Woodpecker Toy

Make a fun little desktop toy!

I'm proud to present you the project of the EU 3D Mystery Box for March 2019!
As spring is just around the corner, I thought a nice bird with a spring would be fitting.

Inspired by a wooden woodpecker toy I had when I was a kid, I re-created it to be 3D printable.

Besides the printed parts you will need:

• a metal rod, 200 mm long and 3 mm in diameter
• a spring from a ball pen (about 30 mm length and 4 mm diameter, can be cut if it is too long)
• a metal paper clip (not too thin, about 0,8 mm diameter should be fine)

All of these parts are inside the Mystery Box.

And you will need a little superglue to assemble the parts.

Instructions:

Watch this video to see how it is done:

https://youtu.be/jk6g_oqyR-A

First of all print each STL file for the bird and one stand.
You can choose between a small and a big stand. The small stand should be attached to the surface with some double sided tape (or else), the big one doesn't need to be attached.
The bird parts can be done in different colors, but should be the same material (e.g. all PLA or all PETG) to make sure they can be glued together.

Glue the beak into the hole of the head. Glue the head into the triangular hole of the body, make sure the beak faces to the same side as the hole in the body.
Last glue the tail into the slot on the back of the body. It only fits in one direction. Be careful and try not to break the pin.
Set the bird aside to let the glue dry.

Take the paper clip and unfold it.
Put the spring over one end and bend the clip (90°) at almost the length of the spring (about 2-5 mm shorter). Remove the spring and set it aside for later.
Bend the clip after 2-3 mm into the other direction (90°) to create a Z shape.
Now we will wind the paper clip around the rod. The windings should be tight, but not too tight to work propperly.
You can wrap some painters tape (or else) around the rod one or two times to create a little distance.
Now take the longer side of the paper clip and create a little curve around the rod about 7-8 mm behind the last bend.
To do this, the paper clip should lay on top of the rod (like a +) while the Z-shape is on the right side of it.
Now start wrapping it down (!) around the rod with the entire length of the clip. (see pictures)

You created the core of the ring piece. To assemble it lay the ring with the flat side on a desk, the slot should face up.
Slide in the core with the windings first and slide the upper Z part into the slot.
If done correctly the lower Z part should come out from about the middle of the hole in the side of the ring. (see pictures)

Now we will connect the bird and the ring with the spring.
Put some glue inside the hole in the birds body and the hole on the side of the ring.
Now take the spring and pull it over the lower Z part coming out of the ring and push it inside the side hole, into the glue. Add more glue if necessary.
Turn the ring around, so that the inserting slot on the flat side is facing down.
Take the bird and slide the hole in the body over the spring (with the lower Z-part now in the middle) and push it into the glue. Add more glue if necessary.
So when the ring will be pulled over the rod, the slot is on the lower side, and the beak should face towards the rod.

Set the bird attached to the ring aside and let it fully dry before you pull it over the rod!

Now take the base and put some glue into the hole in the middle. Slide the rod into that hole and let it fully dry.

When all parts are assembled and the glue is dry, you can slide the ring with the bird over the top of the rod.

If everythis is done correctly, the bird should stay in place on the top if left alone.
Now tip on the tail and it should "peck" its way down the rod.
Pull it up again and let it peck down and so on.

You made a sweet desktop toy. Congratulations!

Enjoy playing with it!