What is this toy called and where can I get plans?

[Roy R]

I'm looking for plans to make a toy for my grandchildren but I don't know what the toy is called. Maybe someone out there can help.

If you have ever seen a movie called "Witness", it's the toy Harrison Fords character builds for the little boy. It is an arrangement of ramps that allow marbles to roll down to a bell at the bottom.

Any help finding a plan for this type of toy would be appreciated. Thanks.

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[fredfighter]

the toy is called. Maybe someone out there can help.

character builds for the little boy. It is an arrangement of ramps that allow marbles to roll down to a bell at the bottom.

I recall Nahrm making one for _The New Yankee Workshop_. They ahoud have a measured drawering available.

[Bruce Hodge]

Here a link that has some marble machines. You may be able to come up with your own design by using the concepts as explained by Matthias Wandel.

[Joe]

the toy is called. Maybe someone out there can help.

character builds for the little boy. It is an arrangement of ramps that allow marbles to roll down to a bell at the bottom.

Not sure if this is it as I did not see the movie. I just Googled ......*marbels, bell, plans*

[Jack Casuso]

Try Cherry Tree Toys, they have several designs

[Joe]

the toy is called. Maybe someone out there can help.

character builds for the little boy. It is an arrangement of ramps that allow marbles to roll down to a bell at the bottom.

[Leuf]

That great sucking noise you hear is not from a gloat, it's from the loss of all productivity this summer while I fool around with that.

-Leuf

[C & E]

Why not try cobbling together a design of your own and have a little fun with it? It can't be too hard. The one downside I see to forums and groups is that it makes us lazy - me included. It's just easier to ask than to think it out for yourself. Yea, I hate to make stupid mistakes because I overlooked some little issue but we just keep on sacrificing personal satisfaction and ingenuity. I really beating up on myself here. No offense intended to anyone at all. Just spouting off.

[Morris Dovey]

| Damn you. | | That great sucking noise you hear is not from a gloat, it's from the | loss of all productivity this summer while I fool around with that.

It does look like a lot of fun.

I was sitting here thinking about how to machine a four-cylinder marble pump (to be fed with three flip-flop gates divvying up the marbles) when your post showed up.

-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA

[jd]

yep. you wouldn't believe the amount of time I spent designing a marble lift that was basically two large disks with baskets on the edges. One disk is mounted above the other. the bottom disc scoops up a marble from a resevoir (the feed mechanism was fun too). At the top of the first disc, the marble is scooped into a basket on the second disc, and carried to the top and released into a set of tracks.

I love playing with kinetic sculpture... Now if only there was away to maek money with it...

-_JD

[Bugs]

What the guy asked, was "What is the name of the toy?" It's a Rube Goldberg machine. Bugs

[Fly-by-Night CC]

I believe they're officially known as a "Marble Roll".

[Pat Barber]

the toy is called. Maybe someone out there can help.

character builds for the little boy. It is an arrangement of ramps that allow marbles to roll down to a bell at the bottom.

[Gordon Airporte]

And you can lose more productivity by watching some of these videos:

do not use wood exclusively, but they feature some nice mechanisms that you might want to reproduce. Or just check out all google videos that result from a search for 'Rube Goldberg'(many of which rely heavily on marbles.)

[O D]

We make a toy that I think you are talking about for schools. It is about 24"wide By 2" ? Marble rolls down one chute drops in a hole rolls down the next chute drops in hole etc for about 5 trips. I can see if we have plans or if we just make it from patterns . Teachers call them or use them for eye movement training. This is not a commercial shop. We give this stuff away to teachers who request it. We are a retired community woodworking shop called sawdust engineers. And yup if ya want the dust we can give you all you want. So I am sure we can give you some info IF this is what you are looking for. You can email me so I can get some infor to send to you.