Treehouse Marble Clock - Chapter 6

The Mama Bird
This animation follows the rabbit. It operates on the same principal of the hinged track section. Here you see the bird with worm in beak, in the "up" position. The bird is hinged at the hip and has a lead plug in her.... well... backside. That keeps her beak "up" by default. The wire (A) is tripped from the inside and pushes her tail up (and beak down) to "feed" the baby birds (B).

The Inside Story
This next view is from the inside of the roof, near the bird. When the marble weighs down the track (out of view here) it pulls the string (B) which then pulls down the arm (A) that is connected to the black "bump" wire labeled (A) in the previous photos.  In this photo there is a small wire spring just under the (A) which ensures that the black wire returns to its default position.

Treehouse Marble Clock - Chapter 5

The Rabbit House
Today we take a look at the rabbit house (no baby rabbits in there yet...). It was my first animated project. The sketch shows when I began it it was simple.... based on the marble rolling on to a hinged section of the track which drops slightly and yanks a string that is wrapped around a wheel. That wheel rotation action thrusts the rabbit out the window. Okay, that was easy. But then I had to get the poor fuzzball back into the house! I thought I solved that but it took a few tries to do both successfully.
The Final
The final design below involved having the marble enter at (E) over a section of hinged track (A) that was moved downward by the weight of the marble. That hinged track pushed down on a long arm (D) that, in turn, pushed a teeter-totter-like arm (C) that served as a catapult to launch the rabbit out. On the next action, a boomerang-shaped trip mechanism (B) pulled the rabbit back by a wire attached to the side of the catapult, and then the marble continued out of the rabbit house (F).

Sorry about how dirty the rabbit house track looks. I got sawdust on the felt track and hadn't cleaned it yet.  (Oh well, most rabbit cages I've seen are pretty much like that anyway....) From the outside, this is what the rabbit house looks like. You can see the entry doorway on top. The egress door and track are under that, out of the photo. 

Treehouse Marble Clock - Chapter 4

The Marble Return Mechanics
As I mentioned, the two most important keys to success were the marble release gate (Introduction post) and the marble return—accomplishing the 72" vertical rise in order to keep the animation non-stop, hour to hour. These studies have evolved over several years. I don't want you to think I worked every day for 15 years. I might work a few weeks and then abandon it for 2-3 years. But the proof of its value is that I always come back!
This conveyor belt idea involved the decision to make it electrically operated, there was no doubt about it. I purchased a slow-revolution motor (top of photo: A) from Graingers in Portland, OR (also found at www.graingers.com) and had an electrician wire it up with a UL quality cord and switch.
Here are the Stages 
Just as important as the motor was the switch. The motor was attached to the conveyor belt

drum (upper photo B) and wired to a switch that operated by being held down (on) and when released it turns (off). So I created a little loading device (A) that was hinged to let the weight of the marble force it down. That turned the switch on and began the belt rotation (B). In this photo you can see the little brass switch (C) right under the loading chute. The marble enters from the left opening (D) and weights the loading chute downward. The belt keeps the marble in place (on the chute's little "wheelbarrow handles") until the wire scoop advances and comes up under the chute. As soon as the wire scoop lifts the marble up off the chute, the motor stops. That mable #1 remains there, just an inch above the chute and gets a one-hour nap until the other marble (#2) is released by the clock and comes down into the chute, weighting it down and turning on the motor again. It advances marble #1 to the clock top and when its emptied, the empty scoop comes down and scoops up marble #2 off the chute, and waits there for another hour. The full cycle is complete.

The Original Idea

Here is the original plan from 1996. It shows the motor and conveyor drum and is quite easy. It was the marble scoop that was puzzling. The next sketch below is the first belt idea (A) I had. It involved pouches (B)  that would receive the marble and then travel to the top where it revolved around the rotor drum. Rolling around that drum would skootch them out at the top (kind of like squishing peas out of the pod). Needless to say I found a better way. 

Here's the Scoop 

After several planning ideas the better idea was this wire "scoop" I invented which is simplistic and highly effective.  After I lashed it to the belt with dental floss thread, it became very easily my moment of triumph. I can't tell you how exciting it was to see the belt creep around, and... here comes the scoop rising under the schute. It lifted the waiting marble off the loading schute perfectly.

