Haunted Dresser

Here's the haunted dresser I made for my 2015 Halloween display. My theme is based on Disney's Haunted Mansion. Other props I made are a self moving Ouija board, Madame Leota in a crystal ball, and an animated piano playing skeleton. I'm thinking of building a haunted book case, too. I'll have to see if I can get it done in time.

This build was pretty simple. The hardest part was disassembling the treadmill.

I mounted the motor assembly vertically on a board.

I then cut a circle 11" in diameter from 3/4" plywood. I drilled a hole to accommodate the spindle about 1/2" from the edge. I cut through that hole so it could be mounted to the spindle. I then cut the middle from the big circle to reduce the weight. This was then mounted to the spindle by screwing the two halves together. See the picture for a better idea. I also ran some duct tape around to assure that it wouldn't slide around. Finally, I stapled a strip of carpet to the edge to soften the blow a bit.

The back of the dresser was removed to expose the drawers. I have a bungee cord on the drawer and the motor assembly to pull it back in.

Power is supplied by my bench-top power supply. This way I can control the amount of current for the effect I'm looking for. Once everything is set, play around with the positioning to have the drawer open and close properly.

Have fun haunting your neighborhood!