DIY Pantograph

Cut two yardsticks in half if you don't have wooden rods readily available.

A pantograph is a device used to draw or write a simultaneous copy of whatever you are drawing with a pencil or pen. The overall design is a set of rods attached in a parallelogram shape with pivots at the intersections. The rods extend past the edges of the parallelogram. One corner of the pantograph is fixed, while pencils fixed at two other points are forced to move in the same shapes. A pantograph can be designed either to draw an identical copy or to make a copy that is larger or smaller by a set proportion.

Things You'll Need

• 4 wooden rods
• Small screws
• Wood scraps
• Saw
• Drill
• 2 pencils
• Nail
• Large flat board or desk

Instructions

1. Drill holes at the halfway points of each of the four rods and 1/2 inch from each end of each rod, for a total of three holes in each rod.

2. Align the center holes of one pair of rods to form an X shape. Screw the rods together through the center hole, tightening the screw into a scrap of wood under the hole until the pivot is secure but can still move freely. Create a second X in the same manner with the other pair of rods.

3. Place the Xs beside one another and rotate them as necessary so that the top rod of the X on the left runs bottom left to upper right and the top rod of the other runs upper left to bottom right. Attach the Xs with a screw through the upper, right corner of the left X and the upper, left corner of the right X.

4. Slide a pencil through the lower, right corner of the left X and then the lower, left corner of the right X. Slide a second pencil through the hole in the lower right corner of the right X. Secure the pantograph to a large board or desktop by driving a nail through the lower left hole of the left X.

5. Make sure all the pivots are secure but slide freely. Adjust the tightness of the screws or the sizes of the holes as needed. Place pieces of paper under the two pencils and move one. The other should follow its motions.

References

• Chest of Books: A Home-Made Pantograph