Treehouse Marble Clock - Chapter 3

The House Part of the Treehouse
Here is a detail of the top of the clock. It is 24" wide so probably not suited for your small apartment folks! The roof peaks are skinned tree branches and the siding is cedar. In the early days I used dollhouse shingles on the siding, but since then I've shied away from all craft materials for fear I would be pigeonholed into the hobby craft group. So I'm gradually stripping those off and replacing it with more random shaped, handmade shingles.
The two brown vertical boards inside the clock face area are the "motor mounts" for the clock works. Just left of that is the release gate. What appears here is version # 3 of that mechanism and I've since used #8. On the right, by the small chimney (undoubtedly for a small bedroom fireplace),  is the bird's nest where the first of the animated characters will operate. The window above the fireplace has real glass (ok plexiglass) operating windows, just one of about 25 windows when complete. There will be a main chimney in back and a few turrets later. They're made but not installed yet...

Treehouse Marble Clock - Chapter 2

The Big Picture
Now that you've seen the marble release gate, I think you need to see how it relates to the main clock tower. This sketch is labeled 2008 but that's because it is a refined sketch of the original. When a marble is at the starting point (1a) labeled BEGIN on this sketch, it is hidden from view. As it rolls across to (1b) a mama bird dips her head to feed the babies in the nest by the chimney. The marble continues to (2) the rabbit house. The marble launches the rabbit which jumps out of the window. As the ball continues it trips another lever that brings the rabbit back inside the house. Next the marble trips a wire that makes the owl (3) move its eyes. At (4) a duck quacks and flutters its wings and at (5) a chicken pecks for seeds; at (6a) a squirrel pops out of a tree hole; (6b) a gopher sticks his head out of a gopher hole; (7a) the treehouse front door opens to reveal a bear that waves; (7b) closes the door and proceeds to (8) which is the reload station to get picked up by the conveyor belt that will transport it to the top of the clock.

The Current Stage

Here is the real-life clock as it appears today 8-11-11. The large house at the top of the tower will be the main feature that contains the clock face. It goes the square hole you see and will be in front of the brass clockworks.  Ironically, after 15 years, I still hadn't attempted to start the clock until July 2011...but it ran on the first try! As I assemble it, the "house" can be removed from the tower and be worked on.
On the left window you can see Mr. Rabbit poised to jump out of the window. Center, the square hole is where the owl mechanics reside. What is shown here (lower tower) is the "innards" of the tree. When completed, I will have the marble tracks circling around the central tower, and then around that I will add the "fuselage" or outer shell which will appear as tree bark to complete the tree shape. There are many other mini houses that adorn the sides of the tree where some of the animation will take place (as seen on the original painting). Lots to do yet...

Treehouse Marble Clock: 7 ft. - Chapter 1

This is the story of a love that has lasted for more than a decade. It began for me about the time most men experience a mid-life crisis. Mine was more like a mid-life inspiration—spawned from a desire to create something fun (artsy) and also submerse myself in a world of mechanical engineering and problem solving. Kinda like a Rubics Cube that keeps on giving...
How it all started
In 1996 I had begun making clocks after inheriting my clockmaker dad's collection of woodworking tools. For the following years I upgraded with a new table saw, a nail gun, planer, etc. I wasn't too concerned with being a master carpenter. My dad built clocks for fun but was the kind of woodworker who labored over stains, salivated over the grain of the oak or the richness of the mahogany. Yawn...  I have always focused on the creative aspect of the end product and less about the wood that got me there. I use soft woods (basswood) for carving and hardwood (alder) for moving parts. Everything else is selected by what it can do to help me achieve the result I wanted—and without all the snobbery. I've used plywood, mini cedar shakes (I split myself), slate, metal, glass, five kinds of glue, cardboard, warehouse palettes, pine, beads, twigs, acorns, cement, stains, paints, re-purposed car parts and more. I have the advantage of being a painter (the artist type) so I use those gifts to achieve whatever look I want through layering techniques and faux painting. I can then arrive at a look of realism that's not really real! So the Treehouse clock began with a dream of doing something creative on the outside and intensely low-tech mechanical engineering on the inside.

