Charter33

Yes Mark, and Domanoff's machines are superb, almost works of art. Having worked through the process of designing and making my modest examples I fully appreciate the  time and effort that he has had to put into developing them. He has my total respect, as does Chuck and his Syren products. Foremost in my mind when putting together my own devices was the essential requirement that in no way could they be regarded as 'rip-offs' of other makers products. I'm right behind Chuck's fight against piracy. I know first hand what it's like to have this happen. A 'colleague' purchased a pair of the steam shaped hardwood salad tongs I used to sell at the school's Christmas market and promptly sent them to her brother on the other side of the world so he could copy them. A different scale compared to what is going on now, but still irritating!
Other sponsors products are also available 'over this side of the pond'. I have found a UK based supplier of Sherline milling machines. I have one of these on my bucket list for the fateful day when I have to retire and will lose access to the equipment and workshops that have been an essential part of my working life for over 40 years.
 
Graham.

Hi,
Great idea - but sorry, going into production is a bit of a non-starter. For a start both designs would need a lot of work before I would feel comfortable that they were good enough to be sold, especially the ropewalk where I am a complete novice at making my own rope. I wouldn't want to let anyone down with a product that is not up to scratch. Another point is that when making equipment for my own use you can get away with construction methods that are fine for a prototype but would need radically changing for larger scale production. The other major issue is that the equipment belongs to the school at which I teach. Putting one together out of scrap material destined for the bin is one thing, and using a project to develop understanding of design software can be loosely regarded as 'continuous personal development' - if you can't do it yourself how can you explain it to others?. Unfortunately using equipment belonging to the local Education Authority for profit would be frowned upon, to put it mildly! Shame really - it could help raise the sadly depleted 'future projects' fund. There are a couple of Adriatic fishing boat kits I'd love to get my hands on (I blame donrobinson and Jack.aubrey's excellent build posts for putting temptation in my way)
Jacek - those delivery costs are a problem. It's a pity that there don't seem to be any European stockists for those excellent USA produced products but I dare say that there are commercial reasons for this that are way out of my field of knowledge.
Mr Pucko - sorry to let you down. (currently enjoying your thread and responses to 'I'm not buying another model for at least 12 months'!)
If I can help with any further details that would enable you or others to put together your own versions I'm more than happy to help.
Cheers,
Graham.

Yes Mark, and Domanoff's machines are superb, almost works of art. Having worked through the process of designing and making my modest examples I fully appreciate the  time and effort that he has had to put into developing them. He has my total respect, as does Chuck and his Syren products. Foremost in my mind when putting together my own devices was the essential requirement that in no way could they be regarded as 'rip-offs' of other makers products. I'm right behind Chuck's fight against piracy. I know first hand what it's like to have this happen. A 'colleague' purchased a pair of the steam shaped hardwood salad tongs I used to sell at the school's Christmas market and promptly sent them to her brother on the other side of the world so he could copy them. A different scale compared to what is going on now, but still irritating!
Other sponsors products are also available 'over this side of the pond'. I have found a UK based supplier of Sherline milling machines. I have one of these on my bucket list for the fateful day when I have to retire and will lose access to the equipment and workshops that have been an essential part of my working life for over 40 years.
 
Graham.

Hi,
Great idea - but sorry, going into production is a bit of a non-starter. For a start both designs would need a lot of work before I would feel comfortable that they were good enough to be sold, especially the ropewalk where I am a complete novice at making my own rope. I wouldn't want to let anyone down with a product that is not up to scratch. Another point is that when making equipment for my own use you can get away with construction methods that are fine for a prototype but would need radically changing for larger scale production. The other major issue is that the equipment belongs to the school at which I teach. Putting one together out of scrap material destined for the bin is one thing, and using a project to develop understanding of design software can be loosely regarded as 'continuous personal development' - if you can't do it yourself how can you explain it to others?. Unfortunately using equipment belonging to the local Education Authority for profit would be frowned upon, to put it mildly! Shame really - it could help raise the sadly depleted 'future projects' fund. There are a couple of Adriatic fishing boat kits I'd love to get my hands on (I blame donrobinson and Jack.aubrey's excellent build posts for putting temptation in my way)
Jacek - those delivery costs are a problem. It's a pity that there don't seem to be any European stockists for those excellent USA produced products but I dare say that there are commercial reasons for this that are way out of my field of knowledge.
Mr Pucko - sorry to let you down. (currently enjoying your thread and responses to 'I'm not buying another model for at least 12 months'!)
If I can help with any further details that would enable you or others to put together your own versions I'm more than happy to help.
Cheers,
Graham.

