It’s made of scrap dowels, a scrap metal handle and a toolbox divider. If there was a need to cut wood, I used a hand saw. The arrow was built first and tested for a couple of weeks, using a temporary stand. It worked great, and I decided to make a proper mount for it. Coincidentally, I had some scrap metal handles lying around that I no longer needed for the device they came from. They were used for the mount. Surprisingly, my chamfering bit turned out good for wood and metal, and it saved me some time in part 1 of the build.
First, I shaped the front of the dowel and cut a slot for the tail. I thought that the tail could be more aerodynamic, so I shaped it too. Next, I found the centre of the weight and drilled a small hole for the pin. I placed a washer on the pin, to reduce friction, and put it to the test for a couple of weeks. It needed a better location to show more accurate wind direction. The top of my shed’s roof seemed to be perfect. It could show me the best time to clean my tools with my blower, so I don’t upset my neighbours with dust.
The mount had to have a 70 mm offset from the wall to the far side, where the upright was fixed to. I marked the scrap handle in 2 places using painter’s tape. Next, I placed it in my SuperJaws, bent with my bare hands and flattened with a hammer. Cut to size and drilled in 4 places. Sharp edges were removed with a file. Next, I drilled corresponding holes in the upright dowel and sanded down the top and the bottom. I couldn’t use my chamfering drill bit for that as the dowel was slightly too big for it. 25 mm (1 inch) it was just too much, and I had to use my belt sander for the task.
I prepared the bar for the paint and hung it on a hook. The dowels were finished with teak oil. Everything dried quickly, and I could put it together in the next 1-2 hours.
First, I drove a nail into the upright dowel and placed a small washer to separate it from the arrow. I screwed the mount to the wall, next the dowel to the mount. Lastly, I assembled the arrow and hung it on the pin.
My weathervane was finished. Just a couple of parts, all scrap and off-cuts. Easy to make, maintain, repair and replace single parts if need be. The arrow can be upgraded in the future – weathervanes are mostly topped with the silhouette of a rooster or a witch. But for now I’m happy with what I built, it shows me the wind direction, moves freely and quietly.