Treehouse Marble Clock (Introduction)

The Inside Story
As I began the planning for this clock it was driven by the mechanical logistics. That sounds like a pretty heady term for a farm boy, self-made jack-of-all-trades, but I love pushing through problem-solving, based on common sense. You simply barge through problems until you find the answer!  The times when I create/design the best are during the two hours (usually between 4-6 a.m.) before I get up. During the day I sketch whenever and wherever I can: in a doctor's office lobby rather than reading magazines, at a stop light, on a lazy Saturday evening with one eye on a Western movie. I am most happy with a scrap of paper and a sharp pencil. I must have OCD when it comes to sharp pencils with erasers. I know that I can burn an eraser off a new pencil in about one day. In the end, once the eraser is gone, especially if it's a short pencil—it's time for the round file.
Beginning the Plan
 The first sketches I find in my journal were of the marble-release mechanism. I needed to be confident that this aspect could be accomplished. It HAD to work or there was no point in building the clock. Here is a look at that process. Even though I had the concept for that done first, it was reworked twice (2008 and 2011) before it was built. I actually finalized and successfully tested it for the first time in July of 2011.
From this original sketch (1996) the track is seen running top to bottom in this view. You can see the round marble indicated in the bottom area. The fish hook shaped piece is the gate and it blocks the marble until the chime action pushes the top of the hook to your right. That, in turn, drops the bottom of the hook into a slot which allows the marble to pass. This design proved to be unable to stop the marble which simply overpowered the chime hammer, opened the gate and plowed right on through to its heart's content! Of all the nerve!
The Completed Gate
 In the end, the most problematic aspect was to get a "gate" that was easy enough to open and not hinder the clock chime hammer movement, and yet tough enough so that the marble did not knock the gate open as it came to an abrupt halt. The final gate of 2011 was the first one that achieved that.
It's hard to believe, but I made eight full "finished" models before I finally had success! In this final, tested fail-safe version, seen here, the gate is operated by the connecting lever-action arm (upper right) to the clockworks. The marble has just come off the vertical conveyor belt and is in the gate ready for the next hourly chime action. You can see the brass rod (right in front of the marble)  that is extended which holds the tiny gate door closed and blocks the marble. I built little "speed bumps" out of felt strips to slow the marble down and reduce the high impact hit off the gate. They are on top of the green felt track covering, but hard to see here. Also you see the peg on the left of the marble. That is there to create an exact, minimal channel width to snug it up to the release door on the opposite side of the marble.
In the last photo the rod is recessed (by the clock movement) and the tiny door is allowed to "open." With that action the marble is free to leave, and in doing so, begins its long descent down the track through the animal action stations. [P.S. for those of you finding this from the How To section, go to: clocks, treehouse Marble label for the complete story.]

An Old New Project

I am starting on another project that I'd like to track with you. It is a seven-foot, standing clock. As you may know, I have built custom clocks since 1994 and have alternated my attention between clocks and painting. Well, it's hard to believe but I've made the switch again!  I started this monster project in 1996 and have periodically returned to it, only to pull away after a few weeks because of other projects that seemed more doable and quicker return on investment (ROI). In June I started working on it again, and am making good progress.
I call it the Treehouse Marble Clock and I am getting some visuals prepared to launch the blogging on it. Stay tuned please...

Here I am

Sorry for not staying in touch. My day job is very busy and engrossing so I just shut the right side of my brain down for awhile to take a short sabbatical. I know this is not the best way to maintain a blog but it was necessary.... See you soon.

Thinking about something new

I know, I know... I have three half-finished paintings but I'm still not ready to work on them. I have painter's block on them because, ummmm, well... just because!
So here's one scene I've been dreaming about. I took this photo in 2007 near Kalispell, Montana (my home town). I love the feeling of expanse in this scene and when I am in rush hour traffic, I visualize this house.  I am prepping a 16" x 48" canvas now on this and one other. I think it needs water so I'll throw in a river on that flat field behind the house. And maybe a long driveway winding through the field.   (I'll tell you about the other painting idea in another blog).

