- Gear template generator program for free#
- Gear template generator program how to#
- Gear template generator program free#
The ‘Tooth spacing’ field effectively sets the number of pins per inch. Done! So why didn’t we change the ‘Tooth spacing’ value? Here’s something very important to remember about pinwheels: regardless of their size, the number of pins per inch must be same for pinwheels to mesh together properly.
![gear template generator program gear template generator program](https://noelcowardtheatre.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/gear-template-generator-program-12.jpg)
We know the smaller wheel has 12 teeth, so type that number into the ‘Gear 1 teeth’ box, and hit ‘Enter’. To replicate the small pinwheel template, we’ll need to modify some values again. Use the ‘Print gears’ button below the Gear Template Generator to print the template. The distance between pins for the large pinwheel generated with the Illustrator method was about 5.25mm, so go ahead and type 5.25 into the ‘Tooth spacing’ box and hit ‘Enter’. That’s an appropriate number for robust wooden gear teeth, but a bit big for an automaton pinwheel. This value defines the distance between each tooth and is set to 15 millimeters by default. Why is that? Notice the first box in the upper left-hand corner labeled ‘Tooth spacing’. Great! But, if you printed it out now, the pinwheel would be very large. The pinwheel template should now have 36 teeth. Find the input box for ‘Gear 1 teeth’, type in 36, and then hit ‘Enter’ on your keyboard. First, we know the large wheel has 36 teeth. To replicate the large pinwheel template, we’ll need to adjust a few settings. I also changed the value for ‘Shaft hole dia.’ to 6.25mm to create a hole at the center of the circle that is a bit smaller than 1/4 of an inch. It is starting to resemble a pinwheel template already! The pins will be located where these line segments intersect with the pitch circle. This changes the gear teeth into line segments representing even divisions of the circle. Finally, check the ‘Dividing plate mode’ box. This produces a pair of lines showing the exact center of the pinwheel. For pinwheels, this is the circle on which the pins will be placed. On a gear, this is the point where the meshing teeth make contact. The generator has a number of fields into which you can enter numerical values or enable and disable features.įirst, check the box for ‘Show pitch diameter’ on the right-hand side of the screen. When you first arrive at the page, you are presented with a default gear and the settings that were used to produce it. The Gear Template Generator is designed to generate paper templates for cutting wood gears. Getting Acquainted with the Gear Template Generator Let’s use the Gear Template Generator to recreate the pinwheel patterns made with the Illustrator technique mentioned above.
Gear template generator program free#
He offers a feature-rich version for purchase, but for our purposes the free version will do.
![gear template generator program gear template generator program](https://woodgears.ca/gear/help3/sprocket.png)
What if you don’t have Adobe Illustrator? How else can you make a paper template? Fortunately, woodworking mastermind Matthias Wandel has created an amazing online Gear Template Generator. Making Pinwheel Templates with the Online Gear Template Generator You can apply the fill and stroke settings as instructed using either the ‘Control’ bar at the top of the screen, or by opening up the ‘Appearance’ window, under the ‘View’ menu. Note: The ‘Paint Style’ window mentioned in Step 1 may be hard to find these days. The method was first published several years ago, but I’ve tested it in the latest version of the program (Illustrator CS5) and the instructions still work beautifully! If you have access to Illustrator, this is a great method. The technique requires a computer drawing program such as Adobe Illustrator.
Gear template generator program how to#
The instructions show you how to create patterns for pinwheels with 36 and 12 pins - a 3:1 gear ratio.
Gear template generator program for free#
One method of designing printable pinwheel templates is provided for free by Cabaret Mechanical Theatre as a supplement to their excellent book Cabaret Mechanical Movement. This time around, let’s divide some circles into equal segments to make pinwheel patterns. Enter pinwheels: gears almost anyone can make! In a previous installment of this column, we looked at a number of methods to make wooden circles. Gears are very useful to the automata-maker, but they can be tricky to make depending on your knowledge, skills, tools, and patience. Two Methods for Making Pinwheels Patterns