Outdoor Drawing Device:

As part of the Co-Designing Forests research project at The University of Sheffield, we have developed these outdoor drawing devices that we are using as research probes to help us engage humans with their environments and with more-than-human perspectives.

Intended to be a more playful approach to research and participatory engagement, we ask people to draw, write, and respond to prompts, which we print on paper scrolls that are 'loaded' onto the devices.

As much as they have been an invaluable tool for our work, we have also found that they are very fun and satisfying to use, and can just as easily be set up with plain paper for a unique way to sketch or take notes outdoors.

We wanted to open-source the details on exactly how we make these devices, in the hopes that others might find the same fun in using them that we do!

Tools:

1. Bandsaw
2. Mitre Saw
3. Pillar Drill/Hand Drill
4. 2mm Bit
5. 10mm Bit
6. 17mm Bit
7. Countersink
8. Disc/Belt Sander
9. 3D Printer or Laser Cutter
10. Scalpel/Scissors
11. Pencil/Marking Tool
12. Small Set Square
13. Straight Edge
14. Adjustable Clamps
15. Lighter

Materials:

1. 12mm Plywood (See cutting sheet)
2. 16mm Dowel (See cutting sheet)
3. 1200mm - 1400mm of 6mm Climbing Rope
4. 3D Printer Filament of choice, or 3mm & 5mm Acrylic
5. 4x M3.5 x 9.5mm Star Screw
6. 4x 3mm x 25mm Wood Screws
7. 240 Grit Sandpaper (or other fine grit for finishing)
8. Acrylic Adhesive (if laser cutting handles)
9. 2-Part Epoxy (if laser cutting handles)
10. Osmo (or other finishing product for plywood)

Parts List:

1. 1x End piece with rope holes
2. 1x End piece without rope holes
3. 2x Handles without ratchet gear (3D print or Laser cut)
4. 2x Handles with ratchet gear (3D print or Laser cut)
5. 2x Pawls (3D print or Laser cut)
6. 1x Main board
7. 2 x dowels (length adjusted depending on 3D printed or laser cut handle)
8. 1 x ~1400mm of 6mm climbing rope
9. 4 x 9.5M, 3.5mm Torex screws
10. 4x 3mm x 25mm Wood Screws

You'll need access to either a 3D printer or a laser cutter for this part of the project.

After making both kinds of handles, I would recommend 3D printing over laser cutting, which is also the more accessible option, given the many online 3D printing services now.

The 3D prints here were done on an Ultimaker 3 in white PLA with the following settings:

1. 10% infill density
2. Build plate adhesion - Brim
3. 'Fast' profile

For the 3D-printed components, you will need 2 of each file to make one device.

If laser cutting, you will need to cut one of each file provided from the material of the respective thickness (3mm and 5mm).

1. You could probably get away with doing all the laser cutting from the same thickness of material, but using 3mm-thick material for the pawls gives them some clearance from the handles, which makes things move a bit smoother.

As we're making the laser-cut handles from multiple layers of material, they need to be glued together.

I used an industrial-grade acrylic bonder for this stage (another reason I prefer the 3D-printed handles!).

Also, I countersunk the pawls, being careful not to crack the plastic.

1. This lets the screws sit flush and not interfere with the handles' turning.

Using the provided marking templates, measure and cut the 3 stock pieces from 12mm plywood:

1x 190mm x 190mm

2x 270mm x 40mm

I used a bandsaw here, but a table saw, or any other tool you have that cuts straight lines through boards, would work fine too.

Tape together the two end pieces and use the marking guide provided to mark up one side.

Drill holes in the marked locations using the 17mm and 2mm drill bits.

All of these can be countersunk to help prevent splintering, but at the very least, I would recommend countersinking the pilot holes so the screws sit flush.

1. You could countersink at this stage by flipping the taped pieces over, or wait till you're done sanding and have separated both pieces.

IMPORTANT: You'll have to wait till you're done sanding and these pieces are separated to drill the 10mm holes, as they are only needed on one piece. Alternatively, if you are making 2+ like I am here, you can drill these holes now through half of the pieces you're using.

