Eccentric
Description
Unconventional, uncommon, abnormal, irregular, aberrant are just a few terms to describe something that is eccentric or has an “eccentric relationship or personality”. In terms of mechanical movement things without the “same center” would be considered to have an eccentric relationship. Such as the relationship learned in Geometry class between concentric and eccentric circles. A cam in an internal combustion engine is a good example of something that is eccentric and has an eccentric relationship to the shaft that it is mounted on.
“In design, a little eccentricity is a good thing” ……. Eccentric is my eighth prototype for the Automata Project and it completed Phase One of the Project for me. When designing Eccentric, I did not really have the name for the prototype in mind. I wanted to display two bevel gears with a 10 tooth, 1:1 ratio. I had this idea of creating a wireframe supported by two legs for the bevel gears to sit on. The legs were originally rings but they threw the balance off considerably. I switched over to the U-shaped legs you currently see in the prototype. I decided to use a star knob style handle again as I did for the prototype Symmetrical. When I finished the project, I still did not have a name for it. There is nothing eccentric about the gears or their centers, however as I gazed upon the prototype I felt the relationship between the wire frame, the legs and the placement of the gears was eccentric in nature.
Eccentric is a display of two bevel gears with a 10 tooth, 1:1 ratio. The two bevel gears are displayed on a wire frame supported by two U-shaped legs. It also displays a handle that is fashioned after “star” knobs such as you would find on your Powermatic planer. Mechanical spacers are used to raise the bevel gears off the base so they will properly mesh.