How to Make a Carousel Wood Model
- 1). Slide on a pair of work gloves, safety glasses and a dust mask to protect your skin, eyes and lungs.
- 2). Measure and draw a 4-inch square onto a 2-by-4-inch piece of wood. Cut out the square with a saw. Sand the edges of the wood with 120-grit paper. Sand the edges of all cut wood with 120-grit paper. The 4-inch square acts as your carousel wood base.
- 3). Attach a router with a 1-inch bit. Route a 1-by-1-inch hole into the center of the wood base.
- 4). Cut two 6-inch-wide plywood circles. Drill a 7/8-inch hole through the center of each circle. The circles act as the top and bottom of your carousel.
- 5). Slide the first circle 1/2-inch over the right end of the dowel rod. Secure the circle into place with wood glue. Slide the second circle 1 1/4-inches over the left end of the dowel rod. Secure the second circle into place with wood glue.
- 6). Fit the left end of the dowel rod into the wood base hole. Wrap a piece of masking tape around the dowel rod on the underside of the top circle to prevent the circle from falling downward. The body of the carousel is now complete.
- 7). Pour 5 cups water and 1 cup flour into a pot to create a papier-mache mix. Boil the mix for three minutes. Allow the mix to cool for five minutes. Pour the mix into a medium size bowl.
- 8). Soak a 1-by-3-inch newspaper strip into the mix. Press the strip into the body of the carousel -- minus the wood base. Continue until the entire body of the carousel is covered in one layer of newspaper. Repeat this step with paper towel strips. Allow four hours for the carousel to dry.
- 9). Coat the carousel, including the wood base, with acrylic paint. Allow two hours for the carousel to dry.
- 10
Bond five evenly spaced 2-by-2-inch plastic horses to the bottom circle with permanent epoxy. Measure the length from the back of each horse to the underside of the top circle. - 11
Cut five plastic drinking straws to the measured length. Bond the one straw to the top of the back of one horse and the underside of the top circle. Repeat for the four remaining straws and horses. The carousel horses and poles are now installed. - 12
Paint the poles with acrylic paint. Bond faux beads and jewels to the carousel with permanent epoxy as you see fit.
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