Tikes Xylophone
Using the vice grips, rip the buttons holding the xylophone pieces off. Then remove three of the xylophone pieces and take the foam washers too. You will need them to produce a better sound.
Step 5: Creating Your Walls and Base
Cut out your walls using the table saw and the base. Connect the walls and bases using the two elbow brackets and the three straight brackets.
Step 6: Creating Platforms for Xylophone Pieces
Using the tables saw, cut two rectangle pieces that will hold your xylophones in place. Drill 1/4 holes into the rectangles and cut the Dowel Rods to hold the pieces in place.
Step 7: Putting in Dowel Rods
cut 1/4 inch holes into both your walls and cut the 1/4 inch Dowel Rods. Drill holes into the cams and gear as well. Now drill 1/4 inch holes into your hammers. Place everything the according the picture and place washers in between each hammer to minimize movement. Wood glue the Dowel Rod with that has the hammers attached to it and wood glue your cams and gear onto the Dowel Rod.
Step 8: Creating and Attaching Shelf
Cut out the shelf for your spinning gear like an L. The. attach it to the back and right wall using elbow brackets.
Step 9: Spinning Gear
Take your other gear and drill a hole into it according to whatever bolt size you'll use. Set it up so once you have your gear on looks like the picture.
-Bolt
-Washer
-Nut
-Washer
-Gear
-Washer
-Lock nut
Step 10: Attaching Sign
Take your spare spheres and glue them together. Next take your drill and drill a hole in them to fit the lock nut. Put glue inside so it sticks to the lock nut and doesn't fall off. Now cut a slit for your sign to rest on and glue that in as well.
Step 11: All Done
Your xylophone automata should work now. Just create a handle for one side of the Dowel Rod that has the cams on it and watch it make music.