Baron Wind Whirligigs Hound

One of my students motivated me to make my first Wind whirligig. They had to do one for my class and I was amazed at their results.

For this I chose one of my favorite characters. And I used the materials and tools I had around the house. So I used MDF instead of proper wood, but as a decorative element it works very well.

Materials:

-MDF or wood

- scrap wood.

-Paint and brushes

- Tracing paper

- Drill

- Pins, wire and a the spring of a pen.

- Hammer and nails.

- A jigsaw or a saw.

- A wire clothes hanger

- Glue

- A pole

- Pliers

Step 1: Tracing and Cutting the Template

i used tracing paper (the blue one) to trace the template of the Baron.

here i use different sizes of the print to make the Baron bigger than the house.

I hand draw the scarf for a natural movement.

i used a jigsaw to cut the baron from the mdf plank or board, and painted it white.

Step 2: The Platform

I draw the platform directly to the MDF using the width of a ruler. Made the shape for the axle to be at one of the ends and cut it with the jigsaw
After that, i drilled a hole horizontally

Step 3: The Propeller

For the propeller i draw a circle on a piece of wood, and cut it with a saw.
I placed it on the vice and round it with a file, drill a hole in the center. And divided by 6 parts, and draw the width of the "blades" in it.

I draw the blades of the propeller on the MDF and cut it. (six of them) Later i glued the blades of the propeller to the circle, and let it dry for a couple of hours.

For the axle, i used a wire clothes hanger and cut it with the metal saw. Then put the wire in the circle and made a curve on the end of it. Drill a hole and insert the curve in it. i Put a little glue to keep it together and paint the whole thing.

Step 4: Painting the Baron

First i glued the baron in to the platform and put some nails too.

For painting the Baron i used outdoors paint. White for the body, red for the house and the scarf, and green for the grass. I used a wood pole for the pole. :) Cut the width of the platform and painted green too.

I mixed the blue of the goggles with the green of the grass for mixing a military look mask/hat.

I finished the drawing by painting the black lines.

Step 5: Becoming a Drive Shaft

I passed the axle through the hole in the platform and put it in a vise for bending in first once, then another time, to become a drive shaft.

Then i glued a yellow wood bead.

Step 6: The First Little Pieces

I used little pieces of wire between the moving parts. I used a jewelry tool for this. First i make a loop in one end, pass it between the holes and make another loop at the end

Step 7: The Next Little Pieces

You need the spring of a pencil, and some pins.
First i cut the pins in half leaving the pointy end, and made a loop at the other end. it look like a letter P.

I passed the pins through the springs, one on each side. Pin one end at the back of the head of the Baron, and the other to hold the scarf in an horizontal place.

Step 8: Making It Move.

Finally i fixed the spring with glue, and used the same P shape pins to hold a thin wire between the scarf and the drive shaft. So, whenever the propeller moves, will moves the drive shaft in circles, making the round up and down movement. And the scarf will move too.

:)

Step 9: The Video

and this is how it turned out.

It wasn't a windy day, but I loved the blue sky.

Thank you

Comments

[lavettemkc1961]

Great Whirligig ! I make whirligigs myself and have made quite a few over the years.
If I may offer a suggestion on your propeller blade? You don't need so many blades, 3 or 4 would work fine. Cut your hub at a 30 to 45 degree angle before you glue your blades in.
I posted a video to YouTube showing how I do it. Pretty easy once you know the trick. Best of luck and thanks for posting Snoopy's doghouse Whirligig build, very enjoyable. if you would like to see my hub making video here's the link https://youtu.be/mxKqC92vRdA

[wannabemadsci]

Thank you for sharing your whirligig Instructable. I love to see Snoopy chasing the Red Baron through the skies and having an animated scarf on this whirligig was excellent! Very nicely done. I also love the bright saturated colors you used.
I think I might know why your whirligig was not turning in the wind. From what I've seen, the 'windmill' portion needs to have the blades angled, otherwise it will not turn in a breeze. I note that all the illustrations I saw in the preview to The Whirligig Maker's book had the blades angled so that might be the issue.
Great job and good luck on your next project.

[Stevens Workshop]

Nice project, thank you.
I've been meaning to make a whirligig for a while, I might now give it a go

[GFire]

I love it.... but just be aware the MDF wood you used won't last a year outdoors. No matter how much you painted or sealed it. I learned this the hardway as well. Once the weather gets a hold of it will likely crumble. But maybe your not in a rain heavy area. Love it though. I'm downloading to add to my list of projects to do. Thanks for sharing.

[Mack_937]

Im planning to make also but worry about MDF outdoors. Im thinking using 3/8"-1/2" plexiglass? Lil harder to work with but should last many years?

[PiaW5]

Wow! Beautiful whirlygig!!

[Treasure Tabby]

Maybe I could make one of these out of plastics or hard foams? Then paint it.

[Herrwood]

Never built a whirlawig but this one just may motivate me.

[DavidM190]

This is awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[wheelybad]

That's so awesome, Snoopy was a huge part of my childhood - you made my day with this post 😄

[rdy4trvl]

Love the New Balance drill press in Step 2. And the project.

[shallnot]

Skight technicality: Snoopy is “the World War I ace” whose sworn enemy is “The Red Baron”. He is not “The Baron”.

[Roberto Baguera]

Gracias por compartir. Pero por qué no incluyes las medidas?
Es un bonito proyecto.

[NirL]

awesome! thanks for sharing!

[Alex in NZ]

This is hilarious. I love the "action" windmills and this one is great. Well done and thank you for sharing your work :-)