TIme out for Easter

This week I painted a 12' x 5' scene for our Easter program at church. It is a depiction of the earthquake, darkness and rent veil that occured at the time of Jesus' death. Here is the original sketch and an in-progress photo. In this view, the rocks are shown (3D with "floating" pop out panels). This was about midway into the project, and the cross will hang in front of this view.

Little Place Outside of Town - Post 3

Day 2 and working toward the foreground.
I am attempting to adjust each zone to blend
more together. The lower photo shows the result—I've finished some of the detail but then, since I'm in acrylic, I've put a glaze of purple over everything to pull them together.

Sometimes when I imagine myself up at the viewers height and look down to the bottom, I get a little squeamish about painting that close to the cliff! Other times when my eye follows the winding road, if I really place myself into the scene, I feel car sick. It must be realistic if that happens!

Little Place Outside of Town - Introduction

My pattern sketch

Ok, let's take a break from Hidden Retreat. By the way, I was offered a place in a New York and Beijing gallery show with that painting. There is a cost involved so I may not participate.

This 18 x 24" scene is one I've had drawn out for about five years. I just wanted a break so grabbed it and started painting. I started in oils and after the first day, that went into the dumpster and I started this one in acrylic. Illustrative works are much easier for me in acrylic. This is layered greatly, and I just keep building the hues and values to what it needs. With oil, that process would either get muddy or take two weeks to accomplish the same thing.

This is a humorous scene that has a full title of "We have a little place just outside of town." As you see in the sketch, the road from the horizon leads to the castle on the lower right. Today I will tackle the finish on the red bank on the river and then the foreground area.  Fun!

Hidden Retreat - Post 8

Well, it's coming! Every day I get a little closer! Today was spring break so I took the afternoon off and got a bit of the foreground and trees adjusted. It shouldn't be too long now. I still have the lower right rockery to do and also value adjustments on the road and wall. Also detail in the fir trees. It is starting to look like the retreat I imagined. People have asked, "where is this from?"  The house was from an old black and white photo from Portland, Oregon (no longer standing).  The rest I've made up from my imagination, which speaks to why it is taking so long! I not only had to imagine the scene, but all of the color and values.

Hidden Retreat - Post 7

Today I detailed some of the middle ground forest and also altered the sunbeams coming in from the right. The trees are finished but the sunbeams still have some work to mix in some trees in front of and behind the beams. I included a full shot to see where they are on the painting. I also did some pretty extensive shifts on the perspective of the tower column. It was bugging me and I think it was worth the timeout to fix. You can compare it to post 6. The lighting is different so you get a different color variation in the sky. This is a lot more accurate than the previous ones. This is my 5th week of work on this and I'm only half done!

Hidden Retreat - Post 6

Saturday I had an epiphany and tore into my sections of dissatisfaction. I did not like the sky and in the process of fiddling with it, a mountain was born! I also warmed up the sunny side of the house and now, since I put so much raw paint on the sky, I have about a week to wait for it to dry.

Hidden Retreat - post 5

I have made some mid-course adjustments because I didn't like some things that were going on. The perspective was wrong on the house so I corrected it (3 times). I also made some changes to the background  and warmed up the right side of the house.

Help Needed

Anyone out there know why I can't add selected photos? As of yesterday this posting process does not allow me to insert a photo (implying that I do not have rights or licensing for the photos. Why is this and what can I do?

Hidden Retreat - Post 4

Today was a good day of painting. Got up early and had a long spell without interruption (until 2 p.m. when I was assigned some honey-do work in the yard so had a nice (active) break. My eyes are fatigued and I am not sure what to do about it. Actually I do know, I just don't want to stop painting.

This post shows the finish work on the house details. Lots of color and value adjustments and detail cleanup. On the sunny side of the house (compare last post) I've warmed up the color to coincide with the skew of gold that the sunset makes on the house. I think next I'll do more of the distant and mid ground trees. I will save the wall and closeup stuff for dessert!

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