I am starting to build my Zig Zag this weekend. Wish me luck, I am pretty excited about it. I have been wanting to build this for some time. It is more nostalgic for me than anything. The magic shop I went to when I was a kid had one in the window and the guy would never let me mess with it. I will post pictures as I go.

Have fun with the build. I think that it's about time for this modern classic to make a comeback.

Cheers!

Having built 2, my words of advice are: In every element of joinery, support, moving pieces, think about it long term - breaking it down and reassembling multple times.

I have built 4 Zig Zags. Who's plans are you using?? You can buy my Zig Zag plans here (they are the best).
http://illusionman.8k.com/photo_3.html

Wayne… Good luck with your project, I hope that it turns out well. I really got a kick out of your comment “The magic shop I went to when I was a kid had one in the window and the guy would never let me mess with it.” For some reason that gave me a good laugh.

Bruce

The closest I got to this was buying the zig zag queen card trick.. ...

Keep us posted, would love seeing the progress in pictures!

Mark

Thanks for the support guys! I finished the bottom portion today. I have a helper coming over tomorrow. Hopefully, I will have a rough version by tomorrow. Will post pictures tomorrow.

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Any Pictures yet??

Best James

I have some pics but without the paint the gaff really shows. I just didn't want to post that. They will be up soon. Surprisingly, it is not that hard to build.

OK, here are my first pictures. I am pretty happy with it so far. I have lots of sanding and painting ahead but it is off to the right start. If you are wondering what the for sale sign is, I used it for the sliding front. I used it because it is a piece of thin aluminum that I could cut easily.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47083932@N05/4321123302/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47083932@N05/4321123454/

Well...I'm impressed! What do you figure that sucker's gonna' weigh out at? What kind of stock are you using? No tickle box/door?

Cheers!

It is pretty light, it weighs about 80 lbs. I can pick it up and move it by myself. It was a lot lighter than the subtrunk I built. I used 1/4 in plywood to make it light, but in hind sight I probably should have used 3/8 in. That is mainly because of the time it will take cutting the backs off screws off from the inside. I have been thinking about not adding a tickle door because most performances I have seen, it is not really used. I don't think it adds that much to the illusion. What do you guys think? It would be very easy to add.

If you're not going to bring someone up to witness the illusion close up than the "tickle" probably isn't necessary. If there will be a witness than the "tickle" is almost essential to sell the illusion. Was what Harbin intended it to be.

Cheers!

Just wondering out loud here... But does it really need to be so big inside? It looks like it could hold two people. From the 2 pix it looks like the distance from front to back could be reduced by at least 3 or 4 inches.

I think that is the prospective of the picture. It looks a lot larger in the pictures than it really is. Flickr seemed to squeeze the pics a bit. It is only 23.5 inches wide and 15 inches deep on the outside.

Thanks for that. For a minute there I thought I needed stronger eyeglasses.

What technique did you use for augmenting the corners, or where the sides meet the base? I.E., what have you done to minimize the effects of use and vibration over time?

Hi Chance, thanks for taking an interest. I used half inch plywood strips to reinforce the corners and to keep it square. I made it where it will break down but not flat. It comes apart in about 5 different pieces for transport. I started by making a version that would break down flat but I just had too many issues keeping it square and that messed with the movement. So, I replaced the side pieces with regular plywood.

I used corner triangle supports on the bottom to carriage bolt it to the base. They are small enough to stay out of the way but hold it very well.

As far as vibration, I supported the top box 1/8th inch above the middle to make it easier to slide and a have the wooden rail on the bottom resting on a 1/8 inch aluminum strip so it is not wood on wood. It slides pretty smoothly.

Could you post some more pix for us? I'd like to see these details first hand. I'd also like to see it broken down if possible. I understand if you don't have that kind of pic right at your fingertip.

Sure, I will be breaking down for painting so I will take some then.