Easy-to-make wooden wind spinner
This project was inspired by Carmen Salamone who sent over a picture of a neat little wind spinner he made out of cedar. I have seen these before: they seem to be common at craft fairs. I can understand why. They are super easy to make and there is a lot of room for customization. They have a pretty good profit margin.
Woodworking options
For mine, I used stock 3/4″ pine boards and ripped them into 3/4″ strips, which I then cut to various lengths. This was all very simple on my table saw but if you don’t have one, you might be able to find thin strips of wood at your local home center that will do the trick. You can cut them to length using a hand saw or jig saw.
The only other bit of woodworking involves drilling a hole through the center of each piece. I used my drill press to speed up the process and to ensure they were all centered, but you should be able to drill holes with a hand drill. Mark the centers carefully so the finished spinner will be balanced.
Hardware
I used a length of 1/4″ threaded rod and attached an eye bolt to one end using a coupler. I locked these into place with a thread sealant (Loctite) and attached a swivel clip to the top. We haven’t had any strong winds since I built this but I would like for it to spin in slight breezes, so I am going to try a barrel swivel instead and see if that spins better. You can find these at sporting goods stores: fishermen use them to attach lures to lines.
Get Creative
The fun of this project is really in the decorating and painting. I chose to make a rainbow pattern on mine because I like bright colors and wanted this to contrast with all the earth tones outside. This would be a great project to get the kids involved!
*****
June 14, 2013 @ 11:40 am
I’d be careful with that color scheme so close to SF. your neighbors might get the wrong idea. 😉
June 18, 2013 @ 8:31 am
This comment has been removed by the author.
June 18, 2013 @ 2:19 pm
I originally deleted my post because I didn’t want Steve’s page to become a battleground, but funny enough I was looking at old posts and this same guy was making a joke out of Craftsman tools and those who use them. Which made me realize this guy might be a bit of a tool himself. So I am reposting.
Maybe Steve doesn’t care if people get the wrong idea. Or maybe he (gasp) has friends and neighbors he is trying to support. I get it, you are trying to make a joke. It would be funny if it were at least clever, but unfortunately it is neither clever nor funny. Instead it just makes you seem like a boob.
June 19, 2013 @ 5:42 am
Glad to see you finally grew a pair big enough to say what’s on your mind.
June 14, 2013 @ 6:38 pm
Nice music, earthy.
June 14, 2013 @ 11:03 pm
It’s 5.00am here, family asleep, playing the video with my earphones in. That music’s terrific.
October 16, 2014 @ 12:40 pm
so dumb you ##^%&*****?
October 17, 2014 @ 8:41 am
yep…
June 15, 2013 @ 7:03 am
Also useful as a science project to help students understand the DNA molecule.
Sticks could get painted different colors to represent the A, C, G, and T nucleic acids.
Steve? You should build another one that is a replica of your entire genome.
Let’s see. Around 3.2 billion base pairs in the human genome. 3/4″ thick stick for each base pair.
Your own personal model of your own genome would be 37878.78 miles tall.
I think you’re gonna need a higher hook in your shop. Might want to make it a tad stronger too.
June 16, 2013 @ 8:17 am
OK
June 18, 2013 @ 1:37 pm
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September 17, 2014 @ 5:45 pm
you are so creative 🙂
December 9, 2014 @ 8:10 pm
steve, love the wind spinner plan. one change I made and found it works really nicely. instead of using a coupling to attach the eyebolt, I found someone online that suggesting drilling a 1/8″ hole through the nut and rod at the top then attaching a key ring through the hole. then just using a swivel keychain to hook to the key ring. seems to work great so far. keep the videos coming.
March 27, 2017 @ 8:57 pm
I made one of these, but I think a few of my holes were off-center. Is there any way to “balance” it?
March 12, 2018 @ 8:02 am
If you cut the boards to length after you drill the holes, you can center the length on each hole, thus ensuring balance.
If you wait to cut the length until it’s fastened together just before you paint, and then use a jigsaw, you can smooth out the jagged look of the edge, too. That would take a jig to ensure you cut both sides identical.
For a jig, you could cut out the shape you want on a larger piece of board, then use that as a pattern to cut the spinner. The pattern would have a straight edge you line up along the holes. Flip the spinner over to cut the other half identically.