How to Make a Scale

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Tutorials

Introduction

Scales are any easy thing to make. The only requirements are to have some knowledge of the hinge surface type, if you don’t, there’s a tutorial in basic Building that explains all the different surface types, might I also add that this is best done in Edit mode. If you're here simply for a scale and not to build one on your own, simply take a copy of mine.

The Scale

This scale really will react to variances in mass of bricks, depending on how you make your support and your axis it can react very little or very violently.

The Support

Start by inserting a brick, any brick. resize this brick from 2 x 1.2 x 4 to 1 x 30 x 1. It should now be a tall column. Now we have our support, anchor it. This will hold up the scale in the air.

The Joint

Something is needed something for this thing to move upon, something that will allow it to bob up and down. This is where you need to know how use the hinge surface. Duplicate the support, now take the duplicate and make it 3 bricks tall, now duplicate it again, and one more time. Now take the 3rd brick and resize it to 1 x 1.2 x 3. Take the new 1 x 1.2 x 3 brick and make its top surface weld. Remember those two bricks we made that are 3 bricks tall? Set those on the weld surface of the 1 x 1.2 x 3 so that there is room for a another brick in between them.

The Hinges

On the newest section, hinges are needed, on the bricks that are 3 bricks tall they should each have a face that faces the other one. Apply hinge to those two sides that face each other, this will allow the top bar to move and react. Group these 3 things, and anchor them.

Top Bar

All that is needed is to make a brick that has a length of one, and a width of 31. This Part is very critical if this gets even one snap out of position, the whole scale malfunctions, so make sure you have it in balance. Use bricks to see if you have 15 on each side, why 15? Remember how I said the top bar was 31 snaps long? The centermost snap is to be aligned with the hinges later, leaving the 15 on either side of it. Do not anchor this piece.

Scale Pans

These are crucial, even if the top bar is perfectly aligned of these two scale pans aren't exactly the same, it goes out of balance. So let's start with the base of the scale pan, get out another brick, color still doesn't matter, though it looks nice if you keep it consistent with all the other colors. Make this brick a square about 8x8 snaps, and then make its surface weld. Make a barrier on this base so that you see only 7x7 out of the 8x8, might I suggest making a barrier that can stop what ever it is your using as a weight from sliding or rolling off. Make a brick that has a base area of 1x1 and a height measurement of 10, center this on the base of your visible scale pan base area. Simply, center it on the scale pan. Group this together and then duplicate it, this ensures they are -exactly- the same. Do not anchor these.

The Construction

This is where all the parts come together. Take the joint, and center it on top of the support pole. It doesn’t matter which way it faces, as long as it is centered. Center and align the top bar with the hinges in the joint, this ensures it will stay in balance. Take one scale pan and put so that it is hanging from the very end of the top bar, do this for both sides, make sure both of them are an equal distance from the joint or it will rise on end and sag on the other. Once you have done this, make some weights -- however you want, and you're done!