Automata for

beginners
Waggle sticks
by Sarah Reast • Llanbrynmair, Wales, UK • Photos by the author

A
waggle stick is one of the
most useful bits of an au-
tomaton’s mechanism. This
is a stick of some sort and it wag-
gles. In strict engineering terms it
is a lever and a linkage, but if your
business is to bring an inanimate
object to life, then strict engineer-
ing terms don’t quite cut it.
For the purpose of this article,
we are seeking to achieve a side-
to-side movement only. This is a The cam engages a
reciprocal movement but I prefer pivoted waggle stick
the word “waggle.” Precisely calcu- attached to the sheep’s
lated and defined arrangements leg and provides the
are necessary for robots but not primary movement of
always for automata. In many of my the automaton.
articles, I make the case for a unique
1. Sheep exercising.
language for our world. This is not
meant as a denigration or corrup-
tion of engineering, but rather a In a simple automaton, a which other linkages may pivot. It exercising sheep.
way of adding character and quirk waggle stick is often used as the will often be articulated by a cam, The extent of the stick’s waggle
in order to entertain and surprise. central core mechanism from as seen in photo 1, depicting an will depend on the location of the

AUTOMATA MAGAZINE — 46 — March • April 2020

 Range of Range of
movement movement
A B

Peg in
pivot point

Alternate
pivot points

Peg in
pivot point

2. Range of movement.

pivot and the nature of the cam. If you shouldn’t expect a waggle In a test rig you start with known don’t know. In my rig in photo 2,
you want to use a waggle stick, it is stick to behave entirely accurately. quantities, such as the size of the I have provided a choice of differ-
useful to start with a test rig from There can be lag and/or bounce available cam, the height of the ent pivot points to find out what
which you can make some estima- caused at various points that can model, or the range of movement the range of movement might
tions. I use the word estimations restrict or exaggerate its effect— you need out of it, and you allow be. As you can see, the closer the
rather than calculations because more about that later. experimentation for the bits you waggle stick’s pivot is to the cam,

AUTOMATA MAGAZINE — 47 — March • April 2020

 The small shoul-
der movement
causes the hands
to open by 45mm
(1.75").

A peg goes through the waggle

stick, inside a groove in shoulder
the greater the movement will be pieces. This moves the shoulders
at the top of the stick. by 7mm (.275").
Note that the distance your cam
can push is shown by the arrows
outside the red circle in photo 3. Waggle stick pivots at the hips
Both the size of the cam and the
position of the hole for the drive-
shaft are what count.

4. Subtle movement of the waggle stick.

3. Effective cam movement. achieved in test B in photo movement achieved by the Lag and bounce
2 is hardly worth the bother. combination of the cam, waggle Lag and bounce can happen
However, a tiny movement can stick, and pivot point is tiny, when there is slack in the mecha-
Subtle movement go a long way, as seen in our but it will still create significant nism. When we design an au-
You would be forgiven for clapping Happy Hands model effect when the long arms and tomaton at Timberkits, we have
thinking that the tiny movement in photo 4. The extent of the hands are added. to imagine many customers with
AUTOMATA MAGAZINE — 48 — March • April 2020
 The round cam (behind
the triangular cam) push-
es the waggle stick from
side to side. The waggle
stick is integral with the
lower leg and is pivoted
through the foot, so it
pushes the knee joint up
and rocks the whole body. Pivot
varying abilities building our kits,
and not all of the builders will be
precise and tidy in their construc-
tion. It is easier for a model to
accommodate a bit of accidental
slack than for it to cope with a
tight bind, so we tend to build-in Waggle stick
the slack.
Slack can mean that the cam
will spend some time not actually

Contacting Sarah
If you have questions or com-
Because the waggle stick is not contained or con- For most of the round cam’s revolution, it is not doing anything,
ments for Sarah Reast, you can strained by any other structure, it cannot bind. In fact, so this is lost motion. This allows the more rapid arm-strumming
write to her in care of Automata it can bounce if the model is operated at speed, there- action, operated by the triangular cam in front, to have a con-
Magazine: automatamag@com- by giving the guitarist a very jaunty rhythm. trasting rhythm.
cast.net. Just put “Message for
Sarah” in the subject line. 5. Putting lost motion to good use.
Sarah is the designer and direc-
tor of Timberkits Ltd., which cre- pushing or pulling anything, as it there is enough energy or mo- I hope you have enjoyed these
ates wooden mechanical models takes up the spare space available. mentum behind it. This can often ideas on the subject of waggling.
sold in kit form. To learn more We call this “lost motion.” During be turned to our advantage, as it My next article will be about wig-
about her company, visit https:// lost motion, the mechanism may creates a less regular and more gling—from characters to critters!
www.timberkits.com/. lag or delay, or it may bounce if organic movement (photo 5). I kid you not.A

AUTOMATA MAGAZINE — 49 — Back to Contents pg. March • April 2020