Spiral

Finished, and installed on project.

Spiral

Spacers added, now for the entrance and exit tracks.

Spiral

Now that it's bent into shape, next step is to add spacers.

Good ol' track clamps

Here's what my track clamps look like after a few years of hard everyday use. Look lower into my blog for a picture of these same clamps all sparkly and new. They still work like new, though.

Track on, clamps, track on.

Responding to "Tom's" comment. I use the "lift start" or "scratch start" since my foot-pedal is out of commission. Because if this, the arc wanders around and will end up on the clamp as I pull it away, leaving a bit of scorched track clamp behind.

#196 - current progress

Track 3 is half completed. I will b adding two spirals onto this track next.

Marble run #196 - chain lift

Here's the chain installed onto the frame. Now onto getting the ball in and off of the lift. After that, track splitters, then loop d loop.

Chain lift hooks

Here's a couple hooks welded in place. I'd say I have about 15 more sets to add.

Chain lift hooks

Untrimmed pickup hooks and the chain ready to get hooks welded on to pick up the marbles.

Spiral Fail

Bent up this spiral... And it was too shallow to work well. If the ball got stopped, it would not go again by itself. Now it will end up parted out for support rods. It might make a nice campfire cooking grill... Or use the imagination.

Here's a quick video of #195 in motion. 

23" high, 22" wide, 19" deep - Three tracks

Hand-fed desktop #195 - 3 tracks

All finished. 23" high, 22" wide, 19" deep. First time making vertical zig-zag and a jump! Two firsts in one. Ill update post when I get a video up on youtube.

This is one of my favorites already. A nice shape with nice curvy, hilly main track. The collector spiral is better than my usual small "in track" spiral.

Finger operated! Choose to let one go or all of them.

Zig-Zag rbs-#195

My first time making this element. I really like it. This is in place of a tall skinny spiral.

Desktop #195

Tracks 1 and 2 finished. Now to track 3. Will just be only track, but will have lots of dips and wavy tracks. Should be fun bendng the hills and corners and watching them being shaped into life.

Awe-Mazing Mazes

I've got a book coming up titled "Awe-Mazing Mazes" that will feature all 16 of my mazes all in one book. Now that we have a good book title, we also made a new Facebook page to share all of our maze related news and pictures. Please visit our page, check out our mazes, and click LIKE to keep updated on all our maze related news.

Facebook: Awe-Mazing Mazes

Tetter Totter with a Catch

I've made this element before: Where the ball gets caught under the teeter-totter, and the next ball that rolls across it releases the caught ball, and then in turn becomes caught, waiting for the next ball to release it. If you can't quite see what I'm trying to say here, then press play below and watch it in action on Desktop #188. This teeter-totter was built by request. And, now, here it is!