Make Your Own Amazing Mechanical Toys

This practical book is a guide to making five kinetic, mechanical marvels. It combines basic mechanical principles with shaping and fitting components crafted from timbers and manufactured boards. An introduction to basic motion and mechanisms such as cams, cranks, levers and linkages to generate motion and movement in a wheeled toy is given. Useful construction and workshop techniques such as production aids for wheel-making are covered. Step-by-step instructions explain each project so that a simple push or pull action will magically bring the design to life.

Michael Screen has been a secondary school teacher, toymaker and craftsperson for over thirty years. He is a member of the British Toymakers Guild, and has taught kinetic toymaking and automata to both children and adults. His designs are simple, robust and combine an enthusiasm for mechanism, timber sculpting and decoration.