Product Review

A superb book that explains how to design and construct small scale, simple mechanical devices for fun€"perfect for toy makers, woodworkers, crafters, and tinkerers

Designing and making successful automata involves combining materials, mechanisms, and magic. Illustrated with color photos throughout, this wonderful book explains the six golden rules for making automata alongside detailed step-by-step projects. Many materials are discussed, including paper and card, wood, wire, tinplate, and plastics; mechanisms discussed include levers and linkages, cranks and cams, wheels, gears, pulleys, springs, ratchets, and pawls. Finally, there is the magic€"an unanalyzable charm, a strong fascination so that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.