Whirligigs FAQs

  • Information
    General information about Whirligigs
  • 1. What is a Whirligig?

    A Whirligig is an object that spins or whirls, or has at least one member that spins or whirls. Whirligigs are also known as pinwheels, buzzers, comic weathervanes, gee-haws, spinners, whirlygigs, whirlijig, whirlyjig, whirlybird, or plain whirly.

    Whirligigs are most commonly powered by the wind and displayed in Yards.

    The Whirligigs made by JaxWhirligigs are of the winged variety, each Whirligig has two spinning arms, wings or legs.
  • 2. What are your Whirligigs made from?

    The Whirligigs that JaxWhirligigs makes are made from solid wood. The bodies are made from 1" select whitewood planks (actual 3/4" thickness) The wings are made from select whitewood planks cut from 2X4 and 2X6 whitewood lumber. The wing hubs are made from 1X2 Select whitewood lumber. The wing mounting screw is solid brass or stainless steel screws inserted through a 6/6 nylon sleeve inserted into the wing hub and has a 6/6 nylon washer on each side screwed to a birch dowel as center post.
  • 3. What is so special about solid wood wings?

    Many whirligigs wings are made from poplar, oak or birch plywoods (also called baltic and finnish plywood), approximately 5/32", 3/16" or 1/4" of an inch thick.

    Plywood is made from multiple layers of wood veneers glued together.  The outside surface is finished to a very smooth surface however as there are multiple layers glued together there is the possibility of delamination which is separation of the layers.  Everyone that uses plywood for wings is careful to apply a good coat of paint and sealer to the edges however after time delamination can still occur.

    JaxWhirligigs wings are made from solid wood.  We take 2 x4 or 2 x 6 select whitewood studs and rip them into approxmately 3/16" thick planks which are then cut into the wing shapes on a scroll saw and then sanded, assembled, primed and then painted for that particular Whirligig.
  • 4. Why does your Whirligigs Cost so little/so much?

    We get comments from folks all the time... Why are your Whirligigs so inexpensive? or Why do they cost so much? We believe our Whirligigs are some of the least expensive you can find, especially when you consider that each Whirligig comes with a PVC yard Stake and the body and wings are made from real solid wood. Some whirligigs take twice (or more) as much wood, or time to cut the individual parts.  Additionally the painting for Whirligigs can vary widely from 2 colors to 6 or more, each having to be applied as an individual step. We try to price them as low as we can based on the above factors as well as demand and amount of work involved. Trust us when we say we are not making our Whirligigs in order to make a fortune, the majority of profits go right back into additional supplies.
  • 5. Are some of your Whirligigs available in Different Colors?

    Many of our Whirligigs are available in different color combinations/options.

    Some of the different color options can be viewed here:
    https://jaxwhirligigs.com/ColorOptions/

    Our Dragonflys come in a large number of color combinations:
    https://jaxwhirligigs.com/Dragonflys/

    Our Football player color options keep increasing and you can view what we have done so far here: https://jaxwhirligigs.com/Football

    In addition we will consider special color requests, just use our Contact Form to ask or just call us 904-302-1791
  • Help
    Frequently asked Help Questions about your Whirligig
  • 1. My Whirligig wings have stopped spinning

    Over time some Whirligig wings may tighten up on the center post.

    Just take a #2 Phillips head screwdriver and turn the screw counter clockwise, usually a 1/4 turn is all that is needed, until the wing spins freely again.
  • 2. I ordered a Whirligig Online how do I make a Yard Stake?

    All Whirligigs that are picked up in person come with a PVC Yard stake ready for immediate use. If you order a Whirligig online we do ship a PVC yard stake, depending on the size box required for your Whirligig the Stake may be 1 piece, 2 pieces or even three pieces.  The multiple piece yard stakes come with connectors which just require you to press the pieces together. We also provide instructions for various types of Yard Stakes on this page. https://jaxwhirligigs.com/yard-stakes/


Comments

Whirligigs FAQs — 4 Comments

  1. Hello Douglas,

    Is this in higher winds as well as lower speeds?

    Have you tried using a Fan to test from one side then the other, it could be that the body is causing enough disruption to slow the opposing wing down however that should not make any difference in higher winds.

    I do use wood screws with a smooth shaft portion so not sure what an all threaded screw would do.

    -Bob

  2. I’ve made three whirligig birds, for some reason all three of them one wing turns a little slower than the other. I’ve checked to make sure nothing is binding and everything is free turning. I’ve even tried swapping the blades around on the birds and they still do the same thing. The only thing I can think of is I have a threaded bolt throw the center and I’m wondering if that is creating a drag on the the one wing. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Douglas

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*