Swell Shade Action Complete

Part of the beauty of the swell box is that it is located directly above the console.  I am able to use a direct linkage between the swell shoe and the shutters rather than mess with a swell engine.  Initially, I envisioned a series of trackers, pull-downs, and pivoting triangles to transfer the motion of the shoe to the shutters.  Then I was flipping through an industrial supply catalog and noticed a heavy-duty control cable for sale.  A control cable is a stationary sheath with a cable that slides inside it.  It's the same device that connects your lawn mower's throttle lever to the carburetor.  My plan was to attach one end to the swell shoe and run the cable through the floor of the swell box, up along the side wall, turn a sharp right angle (now horizontal) and attach to the swell shades.  I slapped together a quick mock-up to see if this was feasible and two flaws were revealed:  1) the right angle caused a lot of friction between the cable and sheath making the action sluggish and heavy, and  2) the cable rubbing on the sheath made a lot of noise and because it was attached to the wall of the swell box, the vibrations were amplified significantly. 

I decided to reconsider the trackers and pull-downs and came up with a hybrid solution.  The control cable is still attached to the swell shoe and it still runs through the floor of the box and up the side wall.  However, now the cable travels straight up out of the sheath and moves a wooden triangle which pivots and transfers the motion to a horizontal direction pushing the shutters closed.  To open the shutters, everything happens in reverse.  Special thanks to Terry at Stinson's Ace Hardware for helping with the metal components!



At this point, I can't actually attach the cable to the swell shoe because the basement ceilings are too low.  I will have to wait until everything moves upstairs and then hope and pray that it works!