Posted by John Collins (194.164.38.141) on March 28, 2003 at 00:03:09:
In Reply to: STILL PUZZELED!??? posted by david on March 27, 2003 at 11:23:25:
: On my other web site, in my explanation as to why I changed the title of my forthcoming book, I stated that "The drawings which he (Bessler)left behind and which held clues to the construction of his wheel, have yielded a solution at last, and these along with my explanation are included in my new book."
It is probably obvious to most people that I have continued to work towards a solution to Bessler's wheel and I believe that I have got 90 per cent of the solution. I have done this by working on various drawings and taking into account the textual clues in various places within his collection of works. I've been building models for thirty years but in the last six months my model-making has taken over my leisure time (to the utter chagrin of my family). I have constructed numerous pieces of mechanism and have had repeated failures, but each time I fail I discover something new - some additional facet to the puzzle that I had not been aware of before.
In the new book I describe the clues and what they mean and why. Maybe someone can use my work done so far and get to build a working model at last. I have not yet succeeded in duplicating his wheel but I'm certain that I have the mechanism. That mechanism has literally hundreds of variables and it is that fact which makes it so difficult to predict which is the right arrangement and also where on the wheel to place it and which angle works. The solution to Bessler's wheel is clearly identified, but how to make it work - that is where it becomes complicated.
When I placed that statement on my other web site I was very confident that in a matter of weeks the solution would be mine. I, of all people should know better! Let my own optimism be a warning to all those out there who think that when they think they have the solution on paper, they are there - in fact they have nothing! Not until they have a working model do they have any certainty. You must make a proper three-dimensional model of every idea that comes to you, because the reality is that you cannot always anticipate the way something moves - and I include CAD in paper ideas. CAD is only as good as the information fed into it.
John Collins
... John Collins states on his new web page that he has a new diagram that shows without a shadow of a doubt how the wheel worked. Honestly John, not to put you on the spot (well actually I am) is this true, or is it savy book marketing? I ask you respectively. If true, can you share anything?
: Dav