Balanced DRAGONFLY SCULPTURE

A marvelous, "gravity-defying" figurine

- Ken Burton

I remember making a "sky hook" with my fellow Webelos years ago in my dad's basement shop. It was a simple sawn-out shape that hung a belt off the side of a table, seemingly in defiance of gravity. Ever since then, I have been fascinated by clever objects that take advantage of the laws of physics to create an illusion. This simple dragonfly sculpture does just that; the low, forward sweeping wings put the center of gravity right below the tip of the dragonfly's nose, allowing it to balance "magically" on nearly anything. The design grew out of a similar one that I saw once in a craft gallery. I modified it and used it as an "introduction to the scroll saw" project for some of the technology education classes I was teaching. It was a great project on several levels: the kids liked the finished product, it was forgiving of mistakes, it didn't use a lot of material, and it offered students a chance to think about why it worked. Now I offer it to you as a fun way to spend a couple of hours in the shop. Maybe you have some scouts or a grandchild or two to share it with. Enjoy.

Three thin parts combine to balance on a dowel