Lifting Wood Without a Cam: Is This Idea Any Good?

[david18]

Hi, I am creating a mechanism that needs to be able to lift a plank of wood up and down arpund a pivot. However, there isn't enough space below the wood to enable me to place a cam. So i thought I might be able to place a cam above the wood - although this would mean the follower would have no gravity to keep in contact with the cam, if I placed a spring under the wood it should spring back up.

I'd like to know if this idea is any good and if its been used before, or if there are any mechanisms that would make much more sense in this case.

 

[berkeman]

Seems like it could work, but you could also make the contact point on the top surface of the cam, and suspend the plank from the cam follower.

 

[FredGarvin]

Do you have to use a follower arrangement? Why not simply attach the follower arm to the outer portion of the cam and forget about the spring?