Tap dancing whirligig

Tapping shoes whirligig

Note: tapping shoes whirligig is presented as a concept idea. It has not been done to scale nor has it been tested. Nevada crafter.com does not guarantee that this concept will work and is presented here only for entertainment purposes. Nevada crafter also retains all copyrights and does not allow the reprint publication of this document for the purpose of resale. The whirligig may be used for personal and smallbatch production only. Corporate mass production is not allowed. 

 The alternating cams lift the shoes one at a time and then drops them. The bottle caps on the bottom of the tip of the shoe rattle each time the shoe is dropped making a tap dancing sound. It may be necessary to place a metal bracket under the bottle caps in order to prevent damage  to wood and to add to the sound effect.The shoes are hinged at the back with a small drawer hinge. A small metal bell can be optionally attached for additional sound. The style of the shoe could also be changed to give it a man's shoe opposite a woman's shoe to give it more of an appearance of a couple dancing.The tail fin and propeller are presented only as examples and could be customized to fit the theme as well. As I do not know how noisy this whirligig may be, it may work better as a scarecrow in the garden than a yard ornament.

 The idea for this whirligig came from the love my mother had for tap dancing. As she could not get me to take lessons I hope that this whirligig idea will please her and so I dedicate this post to her.

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Need a puppet kitty cat?

Mechanical puppet kitty cat

The concept puppet kitty cat below presents the inside workings of this design. The proper location of drill holes and pivots points have not been determined. They are approximations and should not be relied on, as this is not a tested pattern. 

The design below are the parts that need to be cut out.

It should be noted that this concept and idea can be adapted for use with a whirligig.

Be sure to leave any constructive comments or suggestions in the comment box.

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Revisions may be made at a later date

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Light up propeller concept for whirligigs and craft projects

 The following whirligig design is presented as a concept, 

not a pattern.

This is a concept that I'm currently working on, and one that I have created many variations of. My background in electronics is quite frequently incorporated into the designs of my whirligigs and whether veins. As it is quite easy to add either solar lights or attach a small motor to the propeller to generate electricity. Adding lights is the easiest thing, but I have also added electromechanical to various projects with mixed results. The first and foremost challenge is to design something that will withstand environmental conditions such as wind and rain.

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Washers for whirligigs

Washers for whirligigs

FOR SAFETY REASONS NEVER USE THESE WASHERS TO REPLACE PARTS ON COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS. 

Always use the manufacturer's recommended replacement parts.

    Nylon washers are not very cheap, but I have found an alternative that cost next to nothing, helps the environment and works almost as well. 

    One of the things that I do on a yearly basis is to do preventative maintenance on my whirligigs and weathervane's. With all the moving parts and high winds, there is a lot of wear and tear on these mechanical wonders. What I found out is metal on wood wears out the most, so I use a lot of plastic or nylon washers. Although washers are not the most expensive part to a whirligig, they can cut into your profits.

    I know that this blog is for patterns, but I couldn't help, but share this money-saving and environmentally friendly up_cycling of plastic jugs. As for the patterns, I simply invested in an assortment of metal washers to use as a template for the various size washers that I use in my whirligigs. After all for a couple of bucks worth of cheap metal washers, I now have a set of templates that are worth the investment and will never wear out. I could've very easily used a compass to draw the circles, but I wanted something that was more consistent with actual washers.

    
(Be sure to use the appropriate safety goggles and other safety equipment when using rotary tools)

    I have found almond milk jugs and other opaque or heavier jugs seem to make the better washers. Anyhow, using a metal washer as my template and a black marker to trace around the metal washer, I create my patterns. Usually, I take the time to make several hundred at a time, so I have washers on hand for later. Then I simply rough cut them using heavy-duty utility scissors, dollar store kitchen scissors or a Dremel with a fine tip rotary cutting blade. (An X-Acto knife on a cutting board will also work as well.) I then finish the washer by sanding the edges or dragging a knife blade crossways against the grain to remove any ragged edges. A Dremel with an abrasive bit also works very well.

For those of you who like to do things the hard way I have included the following photo as a pattern.

Now keep in mind these washers will not necessarily take the place of a heavy-duty nylon washer and will most likely biodegrade over time if exposed to sunlight.

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Cow and horse silhouette

Cow and horsesilhouettes with weathervane and whirligig

Silhouettes are often an easy way of creating a weathervane or whirligig without having to spend a lot of time on painting detail, which can be time-consuming and ultimately eating into your profits. These silhouettes can be substituted or added to the previous Western windmill whirligig or weathervane project concept, or simply used the alone.

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Western windmill_horses weathervane / whirligig concept

windmill with horses weathervane / whirligig concept

Note: This is a conceptual rendering and not a plan or pattern, All copyrights reserved Nevadacrafter 2016

The silhouette can be cut out of Masonite or 8 inch Woodstock. Should be noted; the silhouette is not the best and a different one may be used. The silhouette will act as a rudder unless it is fix mounted. A short tube with nail on a stick mounted under windmill can act as your pivot.

Pivot stick and assembly

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Fisherman in a Dory weathervane or whirligig

Lighthouse with fisherman weather vain or whirligig concept.

{The following is a concept, not a pattern, and has not been tested. Actual construction may require adjustments be made and not all variations may work. Nevada crafter reserves all copyrights and reserves the right to make changes or revisions as needed. }

For this and other craft ideas please checkout our other sites and be sure to subscribe.
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