Hi Jeff,
 
Have you thought of investing in a drum sander kit? I have found them invaluable - and they are relatively inexpensive. They come in a variety of sizes and consist of a cylindrical piece of rubber mounted on a threaded shaft. When a nut is tightened the rubber is compressed and expands, gripping an abrasive tube. My set of five, ranging from 13mm diameter to 
50mm dia., in a plastic case, cost less than £10.
They fit in a small electric drill although I find they are best used in pillar drill or a drill mounted in a vertical stand.
 
Graham
 
 

Hi,
Last October a thread started by Derek (Worldway) in this section of the forum gave me the final nudge to get started on making my own ropewalk. 
I have previously built a serving machine and decided to try and use similar construction techniques such as using acrylic for the main structure and modified Lego gears for the mechanism.
Here are some pictures of this earlier project:
 

 

 

 


 
The Ropewalk:
 
Clear acrylic components were built up to make wheels and pulleys. Small holes around the rims aid alignment using the brass pins recovered from the first planking on my HMS Victory - I knew there would be a reason to keep them!

 
The Lego gears had their centers machined out and replaced by acrylic hubs. These have a square hole in the center through which 5/32" square brass tube is pushed. This tube, after a little filing, slides firmly into 6mm O/D brass tube axles which in turn fit into the ball races press fitted into the various support plates.
 

 
The track is in sections each about a meter long, which slot together.
I decided to try and use one motor to drive the end that twists the individual strands and a second one to twist these strands together.

 

 
The control box provides separate on/off switches, variable speed control and finally a switch to reverse the direction of rotation.
 

The motors were initially powered by batteries but I have now replaced these with a 6 volt power supply.
 
The 'Top' which guides the strands is mounted on an acrylic truck. This is fitted with the three stand top in the photo but there is also a four stand top.
 

 

 
These four strand gear plates are easily fitted in place of the three strand gear drive.
 

 
In use the strand twisting end is fixed to the track but the other end that twists these together to produce the final rope is free to slide along the track as the twisting process reduces the length of the rope. I'm still getting to grips with the best way to operate this device and need to experiment more with types of yarn, motor speeds etc. Early attempts are encouraging however..........
 

 
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi,
Feeling a little overwhelmed by the number of likes and comments - thank you all.
John - the 2 meter length was chosen simply as it meant it would fit on the dining room table - just!. To be honest I have yet to try it at its full length but hope to soon.
Bill - there's nothing like making something like this to fully understand how it works. I made a few mistakes, some real howlers, along the way! There are some truly amazing commercial ropewalks available, but I love a challenge and found myself with a bit of time on my hands.
My current aim is to use my version to produce the material for the breech ropes for the gun carriages on my Victory. The instructions say to use .5mm rope but this seems a bit small when I look at images of the real thing. I'm increasing the size of some of the eyelets and trying to use rope of around 1mm, at least that's the plan......
Cheers,
Graham. 

Hi,
Last October a thread started by Derek (Worldway) in this section of the forum gave me the final nudge to get started on making my own ropewalk. 
I have previously built a serving machine and decided to try and use similar construction techniques such as using acrylic for the main structure and modified Lego gears for the mechanism.
Here are some pictures of this earlier project:
 

 

 

 


 
The Ropewalk:
 
Clear acrylic components were built up to make wheels and pulleys. Small holes around the rims aid alignment using the brass pins recovered from the first planking on my HMS Victory - I knew there would be a reason to keep them!

