Helix Wind Spinner

*** I recommend reading this Instructable in its entirety to better understand the individual steps. Then read it again. Some early steps may not be clear until later steps. ***

I learned to make this in wood shop about 34 years ago; I decided to use this as a father/son project. It's a good beginning woodworking project.

A wind spinner makes a nice decoration for your porch or a tree in the yard. It will spin in small breezes. With a gloss enamel finish it catches the light for some nice effects. I would consider this spinner to be large. I have included design information for scaling this down to several different sizes. It can be made with different cutting angles, woods, stains and paint colors.

We spent about 10 days off and on working on this project. The cutting, drilling, sanding and assembly can be finished in a day. Most of the time is spent on the finish work, waiting for the sanding sealer and enamel to dry.

First night out it rained (video).

https://rumble.com/vioi3r-helix-windspinner-spinning-in-the-rain.html

Parts

• 1 Threaded Steel Rod M6 x 1.0 mm pitch x 1 M
• 1 Wire Rope 1/16th x 12” (desired length)
• 2 Wire Rope Thimble M2
• 2-4 Wire Rope Sleeve Ferrule 1.5 mm
• 4 Flange Nut 304 Steel M6
• 1 Cap “Acorn” Nut 304 Steel M6
• 4+ Flat Washer M6
• 3 Lock “Spring” Washer M6
• 2 Fender Washer M6 x 20 mm
• 1 Coupling Nut 6 mm x 25 mm
• 1 Shoulder Swing Lifting Eye Bolt M6 x 20 mm
• 18 (20) Basswood Strips 48” x 1” x 3/8”
• 4 Rust-Oleum Crystal Clear Spray Enamel 12oz
• 1 Loctite Blue 243 6 ml
• 1 Loctite Red 263 6 ml
• 1 D-Shape Shackle 304 Stainless Steel M3
• 1 Ball Bearing Fishing Swivel #8
• 1 Aqua Coat Sanding Sealer X119 Hi-Build - 1 Quart
• 3 Foam Brush 1” or 2”
• Sand Paper 150, 220, 400 (600, 800)
• 1 Eye Screw M5 - For porch beam
• 1 Quick Link M2.5 - Connect spinner wire rope to eye screw.

Tools

• Hand Saw (Japanese Dozuki Dovetail)
• Miter Saw (Optionally use a hand saw)
• Drill/Drill Press 6mm Drill Bit
• (2) Bar Clamps 36”
• 10mm Wrench
• Adjustable Wrench
• Quick Clamps (2 – 4)
• Dowel Rod 1/8th” x 36”. Used for keeping slats elevated to prevent paint sticking.
• Work space – 2 x Saw Horse and board and/or work table.
• Sanding Block
• Straight Edge
• Wood scrap or other material for Drilling Jig and Saw stop block.
• Large Carpenter Square - 24" or larger.
• Engineer Square
• Measuring Tape
• Pencil
• Graph Paper

Picture #1 is the Wind Spinner design. It demonstrates the layout, dimensions, cuts and other information needed for building a 24" x 15" wind spinner. I used the Golden ratio to determine the widest dimension of the spinner. If you decide to change the scale of the spinner you can use the attached table or calculate (Height * 0.681) to get the width using the Golden Ratio calculation.

I determined the size of the shortest slat at the top and bottom by using 1/4 of the height (24 inches). It turned out to be a 70 degree angle from the center to each end of the spinner.

This project is fairly easy to draw at a 1/4 scale using graph paper, pencil and a ruler. If you decide to use different dimensions (Picture #2) or different cuts of wood I would recommend taking the time to draw it up on graph paper.

Things you might change.

• A spiral with more turns, use 1/4" thick slats.
• Make a small Spinner 12" x 7". You might switch to Stock Slats that are 3/4" wide and 1/4" thick.
• Use a light color on the ends to add a spiraling line effect when it spins.
• Change the cutting angle.

