Final Project Inspiration

When I first declared my major as mechanical engineering, one of my best friends gifted me a mechanical gear necklace. It was made of simple balsa wood and the gears were connected in such a way that they rotated altering the shape of the necklace. I loved the necklace, but the fragile wood soon broke and it has long since been thrown away. The design was similar to the image below. This design allows the user to ensure all the gears mesh and turn. This could be a perfect design to prototype with the laser cutter.

Wooden Gear Necklace
Wooden Gear Necklace [1]
After looking at designs online I realized that I also loved the look of different metal gears with different size teeth. I assume this will be more durable that thin wood and create a more unique aesthetic. There are also various forms of jewelry including necklaces, rings and potentially even bracelets. A range of the potential products are shown below.

Mixed Gear Necklace [2]
Mixed Gear Necklace [2]
Gear Ring [3]
Gear Ring [3]
Gear Bracelet [4]
Gear Bracelet [4]
In the next few weeks, I will play with combinations of gears to prototype the best combination of gears for each type of jewelry. The ideal situation would be a piece of jewelry in each of those categories, but the size of gears will be crucial to its form and function. The next step is just to experiment and see where this project takes me.

[1] http://www.artfulsoul.com/store/infogtre6004d.html

[2] http://amechanicalmind.deviantart.com/art/Gear-Necklace-Sky-Wing-202953840

[3] http://fab.com/product/

[4] https://www.etsy.com/listing/241428703/gold-gear-bracelet-cog-steampunk-gear?ref=market

 

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2 Comments. Leave new

  • Derek Sikora
    March 2, 2016 4:31 pm

    This is sweet Katie! I dont know if you’ve found a source to acquire small brass/metal gears but I’ve seen some cool stuff on etsy.com that may interest you. Theyre cheap too! Best of luck

    Reply
  • Wow, I love the look of that jewelry. I agree that mixing up the different metal and different size teeth gives it added visual appeal. I like the look of metal, but using a 3D printer to make it could be interesting too. Good luck!

    Reply

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