How to make a whirligig bird scarer
Mark Rayner shows you how to build a simple whirligig bird scarer using wooden spoons and testpots.
You will need: Eight wooden spoons, we got ours from a discount store, a small piece of flat wood, garden stake, exterior PVA glue, paintbrushes, pencil, set square, electric drill, with 70mm circular wooden hole cutter, 7mm drill bit screwdriver, sandpaper, small washers and one exterior wood screw. Resene Quick Dry and three Resene Testpots, Resene All Black, Resene Fizz and Resene Kermit.
Top tip: If necessary, use extra washers between the garden stake and the back of the daisy head to ensure it turns freely without catching on the garden stake.
Here’s another colour option: Create a brilliant white daisy by painting the petals Resene Alabaster and the centre Resene Turbo.
Instructions
Step 1
Cut a 70mm disc from the piece of wood.
Step 2
Smooth the cut edges with sandpaper.
Step 3
Measure and mark eight, equidistant lines on the wooden disc, as shown.
Step 4
Use the lines as a guide to drill eight 7mm holes through the edge of the wooden disc (holes need to be the same size as the wooden spoon handles, so adjust if necessary).
Step 5
Complete the daisy head by pushing a wooden spoon into each of the holes, fixing with PVA glue. Angle each spoon slightly, in the same direction. Allow glue to dry.
Step 6
Apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry to the daisy head, allowing two hours to dry.
Step 7
Apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry to the garden stake, allowing two hours to dry.
Step 8
Apply two coats of Resene Fizz to the daisy petals, allowing two hours between coats.
Step 9
Apply two coats of Resene Kermit to the garden stake, allowing two hours between coats.
Step 10
Apply two coats of Resene All Black to the centre, allowing two hours for each coat to dry. Fix the daisy head to the garden stake with an exterior screw, placing sufficient washers on either side, to ensure it turns freely without catching on the garden stake.