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I like to make these little wooden puzzles, I saw this one and it intrigued me.
Its called the Da VInci Helicopter.
It has hidden sliding dowels that lock it together and some hidden ball bearings that lock the dowels in place. The short pieces have a hole drilled from the end (facing the center, here) to take the dowel and the ball bearings are placed in the holes in the sides of the long pieces. Short pieces glued to the long piece, the ball bearing can transfer to the side to block or unblock the travel of the dowel as you place the X face up or face down.
You can separate the two identical interlocking pieces if you know the trick.
It requires placing it in one position so that the ball bearings in one piece fall to the side and release the dowels, then forcefully spinning the "X" around its center to centrifugally force the dowels out of the cross piece.
Then carefully flipping it so as not to move the now freed dowels and do the same on the opposite side of the X to release the dowels in the opposite direction.
Then you can lift the two parts apart as you have flung the dowels to the disengaged locations.
Put it back together and give it a brief shake and the dowels slide to where they lock the pieces together again.
See the video for the demo; you have to Download the short AVI video in the attachments to see how it works.
Needs some precise cutting of small parts and drilling of some carefully located holes.
You can find plans on the internet or ask me.
Its called the Da VInci Helicopter.
It has hidden sliding dowels that lock it together and some hidden ball bearings that lock the dowels in place. The short pieces have a hole drilled from the end (facing the center, here) to take the dowel and the ball bearings are placed in the holes in the sides of the long pieces. Short pieces glued to the long piece, the ball bearing can transfer to the side to block or unblock the travel of the dowel as you place the X face up or face down.
You can separate the two identical interlocking pieces if you know the trick.
It requires placing it in one position so that the ball bearings in one piece fall to the side and release the dowels, then forcefully spinning the "X" around its center to centrifugally force the dowels out of the cross piece.
Then carefully flipping it so as not to move the now freed dowels and do the same on the opposite side of the X to release the dowels in the opposite direction.
Then you can lift the two parts apart as you have flung the dowels to the disengaged locations.
Put it back together and give it a brief shake and the dowels slide to where they lock the pieces together again.
See the video for the demo; you have to Download the short AVI video in the attachments to see how it works.
Needs some precise cutting of small parts and drilling of some carefully located holes.
You can find plans on the internet or ask me.
Loring in Katy, TX USA