Hardware · build

LEGO Technic drawing machine with a worm gear

A LEGO Technic spirograph machine driven by one motor, a worm gear and a crank, with no code. A turntable spins the paper while a swinging pen arm draws a dense flower pattern.

Build sheet

Base: LEGO Technic
Drive: Single motor, worm gear
Motion: Turntable plus crank arm
Code: None

Can I build this?Intermediate · AI 2/5

Difficulty: Intermediate
AI-buildability: 2/5

Parts

LEGO Technic parts worm gear motor

Estimates based on the original write-up. Building with an AI assistant? Connect it to Afterware (free MCP server).

Story

The machine uses a single motor to drive two mechanisms: a turntable that spins the paper and a crank that swings the pen arm. The two rotation speeds are slightly out of step, so each stroke lands a few degrees further around the paper. Over about three minutes the drift builds a dense spirograph flower.

The build is made entirely from LEGO Technic parts and runs without any electronics or code. The source describes it as a single motor, a worm gear, a crank and nothing else.

The maker shared a 4K video of the full build with recorded brick sounds, followed by footage of the machine drawing.

Resources · 1

Build video