Cycloid Drawing
Machine
Ready, Set, Draw
Your first setup is already mounted on the base.
Add two screw posts and you’re ready to crank the drive screw
to go.
Drive Screw
Insert a 2-inch screw by angling the head into the hole at the end of the slot. Raise the screw and tighten the nut.
Spacers
Add 3 of the thick-est bearings to the drive screw.
Paper
Secure the paper to the turntable using 4 pieces of tape.
Fulcrum Screw
Slide a 2-inch screw into the fulcrum slot.
Position it at the 3 mark and tighten the nut. Fulcrum Slide Place a fulcrum slide on the fulcrum screw. Attach Pen
Position the pen so it extends through the bottom. Tighten the set screw.
Add Weight
Adding a nut will prevent the pen from skipping.
This Setup by the Numbers
Turntable 150 Drive Gear 72 Fulcrum 3 Penholder Rod 14 Penholder Length 5
Moving Fulcrum
Fulcrums can be placed onto gears to allow for more complicated
movements. One of the gears should be a rational multiple of the
turntable while the other can be a gear marked ‘prime.’ Use the
First Drawing setup to start.
Fulcrum Gear
Position a 1-inch screw with bearing at the top of the ful-crum slide.
Position Gear
Mesh the 94 tooth gear into alignment with the turntable. Tighten the screw.
Insert a 2-inch screw to hold the fulcrum slide.
Add 60 Gear
Insert 1-inch screw with full sized bear-ing in right track.
Add Washer
Add 60 gear and large washer. Mesh with 72 gear and tighten nut.
Drive Screw
Insert a 2-inch screw by angling the head into the hole at the end of the slot.
Lift Screw
Raise the screw and tighten the nut.
Rod Extender
Add an extender to the connector rod. Tighten 3/4-inch screws at the ‘10’ and ‘11’ holes.
Closeup showing position of penholder on connecting rod.
This Setup by the Numbers
Turntable 150 Drive Gear 60 Drive Screw Position 2.5 Fulcrum Gear 94 Fulcrum Screw Position 4 Penholder Rod (w/extender) 6 Penholder Length 3
This Setup by the Numbers
Moving Fulcrum 2
Turntable 150 Drive Gear 50 Drive Screw Position 2.5 Fulcrum Gear 94 Fulcrum Screw Position 4 Penholder Rod 9 Penholder Length 4
These two moving fulcrums show the effect of the ratio of the drive gear to the turntable gear. The mov-ing fulcrum with the 60 tooth gear has 5 points since the greatest common factor between 150 and 60 is 5. The 50 tooth drive gear has 3 points since that is the great-est common factor of the drive gear and the 150 tooth turntable.
Fulcrum on Rod
The Fulcrums can be placed on a rod to further modify the
movement of the moving fulcrum gear. Use a 2-inch screw and
two walnut washers to create the fulcrum on the connecting rod.
Drive Gear
Position the drive rod at 2.5 on a 74 tooth gear.
Add 50 Gear
Add 50 gear driven by the turntable. Drive screw at 2.5
Attach Rod
The connecting rod is driven by the 50 gear and rests on the left fulcrum.
Fulcrum Screw
Position a screw at the 17 position in the fulcrum slide.
Fulcrum on Rod
A drive screw posi-tions with washer on top and bottom of the rod at 6.
This Setup by the Numbers
Turntable 150 Drive Gear 74 Drive Screw Position 3 Fulcrum Drive Gear 50 Fulcrum Drive Screw Position 2.5 Fulcrum Screw Position 17 Rod Fulcrum Position 6 Penholder Rod 8 Penholder Length (angled) 6
This Setup by the Numbers
Turntable 150 Drive Gear 100 Drive Screw Position 4 Fulcrum Drive Gear 94 Fulcrum Drive Screw Position 3 Fulcrum Screw Position 17 Fulcrum on Rod Position 6 Penholder Rod 6 Penholder Length (angled) 7
Center Gear
Center Gear Setups create some of the most wonderful and
complicated designs. The key is to lock the center gear so it
does not rotate. The outer gear rotates around the stationary
center gear. Larger gears are used for the base so the revolving
gear does not overlap.
Fulcrum
Insert a 2-inch screw on the Fulcrum slide at 14.
Crank Train
Position the 98 gear on the lower right with a screw to drive the other gears.
Base Gear
Using a 2-inch screw mesh the 100 gear with the 98 gear.
Revolving Gear
Add a 1-inch screw with 2 small wash-ers and full bearing.
Washer
Add 2 large washers. Place a 1/2 bearing on the washer. Center Gear Add a 40 gear on the 1/2 bearing. Lock in Place
Add a washer and nut. Tighten. The 1/2 bearing prevents the gear from turning.
Add Gear
Position a 34 gear with a drive screw already attached.
34 Gear
Lock gear in place and add 2 spacers. Use brass washers.
Rod Extender
The connector rod will need an exten-der.
YouTube Video
There is an in-depth video showing the Center Gear Setup on the Cycloid Drawing Machine website: www.sarabande.com/cycloid
This Setup by the Numbers
Center Gear 40 Base Gear 100 Crank Gear 98 Turntable 150 Revolving Gear 34 Fulcrum Screw Position 14 Penholder Rod 6 Penholder Length 4Center Gear 2
Switching turntables provides an entirely new range of designs.
Replace the 150 turntable with the 120 Turntable. In this setup
a 98 gear is positioned at the lower right to provide a handle for
cranking. The 100 gear is positioned on the right track and
touching the 98 crank gear.
Fulcrum
Insert a 2-inch screw on the Ful-crum slide at 14.
Switch Turntable
Lift the turntable with hands on both sides. Replace with the 120 turntable.
Gear Train
Position the 98 gear on the lower right with a screw to drive the other gears.
Base Gear
Using a 2-inch screw mesh the 100 gear with the 98 gear below it.
Washer
Add 2 large washers. Place a 1/2 bearing on the washer. Center Gear Add a 40 gear on the 1/2 bearing. Lock in Place
Add small washer and nut. Tighten. The 1/2 bearing prevents the gear from turning.
YouTube Video
There is an in-depth video showing the Center Gear Setup on the Cy-cloid Drawing Machine website: www.sarabande.com/cycloid
Revolving Gear
Use a 1-inch screw with 2 washers and a full bearing.
Add Gear
Position a 34 gear with a drive screw already attached.
Rod Extender
Add an extender to the connector rod.
This Setup by the Numbers
Center Gear 32 Base Gear 100 Crank Gear 98 Turntable 120
Revolving Gear 34 Fulcrum Screw Position 14 Penholder Rod 7.5 Penholder Length 3.5
Gear Extender
Gear Extenders allow for the drive screw to be placed outside
the diameter of the gears. They make designs with very narrow
loops. There are 2 different length extenders in the kit. Some
extender setups will need to be placed on the left so the
extender does not bump into the turntable.
Drive Train
Use a large gear on the left to drive the gear and turntable.
74 Gear
Position the 74 gear above the drive train gear. Add 2 washers to raise the extender
as it rotates around the drive gear.
Base Gear
Using a 1-inch screw to tighten the exten-der in place. Add a 2-inch drive screw.
Fulcrum
Position the fulcrum on the right for the extender setup.
Setup Tips
Some of the simplest setups can result in beautiful drawings.
Keep in mind the divisibility of the turntable by the gear at the
end of the drive chain. If you use a 120 turntable a 40 gear will
result in a drawing with 3 points; a 60 gear will have a drawing
with 2 points; and a 74 gear will result in 60 points!
Gear Alignment
Gears should be positioned with a little space between them. If the gears are too tight then they will jam. If too loose there will be too much ‘play’ and the drawings will not be accurate.
Bearings
If a gear does not turn smoothly you can add a 1/32 inch bearing—the really thin ones—to add a bit more thickness to the bearing.
Gear Train
Gears can be added to clear the
turntable or to alter their position. These transfer gears have no effect on the gear ratio. Only the gears at the end of the train matter.
Greatest Common Factor
The GCF will have an effect on the num-ber of points on your drawing. A 90 gear driving the 150 turntable will result in a drawing with 5 points. Changing to a 100 gear driving gear will make a draw-ing with 3 points.
Easy Does It
You may find that simpler setups pro-duce better designs than elaborate ones.
‘Prime’ Gears
Gears have their number of teeth etched on the front and back. Some gears are also labeled ‘Prime.’ These gears are based on prime numbers and will create more elaborate patterns. You’ll find that patterns should only use one of these gears at a time.
When Gears Overlap
Center Gears and setups with Extenders will sometimes result in gears overlap-ping other gears on the gear chain. Make sure that you use 2 small walnut washers to prevent the overlapping gears from crashing into the gear below.
Take Photos
Take a photo of your setups with a smartphone or camera. That’s the easi-est way to document your setup and be able to repeat it later. Take multiple pic-tures that show the overall, zoom in on the penholder, and another to show the drawing produced. Having photos makes it easy to retrieve your designs and make more variations.
Setups
You can use the connecting rods and gears to create different
setups. Rods can connect to rods and gears can spin off other
gears. Keep in mind that many of the best patterns may take
time when drawing to reveal themselves, while others will
become obscured with more drawing.
Gear with fixed Fulcrum
This is the simplest setup. It uses one gear with a fixed fulcrum. Patterns can be made by moving the fulcrum after a complete pattern is drawn. You can also change pens to add more color to the design.
Moving Fulcrum
A 2-inch screw can be placed on any gear to create a moving fulcrum. Very complicated patterns can be made with just a gear and a moving fulcrum.
Fulcrum on a rod
Use two large walnut washers on the top and bottom sides of a connecting rod to create a fulcrum on the rod. Use either a 1-inch or 2-inch screw to lock them in position. Be careful not to position the fulcrum on the connecting rod too close to the fulcrum on the gear or they may crash together when drawing.
Fulcrums on 2 rods
Fulcrums are placed on each of two connecting rods with the penholder rod sitting on these fulcrums. This setup allows for more variation by moving the fulcrum closer to the gear side or the fixed fulcrum side.
Center Gear
Center gear setups can be very versatile and result in complicated designs. Typically you should only have one gear marked ‘prime’ in any setup. Multiple ‘prime’ gears will result in drawings that do not appear to have any design. They will just draw and draw until your paper is covered in ink.
Rod between Gears
Similar to the regular moving fulcrum, this setup positions the penholder to the right side of the turntable allowing patterns to be rotated. The penholder is usually positioned more toward the center of the turntable.
Center Gear with
Moving Fulcrum
Adding a moving fulcrum to the center gear adds even more complexity to your drawings.
Parts
Fulcrums
There are 3 Fulcrums in the set—2 are the shorter height. These sit on top of the fulcrum screw and provide a pivot for the connecting rod. Use the shorter fulcrums if possible.The connecting rods are used to attach the penholder or to make fulcrums that sit on the connecting rod. The connecting rods have a slide and holes that sit on the drive screw.
Some setups need a longer connecting rod. The extenders are added to lengthen the rods. Use the 3/4-inch screws in the holes at ‘9’ and ‘10’ to attach the extender to the rod. Three styles of washers are provided. The walnut washers are used on the gears between the bearing and the knurled nut. Use the brass washer for the very small gears.
The taller bearings are placed inside gears so they can rotate. Add the 1/32-inch bearing if the bearing isn’t long enough for the gear to spin freely. The 1/2 bearing is for the center gear setups.
1-inch screw: Used to attach gears to
the baseboard. Also used for fulcrums on rods.
2-inch screw: Used for fulcrum screws,
drive screws, and to attach the gears for a center gear setup. When attached as drive screws the nuts do not need to be unscrewed; just insert the head into the slot on the gear at an angle.
2-1/2 inch screw: Occasionally used for
drive screws.
