How to Construct a Weathervane

An excellent way to add some simple beauty and movement to your garden display is to construct a weather vane. Not only are weather vanes attractive, but they are also useful, particularly for bird watchers in some parts of the country where a shift in the winds signals a shift in the seasons and a change in the species visiting the area. All it takes is an afternoon to construct an attractive and useful weather vane for your garden.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Aluminum baking pan
• Marker
• Heavy-duty scissors
• 12-inch dowel or piece of wood
• Saw or serrated knife
• Ruler or length of string
• 2- to 3-inch nail
• Glue
• Metal washer
• Masking tape (optional)
• Long wooden dowel or old broomstick
• Spray paint (optional)

1. Draw a large trapezoidal shape onto half the surface of the aluminum baking pan with the marker. This will become the tail of your weather vane.

2. Trace a true triangle onto the second half of the aluminum baking pan. This will become the head of the weather vane.

3. Cut out the trapezoid and triangle shapes carefully with heavy-duty scissors or metal cutters.

4. Slice a slit into both ends of the 12-inch wooden dowel or piece of wood with a saw or serrated knife. This slit should be situated vertically across the end of the dowel and should run about 1/2 inch deep.

5. Locate the exact center of the wooden dowel by either measuring with a ruler and marking the center or by stretching out a length of string or yarn to the exact length of the dowel, and then folding it in half to find the center of the string and laying it back down to mark the center of the dowel.

6. Hammer a nail into the exact center of the dowel. The nail should come completely through the dowel until the head rests on the upper surface.

7. Spin the dowel around the nail until it moves freely.

8. Spread glue inside the slits on both ends of the dowel.

9. Slide the wide, flat end of the aluminum trapezoid shape into the groove on one side of the dowel.

10. Insert the triangle into the slit on the other end of the wooden dowel.

11. Allow the glue to dry completely.

12. Drive the same nail you hammered into the dowel into the end of the broomstick or longer dowel. Hammer the nail down enough to hold well, but to still allow the smaller dowel free movement around the nail.

13. Spray-paint the entire weather vane a color of your choice. You can also leave it unpainted, which will cause it to weather and rust, taking on an antique look.

14. Install the weather vane high up in your garden for the best and most accurate results.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid the temptation to hang pretty elements that dangle to the working parts of your weather vane since this could interfere with its proper functioning. Cut aluminum can become quite sharp and dangerous, so always use gloves and safety glasses while cutting.