How many of you practice sheet metal craft just to enjoy time away from the daily routine? This article describes how to make a sheet metal barn star.
It’s a perfect time to take a break from the typical sheet metal work that you do daily and do something different. Can you imagine making something that you don’t have to sell or fabricating some sheet metal piece you won’t need to install? Too many workers are pinned down in the shop in front of the bench laying out fitting after fitting and always in a hurry to run out the door at the end of the shift.
So for this month, let’s leave the ductwork alone and do something different, and perhaps a bit fun, too.
Sheet metal work can make for a very challenging and interesting hobby. It can also be a great way to break away from our everyday jobs.
Here is a pattern for making “barn stars,” which are symbols of good luck that adorn many barns and homes. The online library here has a 1922 article written by John Troland and how to make them, which is the basis for this article.
This layout is pretty easy to follow if you haven’t lost your knowledge of basic geometry and can develop the pattern of a pentagon, which is where the five-pointed star comes from.
It starts with Figure 1. To make the five points, begin by drawing a line the length of the diameter needed for the star as shown in Figure 1, Line 1-2. Bisect Line 1-2 to establish Point 3.
Draw a perpendicular line through Point 3 as shown from Line 4-5. Set the trammel points to half the diameter of the circle, or from Point 3 to Point 1. Using Point 3 as center, draw a complete circle as shown. Bisect Line 3-4, which establishes Point 6.
Setting the trammel from Point 6 to Point 1, placing one end on Point 6 and using it as center, make an arc intersecting Line 4-5 to establish Point 7.