Rolling Chassis
From DT Online
Description
A variety of Chassis designs with wheels, axles and bearings can be created with Stripwood Technology Materials.
The examples below are based on vehicles but the same general constructions can be used when moving parts are needed on many other working models (e.g. fairgounds, seige weapons, cranes, moving bridges, watermills and windmills).
When combined with Box Modelling techniques quite large and complex working models can be built using a minimum of tools and easily obtained everyday materials which, where neccessary, are glued together using PVA Glue.
Features and Uses
| Box Model Chassis | Wheels can be added to box models to create working models. Holes for axles can be created by pushing through a sharpened pencil. The roughly pierced hole can be improved by gluing over it a piece of card into which a neat hole to receive a Dowel axle has been made with a Paper Punch.
Safety Point! It would be quite dangerous for young children to try and pierce the holes using Scissors Wheels made from discs of MDF are spaced out from the box sides with Washers, or short pieces cut from PVC tubing, and pressed on to the ends of the axles - the spacers are needed to stop wheels rubbing against the box sides. |
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| Felt Tip Pen Bearings | The outer plastics casing of discarded Felt Tip Pens can be trimmed using a Junior Hacksaw and fixed to a piece of Thick Card using elastic bands as shown.
Note: Elastic bands are used because the plastics casing cannot by glued satisfactorily using PVA - but Cable Ties and foam adhesive pads are alternatives. An advantage of using felt-tip pen casings is that they can be cut a little longer than the width of the chassis and this stops the wheels rubbing against the side. |
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| Clothes Peg Axle Holders | Wooden spring-type clothes pegs can be glued on to boxes, card or Stripwood frames to serve as axle holders.
Note: Wooden pegs are used because those made of plastics cannot by glued satisfactorily using PVA. Clothes Pegs also add realism to models by giving something of the appearance of the suspension and related mechanisms present in actual vehicles. Activity: Using pegs enables the axles and wheels to be made easily interchangeable. Explore the effect of different wheel diameters and widths by changing them and rolling the same vehicle down a fixed slope to see how far it goes each time. |
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| Wide Wheels | MDF discs can be fitted together to make wider wheels. This can be done for added realism in a model but it also adds to Rolling Friction.
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| Large and Small Wheels | Some vehicles (e.g. Tractors and Steam Railway Engines) may need wheels of different diameters front and back.
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| Card Axle Holders | Axle holders can also be made by punching holes in the Card Triangles used for general construction reinforcement.
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| Flanged Wheels | Card discs can be added to the side of MDF discs to create Flanged Wheels. These are useful for vehicles which are guided on rails (e.g. Railway Engines, Trams, Dockside and Overhead Cranes). |  |
| Drinks Can Wheels | Empty soft drinks cans make unusual wheels - or model rollers. A card or MDF disc placed over the end of a can is used to mark the centre and an axle hole created by punching through with a Nail Punch.
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Safety Point! Take great care with hot glue guns and all hot-melt glues. The melted glue can stick to the skin and cause severe burns.
