marble man a by Gordon Warr
Two traditional marble games to make with your router
These games are easy to make using cove cutters for the inclined ramp , arches and solitaire board . Both are ideally made from hardwood , beech is best , but here ’ s a chance to use up some of those off-cuts . Each piece must be carefully cut to size and planed square before marking out the position of the arches and hollows . The marbles used for the two games are approximately 16mm diameter .
To cut the marble run arches accurately , make up a simple jig to support the router and guide it at right angle across the timber .
Marble Run Game
Mark out the position and size of each arch on the rectangular block . Cut away as much waste as possible with a saw before securing the block in a vice and clamping the jig to it . Cut each arch in turn selecting different radius cove cutters for each size . Cut the ramp to size and rout the marble groove , using a 31.5mm radius cove cutter ( ref 13 / 6 ), along the inclined face cutting to a depth of 10mm . For storing the marbles , drill an 18mm diameter hole into the back of the ramp using a long auger bit and fit a pivoted flap to cover the end .
Slide board to support router |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Router guide batten
330mm
12mm
40mm
30mm 40mm
330mm
75mm
25mm |
40mm |
|
|
25mm |
20mm |
25mm |
25mm |
|
75mm |
|
|
35mm Clamping block |
Storage for marbles inside ramps |
330mm 25mm
39mm 25mm
|
39mm
25mm
|
Support battens |
Workpiece moved along for Backing each cut board to prevent breakout |
Target arches |
75mm
25mm
25mm
|
39mm
25mm
|
48mm
18mm
|
|
|
|
48mm
18mm
|
48mm
18mm
|
|
Material required Hardwood Blocks x 1 330 x 75 x 35mm
( Finished size ) Hardwood Blocks x 2 330 x 75 x 25mm
( Finished size )
|
8 INProfile Autumn 2000