 
The Lego gears had their centers machined out and replaced by acrylic hubs. These have a square hole in the center through which 5/32" square brass tube is pushed. This tube, after a little filing, slides firmly into 6mm O/D brass tube axles which in turn fit into the ball races press fitted into the various support plates.
 

 
The track is in sections each about a meter long, which slot together.
I decided to try and use one motor to drive the end that twists the individual strands and a second one to twist these strands together.

 

 
The control box provides separate on/off switches, variable speed control and finally a switch to reverse the direction of rotation.
 

The motors were initially powered by batteries but I have now replaced these with a 6 volt power supply.
 
The 'Top' which guides the strands is mounted on an acrylic truck. This is fitted with the three stand top in the photo but there is also a four stand top.
 

 

 
These four strand gear plates are easily fitted in place of the three strand gear drive.
 

 
In use the strand twisting end is fixed to the track but the other end that twists these together to produce the final rope is free to slide along the track as the twisting process reduces the length of the rope. I'm still getting to grips with the best way to operate this device and need to experiment more with types of yarn, motor speeds etc. Early attempts are encouraging however..........
 

 
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi,
Feeling a little overwhelmed by the number of likes and comments - thank you all.
John - the 2 meter length was chosen simply as it meant it would fit on the dining room table - just!. To be honest I have yet to try it at its full length but hope to soon.
Bill - there's nothing like making something like this to fully understand how it works. I made a few mistakes, some real howlers, along the way! There are some truly amazing commercial ropewalks available, but I love a challenge and found myself with a bit of time on my hands.
My current aim is to use my version to produce the material for the breech ropes for the gun carriages on my Victory. The instructions say to use .5mm rope but this seems a bit small when I look at images of the real thing. I'm increasing the size of some of the eyelets and trying to use rope of around 1mm, at least that's the plan......
Cheers,
Graham. 

Hi,
Last October a thread started by Derek (Worldway) in this section of the forum gave me the final nudge to get started on making my own ropewalk. 
I have previously built a serving machine and decided to try and use similar construction techniques such as using acrylic for the main structure and modified Lego gears for the mechanism.
Here are some pictures of this earlier project:
 

 

 

 


 
The Ropewalk:
 
Clear acrylic components were built up to make wheels and pulleys. Small holes around the rims aid alignment using the brass pins recovered from the first planking on my HMS Victory - I knew there would be a reason to keep them!

 
The Lego gears had their centers machined out and replaced by acrylic hubs. These have a square hole in the center through which 5/32" square brass tube is pushed. This tube, after a little filing, slides firmly into 6mm O/D brass tube axles which in turn fit into the ball races press fitted into the various support plates.
 

 
The track is in sections each about a meter long, which slot together.
I decided to try and use one motor to drive the end that twists the individual strands and a second one to twist these strands together.

 

 
The control box provides separate on/off switches, variable speed control and finally a switch to reverse the direction of rotation.
 

The motors were initially powered by batteries but I have now replaced these with a 6 volt power supply.
 
The 'Top' which guides the strands is mounted on an acrylic truck. This is fitted with the three stand top in the photo but there is also a four stand top.
 

 

 
These four strand gear plates are easily fitted in place of the three strand gear drive.
 

 
In use the strand twisting end is fixed to the track but the other end that twists these together to produce the final rope is free to slide along the track as the twisting process reduces the length of the rope. I'm still getting to grips with the best way to operate this device and need to experiment more with types of yarn, motor speeds etc. Early attempts are encouraging however..........
 

