How do you build a weathervane to go in the garden or roof cupola? Our step-by-step guide will show you how to do it easily and is great fun.
Where does the wind blow from? How much did it rain? And how warm is it today? With a self-made garden weather station — which you create when you build a weathervane with a thermometer and rain gauge attached — you can easily answer these questions yourself. The great thing about it is that you kill two birds with one stone: youget accurate measurements and also put a nice decoration in the garden with a weather station!
You can of course not assemble weather stations with satellite support , which are almost a must for passionate weather observers, with our instructions, but this type of weather station should be sufficient for garden lovers.
– 2 pine wood panels (35cm x 30cm)
– 1 broomstick (length as required, diameter approx. 3cm)
– 1 wooden block (5cm x 5cm)
– 2 support rods for the letters (each 30cm length)
– Thermometer with holder
– Rain gauge with holder
– 1 large screw
– 4 small screws
– glue
– white primer and colored paints
– brush
– jigsaw
– sandpaper
– drill
– cordless screwdriver
First of all, you have to think about which figure should sit on your garden weather station. Should it be the classic weathervane ( meaning the rooster ), a cat , another animal or even just an arrow? There are no limits to your imagination. Below we show an image of a rooster you could use as a template, or you could use the cat in our main image. Just print them out and blow them up larger on a photocopier. Or you might find an illustration in a book you would like to use.
Once you have decided on a figure, you must now draw it either on your own or with the help of a stencil on one of the two pine wood panels.
Step 2:
Now you have to cut out your figure with a jigsaw. Then sand the entire edge of the figure a little with sandpaper.
Step 3:
Now you have to drill a hole on the underside of your figure so that the head of a long screw fits into it later with a little clearance.
Step 4:
Now it is the turn of the letters for the wind direction. To do this, take the second pinewood board and draw the letters N, O, S and W either again freehand or using a template on the pinewood board.
Tip:
Stencils for letters can be created using the word processing program Word. Simply enter the letters and select a suitable font and size. For example, the Arial font is recommended as it is easy to cut out.
Step 5:
Now cut out the letters with the jigsaw and then sand the edge of this with sandpaper.
Step 6:
The letters also need a hole. Depending on which side the fastening rod is later attached to the letter, you must now drill a hole on the right or left.
Step 7:
Now it’s the turn of the wooden block. Take it in hand and drill a hole so large through one side through the entire wood that the broom style fits through it.
Then slide the block of wood about 10 centimeters deep onto the broomstick. Then drill a hole in the middle through two sides of the block, which goes through the entire block of wood and the broomstick.
Step 8:
Now the holder bars for the letters can be easily attached because you only have to push them through the wooden block . Align them in the middle and attach the appropriate letters to the ends with glue.
Step 9:
Now screw a long screw into the top of the broomstick. This must be so long that it sits tightly and your figure can still turn on it later.
Step 10:
Now you should brush all wooden parts with a white primer. Once it has dried, you can paint your garden weather station in different colors to suit your taste. Then let everything dry well.
Step 11:
What would a garden weather station be without a thermometer and rain gauge? We don’t even want to build these measuring instruments ourselves, but we can buy them cheaply in stores. Models with a side bracket are recommended (see picture on the right).
Thanks to this side bracket, you can now easily attach the thermometer and the rain gauge to the broomstick of the garden weather station with a cordless screwdriver.
Step 12:
Now you just have to find a suitable place for your weather station in the garden, fix it in the ground, align it correctly and place the weather figure on the upper screw. Finished!
Gerhardt Richter is a writer and a trainer at trade technical colleges, specializing in carpentry, plumbing, mechanics and construction.
