Reddit reviews 1800 Mechanical Movements, Devices and Appliances (Dover Science Books)

Had to do some digging because I had a hard time convincing Google that I wasn't looking for a Rudy Ray Moore blacksploitation film; He means Rolamite, lol.

Back to the topic, if by simple machine you mean some sort of noncomplex elegant device that takes mechanical input from one source and gives a predictable mechanical output (or perhaps a pseudo-random output, which could also be just as useful), there's absolutely always room for another such thing. Take a look at a book like this one, which is basically a ton of wild gear systems and simple, straightforward machines. Admittedly, based on the illustrations, many of these concepts are dated; there's still tons of room for simple innovation.

1800 Mechanical Movements, Devices, and Appliances for the lazy.

This is the book you seek:

https://amazon.com/507-Mechanical-Movements-Mechanisms-Devices/dp/0486443604

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There's also:

https://amazon.com/Mechanical-Movements-Devices-Appliances-Science/dp/0486457435

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There's also this if you want to go to a professional level:

https://amazon.com/Ingenious-Mechanisms-Designers-Inventors-Set/dp/B0041MXUUK

Do NOT pay this much. Look for used copies on Amazon, eBay and Abe's Books. I found a near mint used set for $35.

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Note: I have no financial interests in referring these titles.

zomg I thought it was just me.

I have these books on mechanical movements ( 1800 mechanical movements and 507 mechanical movements ) that I've almost memorized, plus machine tools and how they're made. I also know the basics of how to drill for oil, build a car, and make a transistor.

now I just need to apply it to making a time machine, and I'm set.

mcmaster.com is a good place to look. Plus they have downloadable cad files for most of their hardware.

If you find a good book, let me know. This One and This one are OK, but they don't really work as a quick reference.

I bought this book a few weeks ago, and I am mesmerized by these kind of mechanisms.

I was thinking about starting a YouTube channel, where I model the mechanisms in the book, and make animations of them in operation. I just wasn't sure if there was an audience for that sort of thing.

Due to the popularity of this post, I've decided that there is, and will start shortly.

507 Mechanical Movements was the original (I think) from 1868. It's a fun book to flip through, especially since it's so cheap. There's a great website that has it all for free, plus well done animations for many of them.

There's also 1800 Mechanical Movements from 1899.

I received this book for Christmas a few years ago and thought it was really cool.