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How to Build a Craft Steel Merry-Go-Round

Building a steel merry-go-round toy is a creative way to express your passion for carnivals and playtime. Real merry-go-rounds ̵2; or carousels ̵2; have stationary bases that rotate in a circle. Many merry-go-rounds have plastic horses attached to the top of the base. Children sit on top of the horses and are taken in a roundabout motion while the merry-go-round is activated. A craft model of a merry-go-round requires a straightforward building process and makes for an ideal toy for any child or fellow carnival enthusiast.

Things You'll Need

Work gloves
Safety glasses
Marker
Measuring tape
Hack saw
1/4-inch-by-6-inch circular steel sheet (2)
Adbrasive sanding pad
1/2-inch-by-4-inch steel dowel rod
Spray paint
Solder gun
Solder wire
Damp sponge
Saw
2-inch-by-3-inch-by-4-inch wood base
120-grit sandpaper
Drill
1 1/4-inch router bit
1/8-by-1 1/4-inch rubber silicone strip
Permanent epoxy
1-inch-by-1-inch wood circle
2-inch-by-2-inch plastic horses (2)
2-inch plastic straws (4)

Instructions

- 1
  Slide on a pair of work gloves, safety glasses and a dust mask to protect your skin, eyes and lungs.
- 2
  Measure and cut two quarter-inch circular steel sheets to a width of 6 inches with a hack saw. Measure and cut a half-inch steel dowel rod to a length of 4 inches. Dull the sawed edges of each steel piece with an abrasive sanding pad.
- 3
  Preheat a solder gun. Rub solder wire onto the gun tip. Wipe the tip clean with a damp sponge.
- 4
  Place one 6-inch circle onto a work surface. Sit one of the short ends of the 4-inch rod onto the sheet at center. Touch the end of the solder wire to the connection point between the circle and the base of the rod. Touch the hot gun tip to the wire to secure the bond. Bond the entire circumference of the rod base.
- 5
  Place and center the second 6-inch circle atop the rod. Solder the second sheet atop the rod. Turn off the solder gun. The carousel body is now complete. Spray paint the carousel body with whatever colors you like. Allow two hours for the body to dry.
- 6
  Cut out a 2-inch-by-3-inch-by-4-inch wood base with a saw. Smooth the piece with 120-grit sandpaper. Drill a 1-inch deep hole into the wood base at center with a 1 1/4-inch router bit. Sand the hole. Spray paint the base and allow two hours to dry.
- 7
  Fit and bond an one-eighth-inch-by-1 1/4-inch rubber silicone strip to the inside edge of the base hole with permanent epoxy.
- 8
  Cut out and sand a 1-inch-by-1-inch wood circle. Bond the circle to the underside of the carousel body at center. Set the body into the wood base hole via the wood circle.
- 9
  Spray paint four 2-inch-long plastic straws. Evenly space and bond four 2-inch-by-2-inch plastic horses to the upper side of the carousel floor with permanent epoxy. Fit and bond one straw between the back of each horse and the underside of the carousel roof.

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