3a. Cut the arms. Refer to the connecting arms pattern at makezine.com/21/candleholder. All measurements are based on the centers of the holes, so add some extra length for the ends, and grind or file the
corners round.
3b. Drill the holes. Some need to be ¼" while others are U". The connecting arms attach to the gears
with ¼"-diameter shoulder bolts and the parallel arms pivot on ¼" threaded standoffs. The arm parts
attach to each other and to the candle brackets using U" binding posts.
3c. Cut the spacers. Ten spacers of varying lengths hold the arms and gears at the correct distances
between the front and back panels. Referring to the spacer plan online, cut the 2" unthreaded aluminum
spacers down to the lengths needed with a hacksaw. Cut them a bit long and then file them down to a hair
short, to allow for free movement.
4. MAKE THE CANDLE BRACKETS
4a. Cut two 2"-diameter discs out of the thinner ( 1" or 6") aluminum plate. Drill four T" holes in each,
following the bracket pattern online.
4b. Cut four 2" lengths of the ½"× 1" aluminum bar, round the
bottom corners, and cut and drill per the pattern. Each short
length of bar needs 2 posts cut out of the top to fit into the holes
in the disks. Use a file to round the corners of each post, and
insert the bars into the disks.
4c. To fully test-assemble the brackets, I cut and drilled an extra
bar to sit in between the others, then secured them together with
the 2" binding posts. The posts should be snug and stick out
about 5".
4d. To stake down the posts, clamp the bracket in a vise, then
position your center punch in the middle of each post and use a
small hammer to drive it in gently, spreading out the aluminum
slightly, like a rivet.
TIP: The aluminum will crack if pushed too far, so be gentle.
4e. Use 2" binding posts to join the brackets to the parallel arms, then finish the holders by using epoxy
to attach glass drip rings on top of the disks.
93 Make:
