Back in 1998 we fabricated exhibits for Sony Metreon in San Francisco. Our exhibits were in a cuing area for a theater. They were based on David Macaulay’s book The Way Things Work. David sure knows how to make mechanical principles fun. He demonstrates how machines work from levers, pulleys to inclined planes with humor. It is illustrated beautifully with stories. I like his use of Mammoths to help tell the story. You can learn how to capture a mammoth, shave a mammoth, weigh a mammoth and groom a mammoth. Our job was to create machines based on the principles in the book and with a Rube Goldberg flair.

We created a giant gear wall that’s sole function was to pound a steak with a giant hammer. Another giant machine full of pulleys lowered a five-ton weight onto a shirt to press it. We created a machine with inclined planes, pulleys and gears that made boxing gloves bounce up and down. I involved my father in this project and sent him out to help us find machine parts. I grew up on a farm working alongside my father. Unknowingly, I was learning many of these mechanical principles.

Even though this project was 15 years ago it still has impact on me today. Reading The Way Things Work and then applying it to building something certainly made me appreciate what we do. Plus I refined my mechanical knowledge. I thought of it a few weeks ago when I had to use a lever to get a giant tree stump out of a trailer by myself. This last weekend my horse trailer hitch broke. I learned there is a giant screw in there. I had striped the nut and screw inclined planes. We cut the end of the screw off and it worked just fine.

Our mission at Taylor Studios is to create products and experiences that inspire people. I know I am inspired by what we do and we all are behind our mission. Imagine if you could create gear walls in the classroom as a kid to learn mechanical principles. Since that is impossible be sure to go visit lots of museums and get inspired by something you may have been bored by in the classroom.