# Jacob's Ladder



## putputman (Sep 13, 2009)

I was at LeSueur, MN. County Pioneer Power show a while back and saw many beautiful model engines and some different applications for them. A gentleman from Lake City, MN. Had a mechanized Jacob's Ladder that caught my eye. I felt I just had to build one. 

Mine is considerably different than his, but the end results are the same.

I used my "Chuck Fellows compressed air Hit & Miss" engine to drive it. It required considerable speed reduction even though the engine had a speed governor.







To reduce the speed to a desirable speed would require cutting several gears. I decided to drive it with O-rings instead of gears except for the final drive.






The final drive required a 2:1 ratio and I was concerned about O-ring slippage, so I cut two gears to assure it would not change.






Here is a vid of the unit running. I was pleased that the governor continued to work under the load.





It is nice to be able to put these little engines to work.


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## kustomkb (Sep 13, 2009)

That's great!!

well done.


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## vlmarshall (Sep 13, 2009)

Very nice! ;D :bow:


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## black85vette (Sep 13, 2009)

Nice job and interesting contraption. Lots of fun. Thanks for sharing.

Maybe we need another category along with the Project of the Month. We need to have entries in the "Wacky things to do with a Chuck Fellows horizontal engine". Thm: I have two nominees already!! :big:


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## Brian Rupnow (Sep 13, 2009)

I am impressed !!!! What the heck is that thing?? I can't see well enough when watching the video to really tell what is happening. Are the coloured things magnetic?---Tell us more please.


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## ChooChooMike (Sep 13, 2009)

Well done !! Viewing that video, I pulled out that same toy blocks and played with them again  :bow: :bow:

Mike


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## Deanofid (Sep 13, 2009)

I love it! What a cool contraption. This is the kind of thing that gets grown men standing around just looking at it. I'll bet it would draw a crowd at something like a farmers market or county fair. 

The Fellows engine is doing a great job running the show. Has quite a bark, too.

Thanks for showing this!

Dean


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## putputman (Sep 14, 2009)

Thanks guys, it was a fun build.

Brian, that toy is older than the slinky. I don't know how or when it got its' name. I remember getting one for Christmas back in the early 40s'. Dad didn't have much money, but he was good with his hands and made it for me. I imagine his dad might have done the same for him. You worked them by hand in those days.

It is made out of wood and held together with cloth ribbons. (I think the one dad made used string instead of ribbon) Two on one side and one on the other. They alternate sides on each block. (you can kind of see this on the side view) As you turn the top block until the second block is parallel to the first, the second will tip over and the sequence follows down to the bottom. Turn the other direction and the process repeats. 

The blocks are 1/2" thick X 2" X 2". I'll bet you have one built by the end of the day.


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## Brian Rupnow (Sep 14, 2009)

I never heard of or seen one before!!! Now I have to check it out on the internet. Truly an eyecatcher!!!


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## black85vette (Sep 14, 2009)

Here you go Brian, a video on how to build one.

http://www.ehow.com/video_4953517_jacobs-ladder-children-attach-1st.html


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## cfellows (Sep 14, 2009)

Very nice, Arv! I also like the sound of your engine.

Chuck


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## putputman (Sep 14, 2009)

Chuck, I turned up the pressure to 40-45 PSI & restricted the flow with a needle valve. That seemed to make it sound sharper. Nothing else was done to it.

B85V, thanks for posting that web site. I wasn't sure how to make them myself. I will probably make one now so I can say it is all mine.


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## deverett (Oct 3, 2009)

At sea, a Jacob's Ladder was a rope ladder that hung over the side of a ship and used - in the not so distant past - for a pilot to get on board.

This one is much more interesting and like it so much, I have put it in my 'want to do' list.

Dave
The Emerald Isle


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## tmuir (Oct 3, 2009)

I remember getting one of those in a show bag when I was a kid, played with it for hours.

Fun looking project.


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