Designs

[nejanimb]

Do you mean similar to what we had for our cross bracing on the bridge last year?

Visible in these photos:

http://gallery.scioly.org/details.php?image_id=2472
http://gallery.scioly.org/details.php?image_id=2471

I think it would work just fine, depending on your design.

Also, if you're doing plain X bracing, I don't think 1/32 is a viable option. Almost regardless of your density, I don't think 1/32 is going to hold any compression.

[lllazar]

You know nejanimb, just as i was considering the idea, i remembered something about the bridge thread last year and i guess that something was you and someone else discussing your pics. That is exactly what im talking about, and thanks for the info on the 1/32, ill just use some low density 1/16 and do that double stack method; that's what i did with the one i built last night and the base is a heck of a lot sturdier than the all the rest i've built, and only .03 grams more in weight.

[MrsKingCMS]

Towers 2011

Height: No limit
Bottom of Loading Block: 50cm or greater above test base.
Tower base must span 20cm x 20cm (square?) hole in test base
Tower may not extend below top surface of test base
Portion of tower more than 30cm (Div B) or 15cm (Div C) must fit through 8cm dia. circle
Support chain must be within 2.5cm of center of opening in test base.
Must be a single structure - No removable pieces.
Must use only wood & glue
No limit on wood size
Any type of glue

Score = (Load Supported)^2 / Mass of Tower

Why is weight bad?

Mass of tower is in the denominator of scoring equation. Heavier Tower=Lower Score!

"If the loading block is 5cm x 5cm how is it supported with the tower being 8 cm in diameter?"

[soccerkid812]

just answered this in another post by you a second ago

it fits INSIDE the 8cm diameter circle, its an imaginary circle

[Littleboy]

I am currently making a tower with the legs 3/16 not 1/8 (because my coach ordered the wrong size and I am too lazy to cut it. I am using way less cross bracing to accomodate for the extra weight and it should not need as much with the additional size. Hopefully it still is good

[soccerkid812]

How do you guys connect the top and base of the tower effectively?

[robotman]

I simply glue the top and bottom together making sure that the legs stay on top of one another

[soccerkid812]

I simply glue the top and bottom together making sure that the legs stay on top of one another

if you just glue them together, then the top of the tower could be tilted...

[sj]

Well if you build carefully and use a level while gluing the above method would work fine. It's worked for me and none of my towers have failed due to being tilted. The key is to mock it up before gluing try to use fine sandpaper to adjust the level, and be very careful not to stick it in the wrong place after you apply the glue.

[ekcnho]

Just to be sure, when the specs say portion of tower above 30cm must fit through an 8cm circle, they mean circle and not 8cm hollow cylinder, correct? A circle lies on a single plane and thus can be tilted to fit around things and we've been using a cardboard 8cm circle to test. However, if the school tests with an 8cm inside diameter piece of pvc pipe that's 20 or 30 cm long to make sure the entire portion fits through an 8 cm cylinder, ours won't fit. We have stub ends of sticks that protude that would cause us issues, and when we cut them off we often cause the adjacent joint to fail so we'd prefer to leave them on and suffer the weight gain.

Hope that makes sense and that someone can answer! Thanks.