At first glance, it may seem that this thing has no practical application, but this is not so. Using a weather vane, you can determine the movement of the wind in relation to the cardinal points, you can even determine at what speed the wind moves.
General description of the subject
Of course, today there are more specialized instruments to determine the speed and direction of wind movement. Therefore, in our time, the weather vane has acquired a greater decorative value. It is considered an excellent decoration of the roof of a building, for example. It copes with the task of scaring away birds from the roof of a house. In ancient times they even believed that this thing is a talisman that protects housing from evil spirits. In any case, making a weather vane with your own hands today is a perfectly feasible task. Initially, these items were made only of wood. However, a large number of a variety of source materials are now used.
Weather vane with propeller
As mentioned earlier, now there are many specialized devices for determining the strength and direction of the wind. However, having made such a thing as a weather vane with a propeller with your own hands, you can get the most accurate device that does not need a power source and works 24 hours a day.
In order to assemble such a thing on your own, you will need certain tools: a welding machine, oil type level, tape measure, grinder, drill, sandpaper, jigsaw, whatman, pencil. Before starting work, you need to make sure that all of the listed tools are at hand. If there are no welding skills, then you will have to call for help of knowledgeable people.
Material use
In order to assemble a weather vane with your own hands, you must have certain skills.
The first and simplest material is wood. With its use, few people have difficulties, since it can be processed quite simply. In order to make a windmill you need to get good wood, characterized by high hydrophobic properties. Also, the material should be classified as waterproof. However, this does not negate the fact that you will still have to impregnate the wood with protective products from harmful insects and moisture. Naturally, low strength and short service life stand out from the minuses.
You can use steel to create a weather vane with your own hands. The material is characterized by high strength, high resistance to any mechanical stress. Most often, a weather vane is made of ferrous or stainless metal. If a stainless steel is used that has high corrosion protection, its service life will be almost eternal. When using ordinary metal, it will be necessary to periodically coat it with a protective compound (paint) in order to extend the service life.
An excellent choice would be copper. The metal is characterized by sufficient strength so as not to deform under the influence of wind. Cutting or sawing a sheet of copper is a fairly simple task. A significant plus lies in the fact that it is possible to connect copper elements to each other without problems using soldering. The raw material is excellent in corrosion and does not require special care. It is also possible to apply silver as a coating.
Additional materials
Some people use plastic or plywood.
Plastic today is quite widespread in many respects due to the fact that it has sufficient strength, as well as resistance to ultraviolet radiation. In addition, processing plastic is quite simple by any method. Also, if this material overheats or, on the contrary, freezes, it will still not lose its qualities.
As for the manufacture of a weather vane with do-it-yourself plywood, here is most often used a multilayer waterproof material. However, the service life is quite small. Even coating the device with several coats of paint will not save. Most often, the operation of a weather vane from plywood, even for only 1 year, is considered a success.
What is a weather vane?
Since this thing is installed on the roof of the house, from where it is clearly visible, the requirements for appearance are greatly increased. Since the device of the weather vane is quite simple, you can show maximum imagination when creating it.
- The first is, of course, the building. Most often, this element is made of an inch section steel pipe. It is worth noting that it is allowed to replace steel material with brass.
- The second element is the supporting rod. This part is inserted directly into the housing. This element is a conventional steel bar without notches. A windmill will be attached to it. For this reason, it is recommended to take fittings with a cross section of at least 9 mm.
- The next element is a flyugar. If you look at different photos of the weather vane with your own hands, you can see that they all have a common part, which is rotary, and indicates the direction of the wind. This is the flyugar. Also, this element is considered one that sets the theme for the entire product.
Additional parts
- Bearings. Naturally, to ensure the free rotation of any part, the presence of bearings is necessary. In this case, elements with an internal diameter of 9 mm are used.
- Fasteners. There is no consensus. It all depends on the mounting method chosen. Angles, screws, bolts, rivets, etc. can be used.
- The last detail is the propeller. This part is the one by which the wind speed is determined. The rotational speed corresponds to the wind speed. Plywood, sheet metal, wood, and plastic are used as material for manufacturing. A good choice would be to use a steel cooler, which is available on the computer.
How to make a weather vane with your own hands
It’s worth starting with the manufacture of all components. It is worth noting that certain sizes are not available, all dimensions are considered approximate and generally accepted.
The length of the fly bar is most often from 70 to 80 cm. The width (or height) is about 40 cm. Next is the case or the stand. The dimensions of the steel pipe used here are most often in the range of 12 to 16 cm. The pipe itself is usually three-inch. As the axis, a steel rod (reinforcement) with a cross section of 10 mm is used. The length of the product is approximately half a meter. For the manufacture of the simplest propeller, 4 steel rods with a cross section of 6 mm are used, and their length is 18-20 cm. It is worth noting that if a weather vane is made on the roof with your own hands for the country house, then the dimensions are usually slightly reduced.
Work process
The whole process of work is divided into several steps.
The first step is to saw off a piece of steel or brass pipe measuring 120 mm. Next, holes are drilled to be used to secure the corners. To fix the corners, either rivets or bolts are used. To implement this process, you will have to cut the threads in the holes.
The second step is to install bearings at both ends of the pipe. You can fix them inside if you use welding or the pressing process. There is another method called thermal. The pipe must be heated, and then the bearing inserted into it. When the product cools down, the pipe will tightly clasp the part. After fasteners need to be well lubricated with solid oil.
The next step is to work with the case. Its upper part is closed with a cap. As this element, either a brass or plastic part is used. To get a tight connection, it is best to tape insulating or plumbing tape. The final touch is laying a felt gland between the cap and the body.
Final stage
To complete the manufacture of a weather vane with your own hands from metal, you need to do a few more actions.
Manufacture of a flyboar. In order not to be mistaken at this stage, it is best to make a drawing on paper. After that, using carbon paper, the drawing is transferred to the material from which it will be made. This is followed by tap sawing and grinding of the part. Here it is worth noting that the flyar must be proportional to the size of the structure on which it will be installed. Most often, the length is from 400 to 600 mm, and the height is from 200 to 400 mm.
After the figure is completely ready, you can proceed to its fasteners. It is attached to the supporting rod, in the quality of which, reinforcement was taken. Here you can use both welding and bolts, clamps and more. Next is to paint or varnish the entire product.
The final touch is installing the propeller. It can be mounted either on a windshield or on a supporting rod. It all depends on which model was originally selected. The best option for fastening is a bolted connection. The propeller is mounted on a bolt between two washers.
Making the weather vane from the metal on the roof with your own hands after this can be considered finished.