Farm Weather Vane

by Doug Beck of Arcadia, UT

Having completed the construction of a new barn many years ago, something appeared missing as I observed from a distance. After some time pondering what was absent, I came to the conclusion the barn was lacking a weather vane on top of the cupola. I decided to come up with something that would be both functional and unique and could be built in the farm shop at little or no expense. I couldn’t find much information about building weather vanes but got a few ideas to start the thinking process. After a little “design as you build,” a suitable weather vane was constructed.

The silhouette figure, including the arrow, to be mounted on the upper horizontal bar, can be anything of your own choosing. This gives you a chance to be creative and personalize your own weather vane. The rear portion of the vane silhouette should have a large enough surface area to easily catch the breezes and turn the vane into the wind. (The manure pile on the rear portion on my silhouette could have been larger.) The silhouette can be cut from aluminum, plastic, or tempered masonite. I used 1/4 inch thick tempered masonite and gave it several good coats of enamel paint. After a dozen plus years of exposure to the weather, it is still in good condition.

The four letters indicating the direction quadrants are four inches high and are cut from 1/8 inch plate steel. Three-eighths inch diameter steel rods, eight inches long, are welded to the letters and then to the 1/2 inch thick by 3 inch diameter center disc. The center disc, with the rods and letters, slides over the main vertical shaft which is made from a piece of 3/4 inch pipe. Welding the center disc to the pipe vertical shaft prevents turning of the disc and keeps the direction quadrant letters properly oriented.

The upper horizontal bar, to which the silhouette figure is attached, is approximately 40 inches in length and is made from a piece of 1/8 inch by 3/4 inch steel flat. The horizontal bar is welded to the top of a 5/8 inch diameter steel rod which slides into the top of the pipe vertical shaft and forms the movable portion of the weather vane. Two quarter circle reinforcing pieces are cut from 1/4 inch thick steel plate and are welded to the upper horizontal bar and the 5/8 inch rod for reinforcement.

The weather collar prevents water and debris from getting into the pipe vertical shaft. The collar is made using a copper float from a toilet flush mechanism. A 5/8 inch diameter hole is drilled in the top end of the float and a one inch diameter hole in the bottom end. The float is slid up the 5/8 inch rod and soldered in place approximately five inches below the horizontal bar.

To aid the vane mechanism in rotating freely with the wind direction changes, a single 3/8 or 1/2 inch diameter steel ball is placed in a pipe cap filled with light weight oil and then the cap is screwed onto the threaded bottom end of the pipe vertical shaft. The 5/8 inch rod is then slid into the top of the pipe shaft, with the bottom end of the rod resting on the top of the steel ball and oil in the pipe cap. The length of the rod, as measured from the top of the weather collar to the top of the steel ball in the oil, should be an inch or two longer than the pipe vertical shaft. This extra length will allow a small gap between the top of the 3/4 inch pipe vertical shaft and the top of the inside of the copper float used for the weather collar.

When the silhouette is completed, it is attached to the horizontal bar with half a dozen machine screws. The silhouette can easily be removed and repainted or changed by removal of the screws.

The weather vane can be mounted in several ways. For my application, I drilled a hole through the peak of the cupola and slid the pipe shaft down inside the cupola. The pipe shaft was anchored to a wooden cross brace using pipe strap or electrical conduit brackets. As an alternative, an exterior mounting system of strap iron or angle iron “legs” could be constructed for mounting on a rooftop similar to a TV antenna.

Following installation, I used a heavy gauge copper wire attached to a long copper rod driven into the soil for grounding the weather vane, which would also act as a lightning rod during thunderstorms.

To me, the completed weather vane has a lot of similarity to the small farm philosophy and the Small Farmer’s Journal – holding a steady course into the wind—rain or shine, daylight or darkness, good times or bad. In fact, the silhouette on my weather vane of a farmer using a horse drawn manure spreader was taken from the first edition of the Work Horse Handbook. Now, during each trip to the barnyard, I observe the likeness of Lynn Miller heading out into the wind with “another load.” Boswell Adroit has made comments to the effect that he also thought it an appropriate beacon and living memorial to Lynn Miller depicting what he enjoys and does best – spreading “it” far and wide and in all directions – being wise enough, of course, to always keep himself upwind!