Gee-haw Whammy Diddle

by YaronShemesh

9.8K2513

Intro: Gee-haw Whammy Diddle

This is my third instructable in my toys category ("Floating Pingpong Toy", "Solar Plane").

"Gee-Haw whammy diddle" is a toy that not only has this great playful name, it also is magical by how it works!

It's simplicity and the physics behind it, made me curious to the point i had to build one,

This is a quick instructable anyone can finish in 30 minutes!!!

STEP 1: Sticks

For this toy we need two sticks:

Main one with notches and a plane one,

I choose a stick with 1.5cm in diameter and 20cm long and for the second i cut a stick of 15cm long.

STEP 2: Notches

The notches should be located at the top of the stick, about 10cm, where you should leave enough space to hold the stick, bottom line: 8cm (handle) , 10cm (notches), 2cm (blank).

With a hand saw, cut notches in 30-45 degrees as shown in the picture.

STEP 3: Propeller

I used a scrap of thin wood 5cm long, marked the middle and drilled a hole.

IMPORTANT: the hole should be twice larger than the nail you are using(in diameter).

STEP 4: Play!

Hold the "handle" firmly to direct the vibration to the propeller and with a second stick rub the notches.

Enjoy!

Challenge:

Try controlling the direction it spins...

P.S

If you are looking for the physical explanation of how it works, you can visit here

9 Comments

Penolopy Bulnick 4 years ago

The gee-haw whammy diddle is such a weird toy with such a weird name. Thanks for sharing how you made it :)

GregnCindyP 4 years ago

My dad showed me how to make these out of rose bush stems when I was a kid. They are a treat for the little ones and always fun to make. It's cool if you have a y shaped branch and can get them to spin in opposite directions...

jmdushi 4 years ago

This is real fun and nostalgic for our father makes them when we were children. We played a lot with it.

YaronShemesh 4 years ago

Actually i was not familiar with this toy before.
The "magic" behind it made me make one.

jameslstephens36301 4 years ago

great job! make one a little longer and taper the end, then you've made a tool that will make earthworms come out. you put the tapered end in the ground and rub the grooves with the plain stick.

pgs070947 4 years ago

Donkey's years old. The other one was a bull roarer or perhaps the folded brown paper and cardboard thunderclap. Better than all the plastic rubbish.