The Flying Scrooge: Ornithopter of Household Items

Step 6 Make Wing Spars

The wing spars need to be longer than any one piece of bamboo. Join two straight bamboo pieces together by cutting as shown and gluing. The stepped cut gives more surface area for the glue to grab, strengthening the joint. Reinforce the joint with tissue. Drill a small hole through the joint.

You can make a drill by squishing the end of a paper clip and cutting it at an angle with dikes. Bend into a stepped shape and hand crank away. I made a motorized drill for this project from a VCR motor I had lying around and a thumbtack. Super glue the tack to the motor, squish the tip with pliers, and cut at an angle. Attach to 9-volt battery. I found the VCR lying beside the road a few years ago and scavenged it for parts before I threw the case away.

Form two wing cranks from paperclips as pictured. The little "jog" in the left wing crank allows good wing movement. Insert cranks into wing spars and superglue in place. Reinforce with a layer of tissue. Take two smaller pieces of bamboo and drill several holes at regular intervals. These will be the adjustable arms.

Insert the left and then right wing spar and slide the adjustable arms onto the wing and main cranks. Test wing movement. You might have to add a piece of Bic ink tube as a spacer to one of the wing cranks for easy movement.

Disassemble wings and adjustable arms.