Timothy Edwards - Meccano

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3 X 3 Rope Making Machine

Following my building of the simple Rope Making machine featured in issue 58 of Constructor Quarterly, I decided to make a much more complex one. This has three sets three bobbins. When building Rope Making machines it is important to ensure that each twist in the making of the rope is done on the opposite direction. This is to ensure that the rope will not unravel once it is taken off the reel.

NEW - Following a request, for more details of its operation, I have taken a new set of much higher resolution photos so that the detail is much easier to see. I have also added in a video showing the machine in operation which can be seen at the bottom of this page.

Some Constructional Tips

The rope is pulled through the machine by the take-up roller. I use cotton double knitting to make up the rope, as I found that wool was not strong enough to be pulled through without breaking. There are a number of non-standard Meccano parts in this machine, which I used because I had them and it made the construction a little easier. In most cases these can be replaced by standard parts by making a small modification. However the 6" Circular Plates, I used had many more holes in them on the periphery than the standard Meccano ones, so either you need to source some of them or drill the extra holes as required. Also the two 2 1/2" Face Plates that I used are the 12 hole version, with 6 slotted holes, which are available from some specialist suppliers. The large toothed Gear Ring is also a special. The small motor on the side of the machine is for winding the bobbins.

Tip - You may find it better to view the pictures in 'full screen' mode - For most browsers F11 will toggle this on and off.

 

The video can go full screen by pressing the bottom right hand icon on the video display window.