Angie, Thank you for the invitation to be a friend, It will be an honor for me. I think I can give you some help with questions in your woodworking projects.  Over the past few months you have gained much knowledge and I believe you can build and do about anything in your wood shop. 

  When time permits, I still have not forgotten to do up a video on some more type doors, as you have proven that you can build them.  

Thank you  again for the friendship and looking forward to exchanging project ideas.  Now if you can get your Husband involved in the projects the sky would be the limits as to what can be done. 

Angie what a nice lady you are to want to help an elderly gentleman.

The ones I have seen are made like airplane propellers.  These were very popular here not long ago as the Oregon Ducks were playing high in the football games and everyone was flying flags and wearing clothing in support of the Oregon Ducks.  Several had these whirley jigs in their yards and even small ones on hand held sticks and on auto antennas.

  The ones that were made of wood had wooden wings that looked airplane propellers.  I did see a couple whirley jigs where someone had actually taken the plastic airplane propellers off of a toy and added them to the side of jig sawn duck and when they were spinning looked pretty good.  What they had done was taken the propellers from what looked like the ones from a rubber band wind up toy and used a nail to attach them to the duck. When it was all painted up it was actually a classic way to make the jig. They actually spun fast in a light wind.  This would be the easy method but you could carve some from wood as well using a light weight wood and keep them balanced cutting the blades so that one would twist one way with the other one twisting the other way just like a propeller.

  Good luck with a nice project that will bring some happiness to someone.   Need more help please feel free to ask and I will make a sample.

Thanks Jay! when I was looking for you yesterday on my friend's list to send the message, couldn't believe you weren't on it! I ordered a book for beginning whirligig's and asked the hub for a bandsaw for my birthday/mother's day coming up. For the smaller intricate cuts, is it a bandsaw that I need?

thanks again, angie