Use a band saw (or another saw available to you) to remove most of the material from the rounded edges.

1. This will make the sanding faster and easier

Round the corners to the marked lines on both sides, getting them as smooth and round as possible.

Drill the 10mm holes after this if you are only making one.

Make a mark along the opposite edges of the main board about 4mm from the bottom, running the length of the edge.

1. This is to ensure that the chamfer we sand is the same on both sides.

Angle your sander at 45°

I had to move the boards back and forth as they were slightly too long for the sander I have.

Be as careful as you can to keep this piece straight onto the sander (use a guide if you have one), and check regularly to make sure both sides are roughly the same.

Cut two 16mm diameter dowels to 237mm if you are using the 3D-printed handles, or 231mm if you are using the laser-cut handles.

Make a quick jig from the plans provided using whatever scrap or wood you have on hand.

1. I used strong double-sided tape to fix everything down, but any other method of fixing would work fine.

Set up the three pieces in the jig, ensuring that your countersunk holes face outwards.

Use two pieces of the 16mm dowel; these could already be cut to length from Step 12, or they can be left uncut as longer lengths, to ensure the dowel holes are properly aligned and spin freely.

Use some clamps to hold things in place, being sure not to cover the smaller pilot holes.

With the pieces all clamped, use the same 2mm drill bit to drill a pilot hole through the end pieces and into the main piece.

Using the 3mm x 25mm wood screws, fix the pieces together.

You should now have the main plywood assembly finished.

You want to take the two handles with gears and fix each to a separate dowel.

1. DO NOT fully attach all four handles yet

The 3D prints should have the right tolerances so they don't need adhesive, but the laser-cut handles likely will.

In any case, use some two-part epoxy to fix the handles to the dowels.

Put the dowels, each now with one handle, through the holes in the main body, as shown in the last image.

1. IMPORTANT: Make sure the handles with gears are on the end piece without rope holes. Whilst not essential, it's easier to use those handles because of the spacing the gears cause, to their better opposite, where it hangs.

Before moving on to the next step, we can test the length of the dowel by dry-fitting the other handles to the other end and seeing how much tolerance there is.

1. You want enough that the handles can both be fixed and move smoothly, but not so much that the ratchet mechanism disengages.

Turn the main body to face up (you might want to rest it on top of a small block of something so that the dowels don't get pushed up - you want them to sit flush)

Clip the pawls to the gears. I like to hold them down with my fingers, spin the handles to see how it feels, and push them in or out slightly to adjust the stiffness to your liking.

Then either mark the location of the two holes where you want them, or use a small clamp over the pawl to hold it in place.

lift the dowel-handle out of the hole and screw down the pawls using the M3.5 x 9.5mm star screws.

Here, I would suggest using only one screw first, checking that the handles still turn right, then tightening the first screw fully, and finally putting in the second screw.

Once you have the ratchet mechanism working, you just need to fix the last two handles in place on the ends of the dowel.

Now measure out and cut some climbing rope for a neck strap. I prefer a sharp scalpel on a cutting mat, but some decent scissors would do just fine, too!

I like to use anywhere between 1200mm and 1400mm, but use whatever works best for you!

Then you want to burn the ends with a lighter to stop them from fraying. I also like to press the ends down slightly with the other end of the scalpel; this just makes sure that the rope fits through the holes easily.

The last thing to do is thread the rope through the 2 holes and tie knots to keep them in place.

I use figure 8s because they're a bit larger than overhands and look nicer too.

We use either pre-printed rolls of paper with prompts, questions, and doodles, or we load the scrolls with plain or tracing paper.

In any case, we tend to have to cut the paper to size and length, which is easy with a large guillotine, a scalpel and ruler, or just a steady hand and some good scissors.

Once you have your roll of paper, start by putting some masking tape along the right-hand edge, then attaching this to the right-hand dowel.

Using your hand to keep things alligned and neat, roll the scroll onto the right hand dowel, once at the end, repeat the first step - masking tape along the left edge and attach to the lefthand dowel. Roll it back a bit to protect the taped edge, and you're ready to go!

Now it's time to go out and do some drawing!!