Try different ways of connecting the swivel. My swivel assembly (Picture #3) is a little complex in terms of the number of parts. I tried a couple of different configurations and materials. I really like the performance of the #8 Ball Bearing Fishing Swivel. The rest of the connecting parts are based on my choice of swivel, while at the same time trying to eliminate the need to customize or fabricate the connecting parts. A little metal drilling, cutting and/or welding of the top and bottom swivel rings would eliminate several connecting parts.

Before cutting, look through your wood. Pieces with severe bowing, dog legs or defects should be swapped with extra pieces if you have them. If not, try and orientate the wood so the problems are on the shortest leftover ends.

The reason for making the cuts like this is to try and save wood while leaving the pieces long enough to make the diagonal cuts with a hand saw.

Use a stop block to make consistent cuts. You will end up with 64 slats for this spinner using 3/8" thick wood.

I find it easier to cut all the same size pieces first. It will keep the cuts consistent.

If you are following the cutting table, cut the 16" pieces first. Set those and the remainders aside. Reset the stop block and cut the 15" pieces and so on.

When finished, you should have 64 pieces with the following size and quantity.

• 4: 16"
• 12: 15"
• 12: 14"
• 14: 12"
• 2: 11 5/8"
• 12: 10"
• 6: 9"
• 2: 8"

Keep the slats grouped by size.

I didn't take a photo of this step. The photo shown was taken after this step. Ignore all marks on the wood during this step.

Start thinking of the project in terms of top and bottom halves.

Beginning in the center with the four 16" slats, layout your spinner. What you are doing is looking for bows in the strips. Rotate bowed piece to face the center when possible. Separate bowed pieces when possible. If the bow is at the end of the piece move it towards the small end so it can be cut down or cut off completely.

• Now would be the time to replace any problem pieces if you have extra wood. Small bows and defects are fine.
• Start keeping track of the layout of the pieces.
• Once you have completed the layout, move on to marking and drilling the pieces.

Take each group of slats from the layout and mark the center on the edge. This step will assist in drilling the holes in each slat.

• Take each group (identical sized) of cut slats and square them along one side.
• Mark the center on the edge of the top piece.
• Use the square to assist continuing the line down the group.

This project can be made with threaded steel rod or pipe. I chose rod because it is flexible and easy to get in small diameters. I used a 6mm rod. At the time, I was considering a smaller spinner with 3/4" wide slats instead of 1". It works well with the 1" slats.

The rod I purchased was 1 meter long. The extra was getting in my way so I cut 11.5 inches off the rod. I left extra space to make adjustments to the hardware at later steps. You will make a final cut to the rod when you are finishing the project.

• Use a hacksaw to cut the end off. Wrap some blue painters or masking tape once around the rod where you are going to cut. This will help keep the cut cleaner.
• Place the blade between the threads when cutting.
• Use 600 or finer sand paper to de-bur where you cut. If there are bigger pieces, you may need to use a file and then sand.
• Take one of the flange nuts and make sure it goes on and comes off smoothly. If it does not, make sure there are no cuts in the thread. When sanding, sand at an angle so you are beveling the outer edge of the rod.
• Sand a little at a time and keep testing the nut.
• Once the nut works smooth, test all of the others.
• Test again on the end you didn't cut.

Make sure you make a test hole in a piece of the leftover cuts. The threaded rod should fit in the hole.

My 6mm drill bit worked fine for the 6mm rod. When testing, the threads may make a zipping sound as you push the rod through the hole. If it's a little too snug, you can use the cutoff end of the rod as a reamer for the hole. You will likely end up doing this later anyway. The sealer and enamel will make the holes a bit tight.

If you have to rotate the wood slat like you are screwing it onto the rod, it is too tight. If the rod is not touching the hole at all, it is too loose.

Create a drilling jig

I used a drill press with two scraps of wood and a couple of clamps.

• The hole on the bottom piece of the jig should be at the center between the top piece and the parallel line on the bottom piece (Picture #1).
• I nailed the pieces together and left the bottom piece large enough to clamp the jig in place on the drill press.
• The perpendicular line should bisect the center of the drill hole. This line is where you match the edge line on the wood slats.
• Once you have the jig clamped in place, drill one of the extra slat ends to make sure your hole is as close to center as possible.
• Keep the jig clean. The swarf will throw off your drilling.