 
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi,
Last October a thread started by Derek (Worldway) in this section of the forum gave me the final nudge to get started on making my own ropewalk. 
I have previously built a serving machine and decided to try and use similar construction techniques such as using acrylic for the main structure and modified Lego gears for the mechanism.
Here are some pictures of this earlier project:
 

 

 

 


 
The Ropewalk:
 
Clear acrylic components were built up to make wheels and pulleys. Small holes around the rims aid alignment using the brass pins recovered from the first planking on my HMS Victory - I knew there would be a reason to keep them!

 
The Lego gears had their centers machined out and replaced by acrylic hubs. These have a square hole in the center through which 5/32" square brass tube is pushed. This tube, after a little filing, slides firmly into 6mm O/D brass tube axles which in turn fit into the ball races press fitted into the various support plates.
 

 
The track is in sections each about a meter long, which slot together.
I decided to try and use one motor to drive the end that twists the individual strands and a second one to twist these strands together.

 

 
The control box provides separate on/off switches, variable speed control and finally a switch to reverse the direction of rotation.
 

The motors were initially powered by batteries but I have now replaced these with a 6 volt power supply.
 
The 'Top' which guides the strands is mounted on an acrylic truck. This is fitted with the three stand top in the photo but there is also a four stand top.
 

 

 
These four strand gear plates are easily fitted in place of the three strand gear drive.
 

 
In use the strand twisting end is fixed to the track but the other end that twists these together to produce the final rope is free to slide along the track as the twisting process reduces the length of the rope. I'm still getting to grips with the best way to operate this device and need to experiment more with types of yarn, motor speeds etc. Early attempts are encouraging however..........
 

 
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for that - it's mainly a case of having readily available access to both the material and the equipment to work it more than any other reason. Clear acrylic also has the advantage of providing views of what exactly is happening, useful when demonstrating to students in the classroom.

Hi,
Last October a thread started by Derek (Worldway) in this section of the forum gave me the final nudge to get started on making my own ropewalk. 
I have previously built a serving machine and decided to try and use similar construction techniques such as using acrylic for the main structure and modified Lego gears for the mechanism.
Here are some pictures of this earlier project:
 

 

 

 


 
The Ropewalk:
 
Clear acrylic components were built up to make wheels and pulleys. Small holes around the rims aid alignment using the brass pins recovered from the first planking on my HMS Victory - I knew there would be a reason to keep them!

 
The Lego gears had their centers machined out and replaced by acrylic hubs. These have a square hole in the center through which 5/32" square brass tube is pushed. This tube, after a little filing, slides firmly into 6mm O/D brass tube axles which in turn fit into the ball races press fitted into the various support plates.
 

 
The track is in sections each about a meter long, which slot together.
I decided to try and use one motor to drive the end that twists the individual strands and a second one to twist these strands together.

 

 
The control box provides separate on/off switches, variable speed control and finally a switch to reverse the direction of rotation.
 

The motors were initially powered by batteries but I have now replaced these with a 6 volt power supply.
 
The 'Top' which guides the strands is mounted on an acrylic truck. This is fitted with the three stand top in the photo but there is also a four stand top.
 

 

 
These four strand gear plates are easily fitted in place of the three strand gear drive.
 

 
In use the strand twisting end is fixed to the track but the other end that twists these together to produce the final rope is free to slide along the track as the twisting process reduces the length of the rope. I'm still getting to grips with the best way to operate this device and need to experiment more with types of yarn, motor speeds etc. Early attempts are encouraging however..........
 

 
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi,
Last October a thread started by Derek (Worldway) in this section of the forum gave me the final nudge to get started on making my own ropewalk. 
I have previously built a serving machine and decided to try and use similar construction techniques such as using acrylic for the main structure and modified Lego gears for the mechanism.
Here are some pictures of this earlier project:
 

 

 

 


 
The Ropewalk:
 
Clear acrylic components were built up to make wheels and pulleys. Small holes around the rims aid alignment using the brass pins recovered from the first planking on my HMS Victory - I knew there would be a reason to keep them!

