I’m revisiting my laser-cut poseable model with a view to releasing the parts for download. In the original design, shown below, I used 6mm dowel tipped with 12mm wood balls for the various joints. It worked well but the difficulty of drilling accurate holes on the spheres made me hesitate to release the model.  The wooden balls are readily available on sites such as eBay but not pre-drilled for 6mm dowel. 

Since I worked on this design I have come across wooden beads with a 3mm hole, a perfect fit for readily available bamboo skewers.

Rather than making the parts from four layers of 3mm laser cut ply wood I’ve gone for three layers, the centre layer having a cut out that perfectly fits a section of bamboo skewer.

This first draft is a test of concept. There are a couple of issues that need sorting out, including placement of the screw holes. But apart from that it is working nicely. I’m going to experiment more on the best way to glue the bead to the skewer as one of the beads has come loose. More prototypes to follow…