Remember to keep track of the order of your slats. As you finish drilling a couple of them, place them back in the layout of the previous step.

Take a second to clean the swarf off the jig.

All measuring is from the vertical center line created by the drill lines drawn earlier.

Picture #1 (Picture #2 has the drawn lines you will make in a later step)

• Measure 3" from the center on the end pieces and mark at the topmost edge of the slat. This is where your cut will end.
• Measure 7 1/2 inches from the center on the two innermost 16" slats. Place the mark on both pieces. This is where the cuts will start.
• I marked the two X's to make it easy for me to spot the center. It doesn't serve any other purpose.

Place the slats on the rod.

• Starting with one half, place the slats from largest to smallest on the rod.
• Place a fender washer, flange nut and acorn nut at the end of the rod. This is the bottom half of the spinner.
• Place the remaining slats on the rod from largest to smallest. Add another fender washer and flange nut. This is the top half. You will have around 3-4 inches of rod at the top.

Measure the spinner on the rod. You will find that the height/length is greater than 24 inches. You may have up to an extra inch. This is due to slight bends, bows and gaps.

• Lay the spinner on a flat surface.
• Press down on the slats so they are as flat on the table as possible.
• Tighten the nuts on both ends of the spinner. Make them snug.
• Take four short extra cutoffs and space them evenly on the ends of the spinner.
• Put on the bar clamps and slowly tighten each side by a half turn.
• Tighten the flange nuts as you go. Keep tightening by halves and continue to tighten the flange nuts.
• Use a measuring tape as you tighten. DO NOT tighten to 24 inches. 24 1/8 or 24 /14 should be fine. You want the slats tight enough so there are no gaps and you can't rotate the slats.
• Make sure the flange nuts are nice and snug. Remove the clamps.

Draw lines between the marks made earlier.

If you have a table saw you may still prefer to use a hand saw. Depending on your saw, you can generally make a much finer cut with a hand saw. I prefer to use Japanese pull saws. The cutting is done on the pull stroke and the blades are usually thin and very sharp.

• Clamp the spinner to your work table.
• Clamp a straight edge on the cut line.
• Cut from the center to the end.
• Move the spinner on the table so you are always cutting from the right.
• Keep the cutting angle shallow so you are several pieces in before the scrap starts falling off.
• Keep the blade perpendicular so you are cutting straight down.
• Take your time.

I sanded to a 400 grit. If you use sanding sealer, sanding to 220 is probably enough. You will be re-sanding after your sanding sealer dries and will be sanding to 400 grit.

• Use a sanding block.
• Start with 150 grit on the marked side of the spinner. The slats will likely be uneven on the marked side. Sand across the width.
• Don't use the 150 grit for long. Just enough to knock down the high parts.
• Switch to 220 grit and sand until both sides are level and smooth.
• Sand the ends. If you used a sharp hand saw you won't need much sanding.
• I beveled the edges.
• I finished with 400 grit.

I used about half of the 1 Quart of Aqua Sanding Sealer.

I used 2" foam brushes to apply the sanding sealer. If you have a sprayer you might want to use it.

• Replace the metal rod with a dowel rod when sealing and painting the edges.
• Remember to keep track of the order of your pieces. Work in halves when painting the flats.
• I found using 1/8" dowel rod (Picture #2) worked good enough to keep the slats off of the table to prevent sticking.
• I ended up using two work tables for the finishing.

Cover your work area with cardboard or paper. You will need to move the pieces a little during the first 30 minutes to prevent them from sticking to your work surface.

• Remove the dust. Wipe the spinner clean with micro fiber cloth. Use damp cloth if needed.
• You need to go thin with this stuff and watch for drips.
• The Basswood drank in quite a bit of the sealer on the end grain. You might end up adding an extra coat.
• I started with the edges and end grain. Then the flat sides.
• It takes a bit of drying time between sanding (30 minutes) and re-coating (2 hours). Follow the instructions on the bottle.
• You may use up to 2 or 3 coats.
• The first coat is the most important. This is where the sanding sealer draws out the surface fibers from the wood.
• Sand the first coat using 400 grit to a smooth finish.
• Wipe clean between coats.
• Sand additional coats lightly. Just enough to prep for Enamel.