 
The Lego gears had their centers machined out and replaced by acrylic hubs. These have a square hole in the center through which 5/32" square brass tube is pushed. This tube, after a little filing, slides firmly into 6mm O/D brass tube axles which in turn fit into the ball races press fitted into the various support plates.
 

 
The track is in sections each about a meter long, which slot together.
I decided to try and use one motor to drive the end that twists the individual strands and a second one to twist these strands together.

 

 
The control box provides separate on/off switches, variable speed control and finally a switch to reverse the direction of rotation.
 

The motors were initially powered by batteries but I have now replaced these with a 6 volt power supply.
 
The 'Top' which guides the strands is mounted on an acrylic truck. This is fitted with the three stand top in the photo but there is also a four stand top.
 

 

 
These four strand gear plates are easily fitted in place of the three strand gear drive.
 

 
In use the strand twisting end is fixed to the track but the other end that twists these together to produce the final rope is free to slide along the track as the twisting process reduces the length of the rope. I'm still getting to grips with the best way to operate this device and need to experiment more with types of yarn, motor speeds etc. Early attempts are encouraging however..........
 

 
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi,
Last October a thread started by Derek (Worldway) in this section of the forum gave me the final nudge to get started on making my own ropewalk. 
I have previously built a serving machine and decided to try and use similar construction techniques such as using acrylic for the main structure and modified Lego gears for the mechanism.
Here are some pictures of this earlier project:
 

 

 

 


 
The Ropewalk:
 
Clear acrylic components were built up to make wheels and pulleys. Small holes around the rims aid alignment using the brass pins recovered from the first planking on my HMS Victory - I knew there would be a reason to keep them!

 
The Lego gears had their centers machined out and replaced by acrylic hubs. These have a square hole in the center through which 5/32" square brass tube is pushed. This tube, after a little filing, slides firmly into 6mm O/D brass tube axles which in turn fit into the ball races press fitted into the various support plates.
 

 
The track is in sections each about a meter long, which slot together.
I decided to try and use one motor to drive the end that twists the individual strands and a second one to twist these strands together.

 

 
The control box provides separate on/off switches, variable speed control and finally a switch to reverse the direction of rotation.
 

The motors were initially powered by batteries but I have now replaced these with a 6 volt power supply.
 
The 'Top' which guides the strands is mounted on an acrylic truck. This is fitted with the three stand top in the photo but there is also a four stand top.
 

 

 
These four strand gear plates are easily fitted in place of the three strand gear drive.
 

 
In use the strand twisting end is fixed to the track but the other end that twists these together to produce the final rope is free to slide along the track as the twisting process reduces the length of the rope. I'm still getting to grips with the best way to operate this device and need to experiment more with types of yarn, motor speeds etc. Early attempts are encouraging however..........
 

 
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi,
Last October a thread started by Derek (Worldway) in this section of the forum gave me the final nudge to get started on making my own ropewalk. 
I have previously built a serving machine and decided to try and use similar construction techniques such as using acrylic for the main structure and modified Lego gears for the mechanism.
Here are some pictures of this earlier project:
 

 

 

 


 
The Ropewalk:
 
Clear acrylic components were built up to make wheels and pulleys. Small holes around the rims aid alignment using the brass pins recovered from the first planking on my HMS Victory - I knew there would be a reason to keep them!

 
The Lego gears had their centers machined out and replaced by acrylic hubs. These have a square hole in the center through which 5/32" square brass tube is pushed. This tube, after a little filing, slides firmly into 6mm O/D brass tube axles which in turn fit into the ball races press fitted into the various support plates.
 

 
The track is in sections each about a meter long, which slot together.
I decided to try and use one motor to drive the end that twists the individual strands and a second one to twist these strands together.

 

 
The control box provides separate on/off switches, variable speed control and finally a switch to reverse the direction of rotation.
 

The motors were initially powered by batteries but I have now replaced these with a 6 volt power supply.
 
