Wood

Get creative with these wooden craft ideas! With so much to see and do, take a peek at these activities to get you started!

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Pulley System

Learn about the STEAM areas of Science, Gravity, Physics, Force and Engineering with this hands-on activity!
  • Step 1 We have used a wooden spool for the basis of our pulley system. Thread this spool onto a wooden stick and thread a wooden cube onto each end of the stick. We will attach these with glue in a later step. Set aside.
  • Step 2 To create a handle for your pulley, use a short piece of pop stick with a hole in either end and push a wooden stick into each hole. Attach with glue.
  • Step 3 Onto one of the wooden sticks thread a wooden cube and then a spool. Attach the spool with glue and then wrap 40cm of string around it and then attach the end of the string to another spool with glue or a double knot.
  • Step 4 Thread another wooden cube onto the end of the stick and then glue a small spool to the end to hold the rest in place.
  • Step 5 Place another 2 cubes under the first 2 cubes and attach with glue. Your pulley is complete! We then created a base structure for the pulley to sit on.
  • Step 6 Decorate your balsa block or box and attach 2 wooden cubes to the back corners of the surface. Look to the image as a guide. Make sure the holes in your wooden cubes are facing upwards. You might like to add some wheels to your base using spools and wooden sticks.
  • Step 7 Attach 2 wooden sticks to your cubes with glue and then attach a small wooden spool to the top of each stick. We used a hot glue gun. Attach your pulley to your base structure using our image as a guide. Add a small dab of glue to the end of each stick at the top of the pulley to restrict movement. Check out your new pulley- Start lifting that heavy wooden spool!

Materials used in this activity

Balsa Wood Assortment - Pack of 150
Optional
Product Code: 10020
EACH $32.99 (inc GST) $29.99 (ex GST)
4 or more $26.39 (inc GST) $23.99 (ex GST)          
Increase value Decrease value
Product Code: 12382
EACH $5.49 (inc GST) $4.99 (ex GST)
Increase value Decrease value
Construction Value Pack - Natural
Optional
Product Code: 12408
EACH $76.99 (inc GST) $69.99 (ex GST)
3 or more $57.74 (inc GST) $52.49 (ex GST)          
Increase value Decrease value
Product Code: 12505
EACH $29.68 (inc GST) $26.98 (ex GST)
5 or more $21.43 (inc GST) $19.48 (ex GST)          
Increase value Decrease value
Product Code: 15518
EACH $3.84 (inc GST) $3.49 (ex GST)
Increase value Decrease value