If you end up with drips, sand them down carefully. The sealer is a bit like glue. You can end up tearing out some of the wood.

While waiting for the sanding sealer to dry start the "Coupling Nut Assembly". The Coupling Nut Assembly connects the rod to the swivel. The first photo is what the assembly should look like when complete.

Parts for this step.

• Loctite Red 263
  • Loctite Red is permanent.
  • Working time, 10 minutes.
  • Curing time, 24 hours.
  • Loctite Red 263 is better suited for inert metals like stainless steel.
• 1 Shoulder Swing Lifting Eye Bolt M6 x 20 mm
• 1 Flange Nut 304 Steel M6
• 1 Flat Washer M6
• Microfiber cloth or other rage that doesn't leave lint.
• 10mm wrench
• Adjustable wrench
• Vice with protective pads or Vice grips with protective pads (Optional). Pliers and a cloth in a pinch.

Make sure everything fits smoothly by assembling the eye bolt, flange nut, washer and coupling nut before applying the Loctite.

• Disassemble and wipe the threads on the Eye Bolt so they are free of any oils and dirt. Do the same with the threads on the Coupling Nut and the Flange Nut.
• Drag a small drop of Loctite on the thread of the Eye Bolt. Dab any excess with a paper towel.
• Thread the Flange Nut on the Eye Bolt. Don't tighten completely up to the eye where it stops. Leave about a 1/2 turn loose.
• Put the washer on the Eye Bolt. You should have something that looks like Picture #3.
• Thread the Coupling Nut to where it is hand snug against the washer.
• Place the open end of the Coupling Nut into a vice that is padded or has some rags to protect the surface of the Coupling Nut. Use vice grips or pliers if a vice is not available.
• Take the 10mm wrench and tighten the Flange Nut by a 1/4 - 1/2 turn,
• Take the adjustable wrench and tighten the Eye Bolt to where it completely turned into the Flange Nut and starts tightening the Flange Nut into the Coupling Nut compressing the washer.

Tightening with this method will assist in locking all of the pieces together tightly. Wipe any excess Loctite from the surface of the assembly. Set the assembly aside open side up to cure for 24 hours. Open side up will keep any excess from dripping into the unused thread of the Coupling Nut.

The "Swivel Assembly" should be connected close to the Wind Spinner rod to better allow the swivel to rotate.

Parts for this step.

• 1 Ball Bearing Fishing Swivel #8
• 1 D-Shape Shackle 304 Stainless Steel M3
• 1 Wire Rope 1/16th (desired length)
• 1 Wire Rope Thimble M2
• 1 - 2 Wire Rope Sleeve Ferrule 1.5 mm

Connect the D-Shackle to the tapered end of the Swivel. If you are using a Thimble with the Wire Rope you will likely need to spread the ends with a screwdriver to place it through the Swivel Ring.

Place one end of the wire rope through the Ferrule Sleeve, through the Swivel Ring, around the Thimble, up through the other opening in the Ferrule Sleeve. Pull snug and crimp the end closest to the Thimble first. Then crimp the other end. I used two Ferrule Sleeves at each loop on the wire.

See photo #3 showing the completed Swivel Assembly attached to the porch beam.

This step will give you the opportunity to make sure the slats are in order and orientated properly. Even if you cut this on a table saw, it's likely that the diagonal cuts on each side will not be identical. You can spot this pretty easily. When you put everything on the rod, there is a good chance you will have to spin a couple of pieces.

I didn't take any pictures of my dry run assembly (making the helix). Picture #1 shows the Wind Spinner in the spiral after I was done with the Sanding Sealer. I hung it up and put a fan in front of it to make sure I was happy with the way it spun.