The 'Top' which guides the strands is mounted on an acrylic truck. This is fitted with the three stand top in the photo but there is also a four stand top.
 

 

 
These four strand gear plates are easily fitted in place of the three strand gear drive.
 

 
In use the strand twisting end is fixed to the track but the other end that twists these together to produce the final rope is free to slide along the track as the twisting process reduces the length of the rope. I'm still getting to grips with the best way to operate this device and need to experiment more with types of yarn, motor speeds etc. Early attempts are encouraging however..........
 

 
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Unbelievable - but true!
 
Things had been going so well. The Boss (Admiral) gets a bit touchy about messy processes being done at home, especially when it involves chemicals and strange odors, so I decided that to keep to the secret premise of a happy marriage, ie. 'anything for a quite life' the blacking of the brass components for the gun carriages would best be done at work (school), before and after the working day.  Yesterday good progress was made with eyelets, trunion brackets and round headed pins successfully treated ...........
 

 
......soaking in white vinegar, rinse, soaking in ethanol, dry, and finally thirty seconds in Birchwood Casey Brass Black. A cheap plastic mesh tea strainer was a big help when dealing with small components.
 

 
Today my aim was to carry out the same technique on the canon barrels. Once again the work flow was in full swing with small batches moving through the various stages. I hadn't quite finished the final rinse of the last five barrels before the working day started so put I them to one side .........
 
Lunch time arrives - 30 minutes of piece and quiet, should be able to finish them easily before the next lesson ......
 
A minor problem - the large 'Belfast' style sink in the workshop is blocked. It's half full of off-white opaque water left by students attempting (half heatedly) to clean paint brushes. The site maintenance team have been notified but, with the school celebrating its Diamond Jubilee at the weekend they are busy preparing for visiting VIPs including a 'minor' member of the Royal family......
 
No Problem!!!! A small plastic tub was pressed into service, held under a running tap while shiny, clean barrels are transferred from jam jar to tub with a pair of tweezers .... then it all goes 'pare shaped'. The last barrel slips out of the tweezers between jar and tub and drops into the murky depths of the sink.....
 
Sleeves pulled up I start to feel my way over the hidden sink bottom. NOTHING! Had I miss-counted? Did it actually fall into the tub? A quick count of completed and half finished barrels confirmed my worst fears - one short. Could it have dropped through the plug hole? Am I going to have to buy a spare barrel from CWM? Do they even supply them? (I've checked this evening - yes they do)   
 
Right, bale out sink, remove screws that hold access panel in place, find tool to undo sink trap ... 5 minutes to next lesson .....
 
There, gleaming like a golden nugget in the black sludge, the missing barrel ..... big sigh of relief and the sink was re-assembled just as the the students started arriving.
 
With the sink now empty and fully functioning investigation proved that the barrel could only have passed through the small hole exactly in the middle of the strainer in the plug hole, and even then with barely any clearance. Pure fluke ....
 
With the school day over the escapologist barrel was re-cleaned and the supposedly straight forward task was finally completed with the barrels just needing a final buff with a soft cloth.  I'll do this just before painting the ends red prior to fitting them on the carriages.
 

 
I'm now working on shaping 180 small eyelets into rigging hooks ...... no rush ...
 
Graham.  

Thank you Michael for your nice comments,  I took a lot of ideas from other builders in this forum, so I'm glad that sometimes I can be of a little help to others. 
 
I am preparing items that go on the upper gundeck.  There is a lot of work on this deck that unfortunately will hardly show once the quarterdeck is fitted.  My only consolation is that since I am fitting the lanterns they might show a bit more, hopefully!!!
 
This is the finished lantern. I prepared a few of them which I will install and wire just before I fit the quarterdeck.

 
 
I decided to add the breach rings on the cannons.  I am using the eyelets (480) supplied with the kit.  Drilling the holes on the cannons was quite straight forward,  I thought it was going to be more awkward due to the very small size of the eyelets.  All cannons are drill but I still need to fit the eyelets.

