Stonehenge Machine

In my opinion the most interesting aspect of coral castle is the alleged large stone revolving door that could be open and closed with one finger. They say it fell off its bearing but who can say.

a reply to: sine.nomine

a reply to: Athetos

Balance is an amazing thing. You'd be surprised.

There are multiple religions based around balance. Physical, mental, and spiritual.

Oh absolutely I just mean it’s no longer intact sadly. Balance is an amazing thing you should see my reef tank.

a reply to: sine.nomine

originally posted by: dragonridr

originally posted by: redchad
a reply to: Terpene
I've been to coral Castle, none of the stones are that big that they can't be manhandled with a block and tackle and building skills. His tools are on display in a small hut he used but the block and tackle are not there but if you research the photos in the visitors centre one can be seen in the background

His friend wrote a book about how he did it. It included pictures and diagrams explaining how
"Mr. Can't Is Dead! The Story of the Coral Castle" by Orval Irwin he actually worked for him and helped him move the castle from its original location. Leedskalnin himself said that that he did it using hard work and the principles of leverage.

I've got that book!

originally posted by: Athetos
In my opinion the most interesting aspect of coral castle is the alleged large stone revolving door that could be open and closed with one finger. They say it fell off its bearing but who can say.

a reply to: sine.nomine

Actually a fairly old idea that Ed copied. I think the mechanism goes back to Hero of Alexandria. I know that one of the German castles had a grotto with a door like that (either Neuschwanstein or Linderhof)

Very cool. Ty for that insight.

a reply to: Byrd

originally posted by: Byrd
That's really not convincing.

Mythical giants, finely machined wood from a commercial saw mill that's free of knots and flaws, from specially bred trees in a commercial forest hundreds of miles away, micro-tolerance drills for making holes, and a level grass lawn.

No.

Let me give some details of what hit me as being implausible: the distance from where they mined the sarsen stones and the henge itself is not level ground (by any means). It crosses two rivers (including a fairly large one), brush, a few streams, valleys, hills, and a ridge or two.

Instead of sleds, you would probably have spiked piton type "feet" that solidly grip the ground.

Oh, and the ground is uneven.

The wood itself is not local (they didn't run out and cut down those trees themselves) and is well planed and sanded. If you've ever watched Barnwood Builders, you'll have a good idea of what hand cut timber looks like. It's not a sawmill product. A hand hewn board that thin isn't going to be as strong.

I wouldn't underestimate the wood working skills of people in the stone age. That part troubles me the least, although it shows how impressive it is whenever we find remnants of good wood working from ancient times.

And then there's the modern ball bearings. The objects they showed would chew up the wood if they placed them in those holes.

Finally, it's stable and usable (sort of) only on level ground. If they put that thing on a slope (and there's a LOT of slopes between the quarry and Stonehenge), it'd fall over and kill someone.

ANYone can come up with an idea, if you ignore a lot of things and use modern materials.

Non-starter.

The way he designed it probably wouldn't exactly work, but the basic idea of his design: that you're shifting weight from one "foot" to the other, could be achieved using other methods.

Also, you don't have to shift the whole weight. Just enough to tip it. Even if you had to add an additional balance weight, on top of the stone itself, to get it to work, the extra weight would be worth it.


So, if you take it at face value, it's a non starter. But if you take the idea and tinker with it a bit, you can get a good plan out of it.

a reply to: Lazarus Short

very interesting

originally posted by: Byrd

Actually a fairly old idea that Ed copied. I think the mechanism goes back to Hero of Alexandria. I know that one of the German castles had a grotto with a door like that (either Neuschwanstein or Linderhof)

The Venus Grotto at Linderhof?

a reply to: Athetos
Thought i'd drop this here

originally posted by: Hooke

originally posted by: Byrd

Actually a fairly old idea that Ed copied. I think the mechanism goes back to Hero of Alexandria. I know that one of the German castles had a grotto with a door like that (either Neuschwanstein or Linderhof)

The Venus Grotto at Linderhof?

Exactly! I've been there and loved it.