• The top half of the Wind Spinner should have the long end of the rod.
• Tighten the flange nuts until the slats don't move.
• Loosen the top Flange Nut a 1/4 turn at a time until you can start spreading out the slats with a little pressure using your hands.
• From the center left of the top half, start pushing each slat away from you leaving about an 1/8th of an inch overlap as you push the slats out. Keep doing that until you you have reached the top.
• From the center left of the bottom half, start pulling towards you leaving about a 1/8th of an inch overlap as you pull the slats toward you. Keep doing that until you you have reached the bottom.
• You can attach the coupling and swivel assembly and hang it on your garage door rail to test the spin.
• Do not leave it unattended while it spins. Until the hardware is fully tightened and has had Loctite Blue applied, the Coupling Nut could spin off.

I used 4 cans of 12oz Rust-Oleum Crystal Clear Spray Enamel.

Like the Sanding Sealer steps you will spray the edges, ends and flats. Use dowel rod or some other setup to keep the slats off of the work table to prevent sticking. Move/jiggle the slats during the first 30 minutes to prevent sticking.

Keep track of the orientation and order of your slats. It's easy to get them flipped around or out of order even if you're paying attention.

Work with the Wind Spinner in halves. When not spraying the flats, keep each half on a dowel rod.

• Always wipe down the spinner with a clean cloth before applying a layer of enamel.
• Start and end each spray pass beyond the edge of the wood. Don't start or end spray on the wood. This will help maintain an even finish.
• Keep the can about 12 inches from the surface of the wood while spraying.
• Move at a consistent speed keeping it light. Move too slow and it will puddle and drip.
• For each layer of enamel, I sprayed two light coats. Allowing 3 minutes between coats.
• I waited 12 - 24 hours before flipping the slats. You can do this sooner according to instructions on the can. We had lots of rain and high humidity while working on this project. Wait times were longer.

• I sprayed the ends and edges three times. I sprayed the flats twice.

Before adding another layer of enamel, run your fingers across the finish. If it feels too rough, gently make a single pass with 600-800 grit sand paper to smooth the finish for the next layer of enamel.

When you are happy with the finish, move on to the assembly.

The enamel finish may have made the holes in the slats a little tight. Roll up some 220 grit paper, sand the holes and use the cutoff rod to ream and test fit each slat as you place them on the rod. The slats need to go on without having to rotate or use excess force. You should be able to move the slat up and down the rod with minimum pressure. You may hear a zipper like sound placing the slats on the rod.

Lesson Learned

You might want to try lightly sanding the flat sides with 600-800 or even 1000 grit. Don't wipe it down. This might make it easier to push the slats into a spiral.

Only after the Wind Spinner has been assembled, wipe down the spinner and apply a final coat of enamel. The enamel and humidity made it very difficult to create the spiral. *** I don't know if this will make it any better or make things worse ***

If you decide to make this and come up with some better ideas; please add them in the comments.

Parts for this step.

• 2 Fender Washer M6 x 20 mm.
• 2 Flange Nut 304 Steel M6.
• 1 Lock “Spring” Washer M6.
• 1 Cap “Acorn” Nut 304 Steel M6.

Tools

• 10mm Wrench.
• Adjustable Wrench or a Second 10mm Wrench.

When I measured, I found that around 14mm of Rod is enough space to hold the Fender Washer, Flange Nut, Lock Washer and Acorn Nut tightly with no gaps and enough head space in the Acorn Nut to make adjustments.

• Add the bottom half of the Wind Spinner slats to the end of the Rod
• Place the Fender Washer on the end of the Rod.
• Add the Flange Nut. Turn the Flange Nut until the Fender Washer is about 14mm from the end of the Rod.
• Add the Lock Washer. There should be about 4mm of Rod left.
• Add the Cap "Acorn" Nut. Tighten until the Lock washer is compressed. You will have to hold the Flange Washer in place with the adjustable wrench or second 10mm wrench.
• If there are gaps where you can see the Rod, turn the Acorn Nut back 1 turn and turn the Flange Nut back until the Lock Washer is compressed against the Acorn Nut.

Continue adding the rest of the Wind Spinner slats.

