Building the Weather Vane

• Your weather vane should be constructed out of a durable but lightweight material, such as tin or copper. Be careful when working near or around utility cabling.
  
  Strike a balance between functionality and durability. Your vane won't move much in light winds if it's made of heavy material. Conversely, your vane may not last too long in high winds if it's made of flimsy material.
  
  

Components of a Weather Vane

• There are three main components to the weather vane: the ornament, directionals and rod.
  
  The ornament, traditionally the shape of an arrow or rooster, should point into the direction of the wind. This is achieved by having the ornament's weight in equal balance at the point it rests on the rod, the center of balance, and by having more surface area behind the resting point. The ornament can be constructed by cutting the desired shape out of metal. Leave a greater surface area at the back of the ornament and less at the front.
  
  Traditional weather vanes emphasize the rooster's tail feathers, or the fletching on an arrow, to create this surface area disparity. Find your ornament's center of balance by holding the ornament along it's top edge between your two pinky fingers. If the ornament dips on either side, slide your grip toward the opposite end. When the ornament doesn't dip, you've found a good approximation of the center of balance.
  
  The directionals should identify North, South, East and West. Single letters are most often used to mark the directions. They must be fixed in place and aligned with the cardinal directions that they represent. It will be helpful to use approximately the same amount of material per letter. Also, try to keep the horizontal distance between two cardinal direction markers to between 1/4 and 1/3 the height of the weather vane. This aids in the overall balance of your vane.
  
  The rod should be fixed to the directionals, but should allow for the ornament to spin. This can be done by constructing a two part rod, where the rod below the directionals is fixed, and rotates above the directionals. Another option would be to build the ornament with a shaft to slip over a fixed rod.
  
  

How it Works

• The weather vane works because there is an imbalance of surface over a balanced weight. The wind will move the ornament until the ornament achieves equilibrium where both sides of the ornament are receiving the same amount of wind.