How to Make a Wooden Weather Vane
Take a drive in the country and you are sure to encounter farmhouses with rooster weather vanes perched atop their roofs or cupolas. Weather vanes were a folk art tradition that turned centuries of farm folk into avid weather watchers. Nowadays, weather vanes are mostly used as nostalgic decorations---the exception being those created for the purpose of amateur weather forecasting. Hobbyists and weather enthusiasts can craft simple, functional, arrow-shaped weather vanes out of wood scraps and aluminum pans.
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Things You'll Need
- 1-inch diameter wooden dowel
- 2 aluminum pie pans or one larger aluminum baking pan
- Tin snips or sturdy scissors
- Foot-long piece of square wood such as a deck rail
- Nail, 1-inch long
- Metal washer that fits over nail
- Duct tape
- Small keyhole wood saw
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Silicone glue
- Leather gloves
- Hand drill
- Drill bit, slightly larger than nail
Instructions
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1
Cut two 1/2 inch deep parallel notches in the ends of the wood rail with a keyhole saw.
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2
Measure the rail. Place it on a flat surface with the notches vertical. Measure to the halfway point of the rail and mark it with the pencil.
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3
Drill a hole at the pencil mark in the center of the rail. Be careful not to split the wood.
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4
Cut an arrowhead and tail from the aluminum pans. Carefully cover the sharp edges all around with duct tape. (Wear work gloves.)
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5
Insert the arrowhead into one of the notches in the wooden rail. Glue it in place with silicon glue. Insert the tail into the other notch and glue it into place. Allow the pieces to dry thoroughly.
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6
Slip the nail through the drilled hole in the wooden rail and the washer. Hammer the nail into the top of the long wooden dowel. The arrow should rotate freely on the dowel.
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7
Mark an "N" for North on the side of the dowel near the top with a permanent marker before attaching the weather vane arrow. Use a compass when positioning the weather vane for mounting so that the "N" points north. You will be able to tell the wind's direction more easily.
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8
Mount the weather vane outside where it will be exposed to the wind. The arrow will naturally point in the direction from which the wind blows.
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