• Add the remaining Fender Washer and Flange Nut to the top of the Rod.
• Flatten the Wind Spinner against the table.
• Rotate pieces as needed. Make sure it looks as expected.
• Use Bar Clamps if needed to compress slats to remove any bows or gaps between slats.
• The length of the stacked spinner slats end to end should be between 24 - 24 1/2 inches.
• Tighten the top Flange Nut until the Fender Washer is snug against the top.
• Make sure the bottom hardware is still tight.

Cut the Rod to its final length. My final cut off the top was 1 1/2 inch. The "Coupling Nut Assembly" has about 16mm of thread space for the Rod. Leaving 12mm of Rod to attach to the "Coupling Nut Assembly" will give you room to make your final tighten/loosen adjustments.

Parts for this step.

• 1 Flange Nut 304 Steel M6.
• 1 Flat Washer M6
• 2 Lock “Spring” Washer M6.
• Hardware Part 1 - "Coupling Nut Assembly"

Tools

• 10mm Wrench.
• Adjustable Wrench or a Second 10mm Wrench.
• Hack Saw

• The top Fender Washer and Flange nut should already be on snug from the previous step.
• Add the Lock Washer
• Add the Flange Nut "Inverted". The Flange is facing away from the wood.
• Tighten the Inverted Flange Nut until the Lock Washer is compressed.
• Add the second Lock Washer
• Add the Flat Washer.
• Add the "Coupling Nut Assembly". Tighten the "Coupling Nut Assembly".

The remaining Rod is the minimum to be cut off. Measure and add another 4 - 5 mm.

Remove the "Coupling Nut Assembly" and make your cut. Remember to wrap where you are cutting with painters tape to help keep a cleaner cut. Sand the cut with 600-800 as needed to make sure there are no burrs and the "Coupling Nut Assembly" goes on smoothly.

Leave the "Coupling Nut Assembly" off and move to the next step.

Create the spiral just like you did during the dry run assembly.

• Loosen the top Flange Nuts and start moving the slats into position.
• Before loosening the bottom nuts, re-tighten the top nuts to keep the position.
• Depending on how bad the enamel sticks, this could take some back and forth to make this work.

Let the manhandling begin.

Once the spiral is complete to your satisfaction, tighten the inner flange nut on the top and bottom until the slats don't move. Then tighten a little more 1/4 - 1/2 turn on each side.

Dry fit the top and bottom hardware assemblies. Make sure no rod is exposed and everything is tight. Lock washers should be compressed.

• Loctite Blue 243 6 ml
  • NOT Permanent. Can be disassembled with tools and force. Red requires 500° F of heat.
  • Working time, 10 minutes.
  • Curing time, 24 hours.
  • Loctite Blue 243 is also better suited for use with inert metals like stainless steel.

Clean threads on:

• Coupling Assembly
• Clean Rod thread ends.
• Clean D-Shackle Bar Thread from Swivel Assembly

Bottom

• Remove Acorn Nut and Lock Washer. Lightly coat Rod thread with Loctite Blue.
• Replace Lock Washer and Acorn Nut. Tighten until Lock Washer is compressed.

Top

• Remove Coupling Assembly.
• Remove Inverted Flange Nut and Lock Washers and Flat Washer.
• The Fender Washer and inner Flange Nut should stay on the Rod tightened.
• Lightly coat Rod thread with Loctite Blue.
• Replace Lock Washer, Inverted Flange Nut, Lock Washer, Flat Washer, Coupling Assembly.
• Tighten until Lock Washers are compressed and no rod is exposed. Give an additional 1/4 turn if possible.

• Add a tiny drop of Loctite Blue to D-Shackle Bar Thread.
• Attach Shackle of "Swivel Assembly" to the Eye Bolt of the "Coupling Assembly"
• Give a slight tightening of the D-Shackle Bar with needle nose pliers.

Let the Loctite Blue cure for 24 hours.

I used a "tool tightened" Quick Link and Eye Screw to attach the Wind Spinner to my porch beam. I didn't want it to be that easy to take down.

I obtained my Basswood from National Balsa.

https://www.nationalbalsa.com/

I hope you enjoy the project as much as we did.