Quiet Contemplation of a Sandwich
The lime wood carved man looks slowly from side to side, taking a casual bite out of his sandwich. Every so often, driven by a small Geneva Wheel he scratches his head in contemplation.
With animated eyes and mouth this automaton conveys a feeling of peace and serenity.
The latest pieces take advantage of brass bearings with nylon bushings for increased accuracy and smooth running.
The mechanism is made from hardwoods with brass bearings.
The carvings are all in lime wood. Finished with artist’s gesso, acrylic paint and coats of acrylic gloss and flat varnish.
His eyes look down at the sandwich before he eats it. The controls for turning the head, the mouth and the eyes all run internally within the neck.
The crank handle is a screw fitting that can easily be removed for fitting a pulley for a motor drive. The knob is made from box wood, traditionally used for making chess pieces. It rotates on a brass axle.
Birch ply inserts in the frame holding the axle bushes prevents the movement that naturally occurs in wood from affecting the mechanism. This mechanism runs incredibly smoothly. There is absolutely no need to hold the automaton while the crank is being turned.
He scratches his head every 4th cycle. This is driven by a small geneva wheel that activates the cam.
The mechanism is made from beech for toughness. The gears are made from high quality birch ply for stability. All are finished with several coats of wax acrylic varnish.
Window in rear plate allows view of meechanism. The small Geneva wheel driving the intermittent scratching can be seen on the left hand side.
This video shows an earlier version of this automaton. The movements remain the same in the new version. The newest versions are even smoother running.
© Philip Lowndes
Long View
Church Green
Hinxton
Nr Saffron Walden Essex
CB10 1RA
UK
Tel. +44 (0)7531 660021
plowndes@me.com
