I know what you're thinking. Rope is pretty cheap and plentiful these days... need we really a machine to make it when it can be bought for about 2 bucks at the store? Yes yes, you'd be so right about that, but where's your sense of wonder, my nay saying friend? Kids squeal with delight when they see the rope machine in action. At a family reunion for my husband's family last summer, a rope making machine was brought out and the kids found it all just the height of excitement. That gave me the yen to make one just like it. I've started out with this very easy, starter version found in (my favorite book ever) Making Things: A handbook for creative discovery (really, it's the one book I consult over and over... so many great ideas). But I want to graduate to one like this guy built (the first version, at least at first...)( and I'd like to make rope out of plastic bags like he did sometime, too). Anyway, this is a start....
And apologies for the hasty, somewhat shoddy little video here... I asked my friend to hold the camera while I performed like a rope-making monkey and she was being devoured by mosquitoes, so I was performing as quickly as possible before they drained her completely of life-giving fluids. Normally rope making is a much more leisurely pursuit.
4 comments:
Just watched the youtube vid link you gave of the guy making rope from plastic bags. We scored some of those plastic gears from a thrift store, along with the little motor that runs them, so both kids are really into the idea of making a rope machine with it :) Thank you!
Wow! You really got me thinking this morning. We were going to be horsing around with pulleys next week, but how cool would it be to make our own rope making machine, make rope, then use that rope with the pulley's. Can we do it? Dunno. Guess I better get out to the garage and see if I can do it first.
Thanks for eating up a Saturday afternoon when I was supposed to be getting yard work done! (And I don't mean that sarcastically.) =)
Thanks for sharing.
I am doing a homeschool co-op class and we are going to try this. Will be sure to link to you if I end up posting about it.
Great blog, BTW...
I gave your blog an award...
http://sunriselearninglab.blogspot.com/2010/07/substance-in-blogging-words-of-thanks.html
Colleen:)
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Rope Making Machine
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