 

 
 
 
Also started work on the carriages.  Removed all upper gun deck carriage parts from sheet, cleaned and prepared the holes for the eyelets to go on them.  I think it is much easier to drill them now then when the carriage is assembled.
This is the jig I made to assemble them, quite crude but worked really well.
 

 

 
 
Painting the carriages.  Given them two coats, still another coat to go.

 
 
I intend to blacken the cannons after I fit them with the breach rings.  Hope all goes well with the blackening.
 
 
Robert

Hi,
Finally managed to get the all clear to get back to the workshop after five months of convalescence. My Triton build is now in the process of being resurrected - just breaking myself in with some more of the more straight forward frames from mid-ship while I try to get my head around the convolutions and challenges of the hawse and bollard components ..........
 

 
Graham.

Hi,
Last October a thread started by Derek (Worldway) in this section of the forum gave me the final nudge to get started on making my own ropewalk. 
I have previously built a serving machine and decided to try and use similar construction techniques such as using acrylic for the main structure and modified Lego gears for the mechanism.
Here are some pictures of this earlier project:
 

 

 

 


 
The Ropewalk:
 
Clear acrylic components were built up to make wheels and pulleys. Small holes around the rims aid alignment using the brass pins recovered from the first planking on my HMS Victory - I knew there would be a reason to keep them!

 
The Lego gears had their centers machined out and replaced by acrylic hubs. These have a square hole in the center through which 5/32" square brass tube is pushed. This tube, after a little filing, slides firmly into 6mm O/D brass tube axles which in turn fit into the ball races press fitted into the various support plates.
 

 
The track is in sections each about a meter long, which slot together.
I decided to try and use one motor to drive the end that twists the individual strands and a second one to twist these strands together.

 

 
The control box provides separate on/off switches, variable speed control and finally a switch to reverse the direction of rotation.
 

The motors were initially powered by batteries but I have now replaced these with a 6 volt power supply.
 
The 'Top' which guides the strands is mounted on an acrylic truck. This is fitted with the three stand top in the photo but there is also a four stand top.
 

 

 
These four strand gear plates are easily fitted in place of the three strand gear drive.
 

 
In use the strand twisting end is fixed to the track but the other end that twists these together to produce the final rope is free to slide along the track as the twisting process reduces the length of the rope. I'm still getting to grips with the best way to operate this device and need to experiment more with types of yarn, motor speeds etc. Early attempts are encouraging however..........
 

 
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for that - it's mainly a case of having readily available access to both the material and the equipment to work it more than any other reason. Clear acrylic also has the advantage of providing views of what exactly is happening, useful when demonstrating to students in the classroom.

Hi,
Last October a thread started by Derek (Worldway) in this section of the forum gave me the final nudge to get started on making my own ropewalk. 
I have previously built a serving machine and decided to try and use similar construction techniques such as using acrylic for the main structure and modified Lego gears for the mechanism.
Here are some pictures of this earlier project:
 

 

 

 


 
The Ropewalk:
 
Clear acrylic components were built up to make wheels and pulleys. Small holes around the rims aid alignment using the brass pins recovered from the first planking on my HMS Victory - I knew there would be a reason to keep them!

 
The Lego gears had their centers machined out and replaced by acrylic hubs. These have a square hole in the center through which 5/32" square brass tube is pushed. This tube, after a little filing, slides firmly into 6mm O/D brass tube axles which in turn fit into the ball races press fitted into the various support plates.
 

 
The track is in sections each about a meter long, which slot together.
I decided to try and use one motor to drive the end that twists the individual strands and a second one to twist these strands together.

 

 
The control box provides separate on/off switches, variable speed control and finally a switch to reverse the direction of rotation.
 

The motors were initially powered by batteries but I have now replaced these with a 6 volt power supply.
 
The 'Top' which guides the strands is mounted on an acrylic truck. This is fitted with the three stand top in the photo but there is also a four stand top.
 

