This beautiful book draws on Robert Race's extensive collection of traditional moving toys, looking at the ways the makers have achieved remarkable and varied results, often with very limited resources. Each chapter begins by looking at the mechanisms and materials used in some of these traditional moving toys, goes on to consider possible variations, and describes how to make a related moving toy. It continues, from this basis, to develop a design for an automaton. The book shows that designing and making these simple but wonderfully satisfying mechanical devices is fun, and that good results can be achieved in many different ways, using a variety of materials, tools and equipment such as wood and wire, card and paper, bamboo, string, tin plate and feathers. It exploits, in a simple way, mechanisms such as levers, linkages, cranks and cams. It explores different ways of moving those mechanisms directly by hand, by springs or falling weights, and by the wind. Beautifully illustrated with 117 colour images.

Make 30 enchanting moving toys using a variety of craft techniques from papier mache and origami to woodworking and modelling.

Designing and making successful automata involves combining materials, mechanisms and magic. Making Simple Automata explains how to design and construct small scale, simple mechanical devices made for fun. Materials such as paper and card, wood, wire, tinplate and plastics are covered along with mechanisms - levers and linkages, cranks and cams, wheels, gears, pulleys, springs, ratchets and pawls. This wonderful book is illustrated with examples throughout and explains the six golden rules for making automata alongside detailed step-by-step projects. Magic - an unanalyzable charm, a strong fascination so that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Superbly illustrated with 110 colour photographs with examples and detailed step-by-step projects.

Clear instructions and illustrations show youngsters and adults how to create 38 delightful novelties: jumping jack, kaleidoscope, boomerang, pinwheel, parachute, bubble blowers, and much more. Each toy can be made with inexpensive materials found around the home, from cardboard and tape to string, scissors, and pins.

Patterns and instructions for creating four models.

Japanese paper engineer Hosaka presents instructions for constructing four models: Tea-serving robot, Ready to fly, Peek-a-bear -- Wild Wild West.

Get Your Move On! In Making Things Move: DIY Mechanisms for Inventors, Hobbyists, and Artists, you'll learn how to successfully build moving mechanisms through non-technical explanations, examples, and do-it-yourself projects--from kinetic art installations to creative toys to energy-harvesting devices. Photographs, illustrations, screen shots, and images of 3D models are included for each project. This unique resource emphasizes using off-the-shelf components, readily available materials, and accessible fabrication techniques. Simple projects give you hands-on practice applying the skills covered in each chapter, and more complex projects at the end of the book incorporate topics from multiple chapters. Turn your imaginative ideas into reality with help from this practical, inventive guide. Discover how to: Find and select materials Fasten and join parts Measure force, friction, and torque Understand mechanical and electrical power, work, and energy Create and control motion Work with bearings, couplers, gears, screws, and springs Combine simple machines for work and fun Projects include: Rube Goldberg breakfast machine Mousetrap powered car DIY motor with magnet wire Motor direction and speed control Designing and fabricating spur gears Animated creations in paper An interactive rotating platform Small vertical axis wind turbine SADbot: the seasonally affected drawing robot Make Great Stuff! TAB, an imprint of McGraw-Hill Professional, is a leading publisher of DIY technology books for makers, hackers, and electronics hobbyists.

Edward Thatcher's 1919 book, "Making Tin Can Toys," provides instructions on how to construct toy trucks, boats, trains, and windmills, as well as trays, candlesticks, and biscuit cutters, all out of used tin cans. Thatcher, an instructor of Decorative Metal Working at Columbia University's Teachers College in New York City, made clever and durable creations using simple tools and an abundant material. His design methods were trial-tested by both10-12 year olds and wounded World War I soldiers. The book includes over 100 helpful diagrams and black-and-white photographs.