Some parents buy kinetic sculptures for their kids at art or craft fairs. Not [Steve Moseley], he turned his kids’ hovel into a sculpture by wrapping a marble run around the entire room. It’s big enough, with so many features that finding a banner image was a bit tough. After the break we’ve embedded a video where you’ll see a wagon wheel lifter, plenty of gravity-fed curves, loops, inclines, rockers, a stair-step lifter, and… well you get the idea.
Considering the scope of the project it was remarkably inexpensive; about $70 in wood, $40 for the glass marbles, and around $60 for everything else. We’re glad he shared his building methods with such verbosity. You’ll need a well-stocked shop. Fine work like this requires tools common for woodworkers, but we’d bet the band saw and oscillating spindle sander were a godsend.
[Thanks Ferdinand via Flabber (NSFW)]
Beautiful :)
noice
noisy but very nice :)
I was expecting a lot more when the word “epic” showed up in the title. It’s very cool, but very far from epic.
Coolness!!
Brad
Yeah, I would leave out the word “Epic” but a very well designed contraption. The camera might make it sound nosier than what it really is. I love it.
@DeadlyFoez: I don’t know man. For something that’s hand-made and installed in a kids’ room this the best I’ve seen by far. Just think of the time it took to design this, much less build and install it.
i think i’ll have kids one day just so i can justify doing shit like this
wtf. who is having a sale on the word “epic”?
I think ‘EPIC’ is probably a little much, but I would agree with ‘epic’. Think about who this is meant for.
This, for a young boy would be just the coolest thing. Our son’s pediatrician has a model train mounted near the ceiling in the waiting room, and only goes around in a loop, but is still pretty neat to watch. This would be great for any little kids. I wouldn’t mind having one in my room, but I imagine my wife would.
I’ve kind of gotten annoyed with such a heavy use of the work “epic” in recent times, and it gets overly exaggerated.
Literally, epic refers to a certain type of poem with specific characteristics. Generally, however, Princeton has it right with: # very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale); “an epic voyage”; “of heroic proportions”; “heroic sculpture”
# epic poem: a long narrative poem telling of a hero’s deeds
Fail is another four letter word, highly applicable to anyone complaining that this isn’t epic enough. This is neato torpedo, 23 skidoo with a shupedebopdebop.
I had a very similar setup, in length, but certainly not beauty… a dozen wrapping paper tubes sliced in half, some extra cardboard, and a few rolls of scotch tape was definitely the most affordable way to build it as a kid. What is it about watching the balls all cycle through that is so mesmerizing? The moment you see a marble complete your course without failing it was a very exciting feeling… always wish I had a way to circulate them back to the top, but just accumulating more marbles to start with was usually sufficient.
Oh, and I’m suprised he didn’t make any jumps… if all your marbles are the same size it isn’t difficult to aim a ramp toward a funnel :D
That would be neat to look at the first few cycles – after that ….. yaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnn.
Next time, buy the kid a ant farm, or better yet, a bike.
Awesome would be a word I would use to describe it. Would have loved this as a kid. Come on peeps if you don’t think it is epic then build one that you think is, instead of winging about it ;D Oops have I just set a challenge?
*or complaining since the spelling of whinging is apparently not in my vocabulary.
epic
–adjective Also, ep·i·cal.
1.
noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon a hero, in which a series of great achievements or events is narrated in elevated style: Homer’s Iliad is an epic poem.
2.
resembling or suggesting such poetry: an epic novel on the founding of the country.
3.
heroic; majestic; impressively great: the epic events of the war.
4.
of unusually great size or extent: a crime wave of epic proportions.
–noun
5.
an epic poem.
6.
epic poetry.
7.
any composition resembling an epic.
8.
something worthy to form the subject of an epic: The defense of the Alamo is an American epic.
9.
( initial capital letter ) Also called Old Ionic. the Greek dialect represented in the Iliad and the Odyssey, apparently Aeolic modified by Ionic.
noting or pertaining to a long workshop session , usually centered upon a hero(Dad) in which a series of great mouldings or cuts are made in elevated style:
I am going to suggest a re write of the title from “epic” to “hella cool” oops now you know I was a teen in the 80’s…Sweet toy I would love to build one for my kids
I’m glad to see so many people also getting annoyed at the habitual miss use of words such as epic. These words have a meaning, we shouldn’t let people with small vocabularies redefine them to the point that they loose their meanings.
Words – cry havoc and let loose your meanings!
I just love it when a grammar nazi makes a typo’ (he says, typing very carefully).
I love it when people say (type) loose when they mean lose
Wow I love how we have managed to turn a marble run into an English lesson. lol
Very nice!
Over 804158 people tought this was #epic
Some people read too much what maddox says.
I think you over-estimated the number of teachers who read this post, eh? ;-)
Nice project–it’s a shame the author put it on Instructables, where it costs for an annual subscription to get a PDF of the project description. >:-p
I just downloaded the PDF after logging into my free instructables account. Do they make newbies PAY for that privilege these days? News to me… :-o
@EPIC Haha! That’s exactly what I was thinking as soon as someone complained about ‘epic’. I think maddox is hilarious, but the world would be a much darker place if everyone followed his cynicism. Next thing you know someone is going to demand his own marble run because he can spell, draw and do math better than that guy’s kids.
does anyone sell these my son is special need and love them
Nice! It reminds me of the Lego Great Ball Contraption…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUtS52lqL5w