 

 
These four strand gear plates are easily fitted in place of the three strand gear drive.
 

 
In use the strand twisting end is fixed to the track but the other end that twists these together to produce the final rope is free to slide along the track as the twisting process reduces the length of the rope. I'm still getting to grips with the best way to operate this device and need to experiment more with types of yarn, motor speeds etc. Early attempts are encouraging however..........
 

 
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi,
Last October a thread started by Derek (Worldway) in this section of the forum gave me the final nudge to get started on making my own ropewalk. 
I have previously built a serving machine and decided to try and use similar construction techniques such as using acrylic for the main structure and modified Lego gears for the mechanism.
Here are some pictures of this earlier project:
 

 

 

 


 
The Ropewalk:
 
Clear acrylic components were built up to make wheels and pulleys. Small holes around the rims aid alignment using the brass pins recovered from the first planking on my HMS Victory - I knew there would be a reason to keep them!

 
The Lego gears had their centers machined out and replaced by acrylic hubs. These have a square hole in the center through which 5/32" square brass tube is pushed. This tube, after a little filing, slides firmly into 6mm O/D brass tube axles which in turn fit into the ball races press fitted into the various support plates.
 

 
The track is in sections each about a meter long, which slot together.
I decided to try and use one motor to drive the end that twists the individual strands and a second one to twist these strands together.

 

 
The control box provides separate on/off switches, variable speed control and finally a switch to reverse the direction of rotation.
 

The motors were initially powered by batteries but I have now replaced these with a 6 volt power supply.
 
The 'Top' which guides the strands is mounted on an acrylic truck. This is fitted with the three stand top in the photo but there is also a four stand top.
 

 

 
These four strand gear plates are easily fitted in place of the three strand gear drive.
 

 
In use the strand twisting end is fixed to the track but the other end that twists these together to produce the final rope is free to slide along the track as the twisting process reduces the length of the rope. I'm still getting to grips with the best way to operate this device and need to experiment more with types of yarn, motor speeds etc. Early attempts are encouraging however..........
 

 
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for that - it's mainly a case of having readily available access to both the material and the equipment to work it more than any other reason. Clear acrylic also has the advantage of providing views of what exactly is happening, useful when demonstrating to students in the classroom.

Hi,
Last October a thread started by Derek (Worldway) in this section of the forum gave me the final nudge to get started on making my own ropewalk. 
I have previously built a serving machine and decided to try and use similar construction techniques such as using acrylic for the main structure and modified Lego gears for the mechanism.
Here are some pictures of this earlier project:
 

 

 

 


 
The Ropewalk:
 
Clear acrylic components were built up to make wheels and pulleys. Small holes around the rims aid alignment using the brass pins recovered from the first planking on my HMS Victory - I knew there would be a reason to keep them!

 
The Lego gears had their centers machined out and replaced by acrylic hubs. These have a square hole in the center through which 5/32" square brass tube is pushed. This tube, after a little filing, slides firmly into 6mm O/D brass tube axles which in turn fit into the ball races press fitted into the various support plates.
 

 
The track is in sections each about a meter long, which slot together.
I decided to try and use one motor to drive the end that twists the individual strands and a second one to twist these strands together.

 

 
The control box provides separate on/off switches, variable speed control and finally a switch to reverse the direction of rotation.
 

The motors were initially powered by batteries but I have now replaced these with a 6 volt power supply.
 
The 'Top' which guides the strands is mounted on an acrylic truck. This is fitted with the three stand top in the photo but there is also a four stand top.
 

 

 
These four strand gear plates are easily fitted in place of the three strand gear drive.
 

 
In use the strand twisting end is fixed to the track but the other end that twists these together to produce the final rope is free to slide along the track as the twisting process reduces the length of the rope. I'm still getting to grips with the best way to operate this device and need to experiment more with types of yarn, motor speeds etc. Early attempts are encouraging however..........
 

 
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.