Thread: Suicidal whirlygigs

How long is a piece of string ? More information needed e.g. A picture, how is it constructed and what failed

Originally Posted by China

How long is a piece of string ? ......

A. Twice the distance from one end to the middle.

Next question......

Welcome to the forum.

I have no idea where you guys are getting string, I never said anything about string? this is a whirlygig.

This is a picture of the mount on a different whirlygig thats much heavier so it doesnt go airborn in high winds
Whirlygig.jpg

Same mount method. Tube in a tube... perfect fit, not sloppy at all. This whirlygig is much lighter and went flying in just a 15mph wind.
Whirlygig2.jpg

Im asking you for ideas how to secure it so it wont lift.

Mate, we are Aussies....Orstraylians, we enjoy life
You come from a far off colony.

If someone posts something like this and there is no intelligent answer, then expect us to find the funny side and have a laugh about it, you dont like that, TUFF move on

Is the prop on the side as shown in your second photo or was it originally on the top?
Is there a possibility of adding more weight to the base of it which would make it harder to lift upward.
Is the shaft it pivots on perfectly vertical?

Originally Posted by Tonyz

Mate, we are Aussies....Orstraylians, we enjoy life
You come from a far off colony.

If someone posts something like this and there is no intelligent answer, then expect us to find the funny side and have a laugh about it, you dont like that, TUFF move on

i joined this site n 2012 and admired the quality of work i see in here. but probably the reason i havent been back since is this lousey attatude from wise guys like you.

is tonyz plural for tony? twinz?

Obviously there's some 'up-lift' involved.

Can you simply run a restraining bolt & washer down through the whirligig, screwing into the main pole?

You should be able to contrive a mechanism for the bottom of the tube, but I think it would be either too ugly or too complicated to build to be be practical.

Perhaps something as simple as mounting small spoilers on each side of the drummer to exert some countering down-force instead might do?

Originally Posted by Treecycle

Is the prop on the side as shown in your second photo or was it originally on the top?
Is there a possibility of adding more weight to the base of it which would make it harder to lift upward.
Is the shaft it pivots on perfectly vertical?

the prop was on the end, the shaft sheared when it went airborne.

the whirlygig lifted out off its pivot. i was trying to figure a way to teather it somehow.

the tube is plumb and drilled into the deck railing.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Obviously there's some 'up-lift' involved.

Can you simply run a restraining bolt & washer down through the whirligig, screwing into the main pole?

You should be able to contrive a mechanism for the bottom of the tube, but I think it would be either too ugly or too complicated to build to be be practical.

Perhaps something as simple as mounting small spoilers on each side of the drummer to exert some countering down-force instead might do?

thats a good idea. ill have to include a swivel in the restrainer.

Originally Posted by paul ron

i joined this site n 2012 and admired the quality of work i see in here. but probably the reason i havent been back since is this lousey attatude from wise guys like you.

is tonyz plural for tony? twinz?

To use some thing you may understand "them there is fightin words"

The first post was absolutely lacking in information and no one would have been able to give you a half reasonable answer, plus if you are going to deal Aussies anywhere in the world you are going to have to learn
to laugh at yourself that is is what makes Australia the greatest nation on earth

Could you reverse the position of the tubes so the larger diameter is attached to the spinner and the thinner tube to the railing? That way you may be able to extend a bolt thread up through a washer welded or soldered to the top of the outer tube?
Cheers,
Geoff.

Originally Posted by China

How long is a piece of string

no he's not "How Long" is a Chinaman

If you can use 2 tubes and a shaft you should be OK.

Tube 1, you have already.
The shaft you also already have.
Tube 2 fits inside Tube 1 and in-turn fits outside the shaft.

A nut and washer that fits inside Tube 1, but is too large to pass through Tube 2 will hold the shaft down in most (perhaps not hurricane force) winds.

Depending on what tools you have, tube 2 could be spot welded to tube 1, or held in place by a flange nut(?) that fits over tubes 1 and 2, but has an opening that allows the shaft to pass through.


make sense?