How to Build a Ferris Wheel

This is a project I created long time ago with the help of a little assistant, my daughter.

It was one of my daughter's school projects.

At the time, it looked like this:

It was the Blue Sky Ferris Wheel!

I loved it so much, that I just changed the color to make it work with my decor.

This is how it was built:

You’ll need:

• 2 - 12” wooden embroidery hoops
• 1 - small plastic spool

source

• 1 - 4” screw with its bolt (that fits inside the spool, so  the wheel can turn around nicely)

• 4 - 1¼” diameter Washers
• 4 - 10” pieces of Outside Drywall Corner Bead

       Bamboo skewers sticks cut like this:

• 1½”    - 12 Pieces 
• 5½”    - 16 Pieces (8 pieces per wheel)
• 2”       - 16 Pieces (8 Pieces per wheel)
• Chopsticks
• Hot glue gun
• Tape

Instructions:

1.       This particular spools (cream color in the picture), have 8 little holes at one of the ends.  At the other end you have to open the same holes, keeping them aligned.  I just used a hot thick wire to open the holes. It doesn’t have to be that perfect.

2.       At each of this little holes hot glue one of the 5½” Bamboo sticks.

Each end of the spool is going to look like this

3.       Make marks every 4½” on the inside of each hoop.  That’s the place where the other end of the bamboo stick is going to be attached.

4.       Now you can attached the 2” sticks in between the longer ones as shown: 

5.       It’s time now to attach the legs (corner bead). I first covered the edges (they are a bit sharp) of the bead with tape.  Then, open a hole at one end of each corner bead for the screw to go through. 

6.       Put a washer in the screw before passing it through the first two pieces of corner bead.

7.       Another washer before going through the spool.  Repeating the same steps on the other side (washer, two corner bead legs, and washer).

8.       Close up with the bolt.

9.       Adjust the legs and, cut the chopsticks at the button (at your convenience), to keep the legs in place.

10.   Last, glue the 1½” bamboo skewers to the edge and, in between the two hoops.

Decorate it as you wish and you're done! If you make it, let me see it. I love them all!