Animatronic-Rocking-Chair-Prop.pdf

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Animatronic Rocking Chair Prop
Animatronic Rocking Chair Prop
Written By: keith corcoran
TOOLS:
Adjustable wrench (1)
Flathead screwdriver (1)
Hack saw (1)
Hammer (1)
Phillips head screwdriver (1)
Screw gun (1)
Wire cutter/stripper (1)
PARTS:
Old Rocking Chair (1)
2" PVC pipe, 10" length (1)
Screws (20)
windshield wiper motor (1)
there are other motors you can use in
place of a wiper motor.
DC power source, switched, 8V - 12V, 2
- 3 amps (1)
Miscellaneous pieces of wire. (1)
SUMMARY
There are quite a few resources online for using surplus windshield wiper motors in
Halloween props to achieve animation.
After seeing an example of a $400+ rocking chair prop I went into MAKE mode to see if I
could recreate the prop myself for much less.
This project will take you through the steps of building your own animatronic rocking chair
prop.
© Make Projects
www.makeprojects.com
Page 1 of 14
Animatronic Rocking Chair Prop
Step 1 — FIND MATERIALS
ROCKING CHAIR - Keep an eye out for an old standard rocking chair. I found mine on
Craigslist for about $20 and a few months later found one out at the curb for trash pick
up.
WIPER MOTOR - Windshield wiper motors can be purchased online new or picked up
at a local junkyard for cheap. Also, there are other motors you could use to power this
prop. The goal is to find a motor that runs about 10-20 RPM.
MASK/HEAD - Depending on whom you want sitting in your chair you can use just about
any Halloween mask or you can sculpt your own head as I did. We won't go into detail
on sculpting heads in this project so be creative.
POWER SUPPLY - For this project I used a switching power supply from an old arcade
machine that I had lying around. You can use a 'wall wart' or just about any other DC
power supply that puts out 5-12 volts with a minimum of 2 amps. Lower voltage means
slower RPM at the expense of torque (pushing power).
© Make Projects
www.makeprojects.com
Page 2 of 14
Animatronic Rocking Chair Prop
Step 2 — THE MECHANISM
This prop is very simple in theory.
The motor shaft rotates a
linkage which converts rotational
motion to linear motion.
The linkage moves a lever which
is attached on one end by a
hinge allowing the other end to
move forward and back.
This forward-and-back
movement causes the rocking
chair to rock back and forth.
© Make Projects
www.makeprojects.com
Page 3 of 14
Animatronic Rocking Chair Prop
Step 3 — CUT THE WOOD
Cut 2 pieces of 2x4 wood to serve
as your base and lever.
BASE: Cut 1 piece 6"-8" in
length.
Your base can be fairly
short as its primary
function is to lift the hinge
point up from the seat and
secure the mechanism to the
chair.
LEVER: Cut 1 piece 16"-20" in
length.
Depending on the
overall size of the
body you want to place in the
chair, cut this piece of 2x4 as
long as the distance from
below your prop body's belly
button to its sternum. This
piece will act as the prop's
rigid "spine."
Cut one piece of wood
approximately 6"-8" long to attach
to the back of the chair.
This piece will be the attachment
point for your motor's linkage on
the chair and can be made of
wood, slotted angle steel or
simply a small fabricated
bracket.
© Make Projects
www.makeprojects.com
Page 4 of 14
Animatronic Rocking Chair Prop
Step 4 — BUILD THE MECHANISM
Lay out your base and lever pieces end to end and attach a door hinge between the two
pieces. Position the hinge so the 2 pieces can close onto each other.
Mount your wiper motor a little more than halfway down from the top of the spine.
There are a variety of methods to attach the wiper motor to the lever. I use
galvanized plumber's strapping connected to the motor's mounting bolts. You can
also modify a 4x4 post cap bracket to mount your motor.
If you got your motor from a salvage yard you might have been lucky enough to grab the
metal linkage which mounts to the motor's armature as well. This linkage normally snaps
on with a ball on the motor side.
Cut this linkage at the end opposite the motor leaving as much usable length as
possible for adjustment.
If your motor did not come with linkage you will need to make your own. Linkage should be
rigid and can be made from straight or angled metal. Drill a hole in one end which will fit
over the ball or bolt on the motor armature.
© Make Projects
www.makeprojects.com
Page 5 of 14

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