How to Make a Weather Vain

Weather vanes are mostly used for decor but some can still show wind direction.

Weather vanes have been used since late B.C. periods when ancient Greeks wanted to determine the direction of the wind because the wind was considered to be used by the gods. Weather vanes are placed on the highest point of a building and used to tell wind direction. They are now mostly used for home decor, but some are still functional and can accurately display wind direction when made correctly.

Things You'll Need

• 12-inch dowel, 1 inch in diameter
• 12-inch piece of balsa wood, 1-square-inch thick
• Nail
• Hammer
• Pie tin
• Washer
• Handsaw
• Wood glue
• Metal scissors (scissors used to cut metal)
• Metal wire

Instructions

1. Cut a vertical slit on either end of your balsa wood with your handsaw. The slit should be 1 inch tall (the width of the wood) and penetrate 1 inch into the end of the wood.

2. Cut an equilateral triangle with 3-inch sides out of your pie tin. Use your metal scissors to cut the pie tin easily.

3. Cut a quadrilateral with a 3-inch top, 5-inch bottom, and 3-inch sides out of your pie tin.

4. Fill both slits on your balsa wood with glue. Place your metal triangle in one slit (this will be the arrow of your weather vane) with the tip of the triangle pointing away from the wood. Place the 3-inch side of your metal quadrilateral into the other slit (this will be the tail of your weather vane).

5. Hammer a nail through the center of your balsa wood 6 inches from either side. Place your washer on one of the edges of your wooden dowel, and hammer the nail (with balsa wood attached) into the dowel with the washer in between the two.

6. Spin your weather vane around several times so that the arrow loosens around the nail and will spin freely in the wind.

7. Attach your weather vane to a roof or chimney with your metal wire.

References

• The Franklin Institute: Make Your Own Weather Vane
• Denninger: A Brief History of Weather VAnes