I am closing in on completing what has been a decades-long project. Many years ago, I thought it would be fun to build a weather station. I worked at a Boy Scout summer camp in high school, and we had a weather station. The weather station was constructed in the style of a Stevenson Screen. It consisted of a wood-framed box with louvers, to keep the instruments from overheating but still provide protection from the weather. It was painted white to reduce absorbing solar radiation and heating the instruments. The box contained a thermometer that recorded the maximum and minimum temperature, a hygrometer, barometer, and rain gauge.
One day I was at a rummage sale, and came across a group of six small, unpainted shutters, intended for windows. Perfect for the venting of a weather station. Usually a Stevenson Screen is a rectangular box, but I envisioned the weather station to be decorative as well as functional. Since I had six shutters, I decided to build a hexagonal box.
This obviously created several problems, as the sides are not joined in 90-degree angles. I built six frames, one for each shutter, and then beveled the sides on my table saw. I used a biscuit joiner to glue the frames together, and then used the assembly to trace and cut a top and bottom. I had an unpainted wood box and a pile of unpainted shutters.
And then the project sat in the garage for at least10 years. Other priorities arose, and I was not sure where I would install it. Then, we bought a farm. The weather station was moved to the barn, where it sat for another year. Since we now have a large garden, I decided to finally finish this project. Over the past few months, between other projects, I painted the shutters and box, and assembled most of the pieces.
Looking at the piece with a critical eye, I have to admit it is not the best thing I have ever built. The angles are not quite right, and the joints are a bit open in places. With a little weathering and from a distance, I think it will look OK. I have bought a few vintage weather instruments for it, including an anemometer and wind vane. I just need to finish and install a top cover, add a bracket to attach the whole thing to a post, and add the instruments. The hope is to have it ready for the garden in the spring. Time passes regardless of what you do. Fit in your projects whenever you can, and they will eventually get done.
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