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- You'll need these materials:
- a long wooden dowel (about the size of a broom stick)
- an aluminum pie plate
- a 12 inch long piece of wood (A sturdy ruler would work)
- nails
- a metal washer
- hammer
- glue
- small saw (or serrated knife)
- wire (for mounting)
- scissors (strong enough to cut aluminum)
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| Begin with the 12 inch piece of wood. Use the
small saw (or serrated knife) to cut a vertical slit at each
end of the stick. The slit should be about one half inch
deep. At the midpoint (exactly halfway) of the top of the
stick, hammer one nail all the way through the stick. Then
turn the wood around the nail several times until the stick
turns easily around the nail. |
| Refer to the pattern picture and cut the head
and tail from the aluminum plate. Glue the head into the
slot at one end of the wooden stick. Glue the tail into the
other end. Allow time for the glue to dry before you take
the vane outside. |
| Attach the weather vane to the long wooden
dowel by placing the metal washer on the end of the dowel
and then hammering the nail through the wooden stick and
into the wooden dowel. (Refer to the picture.) Make sure
that the vane moves freely and easily around the nail. |
| Now you are ready to mount your weather vane
outside. If you mounted your rain gauge on a fence, you may
want to mount your weather vane near it. Position the wooden
dowel beside the fence and secure it with wire. Try to get
the vane as high above the fence as you can while still
keeping the dowel steady and secure. |
| The head of the pointer will always point to
the direction from which the wind is blowing. For example,
if the head points to the NorthEast, then the wind is
blowing from the NorthEast. It's as simple as that. (A
common mistake is to think that the wind is blowing toward
the NorthEast.) Record your wind direction readings in your
weather journal. |
