Applebucking Applejack Whirligig for XmasGiveaway

Whew!
I honestly sat down to this project thinking, "Quick and easy; something completely from recycled wood to knock out in a jiffy before my scroll saw gets here." Boy was I mistaken. With multiple multiple versions of the hind legs, about five different designs for the driving mechanism and two completely finished but scrapped drive shafts, this whirligig took me nearly as long as the bullfrog cookie jar, and it still glitches a bit in high wind. (To be fair, it's the Texas panhandle in fall; the wind never drops below 25mph. It seems to work fine in normal wind speeds, that is to say, a couple of hairdryers a few feet away.)
I don't know whether I felt more frustrated or challenged by this piece; it certainly was a new experience, and one I probably should have researched a bit before trying. Learning how to arrange a driving mechanism or carve a propeller by trial and error is, in fact, not a great idea.

But she is finished now, and she does seem to work fairly well. Plus I wanted one more harvesty/autumnal pony before the seasons slide toward snow and ice. At least, that's what it's threatening to do here; I dunno about wherever y'all live. An applebucking piece seemed to fit the bill. Now, what I'm going to do with it I still don't know. It might end up in the Christmas giveaway or, since it was a huge pain in the tuckus, it might go up for sale. is definitely going in the giveaway.

Want to see more of this piece? Check out a work in progress gallery to laugh at me as I make mistake after mistake, or see her complete gallery for detail shots and more pictures. Or, watch a video of her on youtube.


Applejack and My Little Pony belong to Hasbro.