Nutcracker (Nusskracken)
6 feet tall and it works!
See how to build one below 

Coming soon: I am trying to find better photos

This is a great Christmas decoration. I built it in 1992 for the 100th anniversary of the Nutcracker Ballet. It has been very popular in the neighborhood - in fact, school buses stop and honk the horn so we can turn it on for the kids to watch.
It consists of a plywood frame covered with linoleum (wrong side out). The "tail" is a separate frame. It mimics the familiar small nutcracker in appearance and operation. It is actuated by a 7 rpm display motor and crank. The "nut" is actually a nut. I used half of a coconut shell cut into 4 sections and drilled holes in all the corners of the sections. The sections are connected together with waxed brown shoe laces looped between the holes. When the tail is operating and the mouth closes, the nut "cracks". Then the mouth opens and the nut regains its shape.

Parts List

Use Material Source
Frame 1/2" or 5/8" plywood Home Center
Arms/Legs 4" dia. plastic pipe Home Center
Mustache 1/4" masonite or plywood (2" x 8") Home Center
All 1" drywall screws Home Center
Body Linoleum Home Center
All Staples (1/4" heavy duty) Home Center
Hat 1/32" thick black plastic Home Center
Details 2" wide 3M decorator tape (red, white, black, yellow) Home Center
Edges 2" wide paper packing tape Home Center
Hair White nylon rope (any size - unravel to make "hair") Home Center
Trim Yellow poly rope (1/2 dia. & 1/4 dia.) Home Center
Mounting 5/16 x 2" lag screws Home Center
Arm Mtg. 1/2" dia. steel bar stock Home Center
Drive System 1/4" dia. steel bar stock Home Center
Motor Mtg. 1/8 x 3/4 flat steel bar Home Center
Drive System 1/4-20 threaded rod Home Center
Drive System 1/4-20 x 1" bolts Home Center
Drive System 1/4-20 nuts Home Center
Drive System 1/4 dia. rod ends Industrial Supply
Drive System Display motor - Dayton #3M096 7rpm Grainger Supply
Drive System 120V line cord Home Center
"Nut" Coconut Grocery Store
"Nut" Brown shoe laces (waxed) Drug Store
Hands Black plastic toilet tank floats Home Center
Detail Large plastic candy cane (3' long) Home Center
Frame Oil-based primer paint Home Center
All Enamel Home Center

 

The plywood frame is fastened together with drywall screws (construction adhesive optional).
See plans below for suggested approximate dimensions
Circular pieces of plywood are used for the bottom of the coat, waist, shoulders, top of head and top of hat. Vary the diameters appropriately.
Cross pieces of plywood in the hat and head area using notches.
Taper pieces in the chest area and add shelf for motor.
Cut two holes in the bottom circular piece for the legs to fit through.
Two straight pieces in the bottom area (legs will attach to these later).

 

Body and "tail" frames painted with oil-based primer. This is an important step - the first frame I built mildewed and rotted after only a few seasons. This one will last.

 

Cover with linoleum (inside out) stapled to the wood frame. I cut it a little large, stapled, then trimmed with utility knife.
The gaps & corners can be covered with paper packing tape before painting for a finished look.
Paint with a couple coats of enamel.
2" wide decorator tape (3M) is used for the details and seems to weather quite well.

The arms (24" lg.) and legs (33" lg.) are made from 4" plastic pipe. The legs go through holes in the bottom wood piece and are fastened to the frame. The arms are mounted on a 1/2" rod which goes through the frame.
 
 Here's the general construction layout.
Space the holes for the legs about 7" apart.
This view shows the position of the motor shelf. It should be a little over 7" wide. This is the "mouth" section.
This view shows all the dimensions for the non-circular pieces. Make the motor shelf to fit.
Make the frame about 7" wide, should have some clearance when you put it in the "mouth" section. Locate holes in the body frame from the upper holes in the tail frame. Use 3/8 or 1/2 bolts. I put bushings in the tail holes for smooth operation. The other holes in the tail frame are for the linkage rod from the motor crank.

The slots in the top are clearance for the 1/2 rod that goes through the body frame to mount the arms (4" plastic pipe).

Drive motor


Motor location
(drive system is earlier attempt)

Parallel Shaft AC Gearmotor, Nameplate Speed 6.9 RPM, Input Power 1/100 HP, Voltage @ 60 Hz 115, Rotation CW, Starting Torque 27 Inch Pounds, Full Load Torque 35 Inch Pounds, Full Load Current 0.55 Amp, Enclosure Open, Motor Type Shaded Pole - $37.65

 

The drive mechanism is pretty simple. Mount the display motor on the shelf using purchased angles or bent up strapping - should be fairly heavy-duty. Position is not critical - somewhere in the middle.

I made a crank out of some strapping, but a better one would be from bar stock. The motor shaft has a flat, but I didn't trust putting a set screw in the crank to keep it from turning. I installed a screw parallel to and contacting the flat for a positive lock.

I used 1/4" industrial rod ends since they are self-aligning. Cut the threaded rod to fit after mounting the "tail" section. Use a piece of 1/4" round bar or threaded rod through the "tail" to make the connection. You may have to play with the location a bit to get the opening and closing action to work right.
some weeks later...

OK, you got him working to your satisfaction, now for the decoration. I made a nose out of plywood, glued and screwed on.

Drill holes near the top of the frame (see "notch" on tail drawing) to install 1/2" steel rod. Mount the "arms" on this. Make a couple of plywood covers for the tops of the "arms".  Mount black plastic toilet tank floats in the arms to serve as "hands". Cut a couple holes in one of them if you want to have him holding a big candy cane (see pictures).

Cover the "head" and "body" sections with linoleum (wrong side out - takes paint very well) stapled and trimmed.

Mount "legs" through the holes in the bottom of the frame and secure them to the frame with screws.

Paint him in your choice of colors.

The "hat" section can be covered with 1/32" thick black plastic - I found some at the home center that has a gloss finish. Staple on and trim.

Cut out a mustache from masonite, mount with a screw.

You can make boots from the same black plastic as the hat - mount with Velcro for easy removal.

Use the black plastic to make an access cover for the angled part of the "tail" (so you can access the drive system).

2" wide 3M decorating tape has lasted all these years. Easy way to make patterns is to use some drawing program on your PC and print them to use as templates.

Use nylon or poly rope for trim and piping. The "hair" is white nylon or poly rope unraveled and "ratted" (my wife's idea). Run a piece of wire around his head and tie the hair to it. His "beard" is made by unraveling lengths of rope and putting them through holes in the front part of the "tail" frame (see pictures).

Now comes the fun - the "nut". Cut a coconut in half and clean out. Cut half of the shell in quarters and drill 1/8" holes in each corner of the sections. Loop brown waxed shoelaces through these holes to connect the sections as shown:

Top and bottom loops have mounting loops to attach the nut. Make the loops just loose enough to let the nut collapse when the mounting loops are brought together.

Mounting the nut in his mouth is a bit tricky - I just use a "stubby" screwdriver and position his mouth open. Get it as far toward the front of his mouth as possible - when his mouth closes the nut has to be outside and collapsed.

The trickiest part is playing with the mounting loops and locations so that when his mouth is open the nut looks "whole".

Everyone will stop to look at and take pictures of your display, we even won 2nd place in the city contest (paid for most of the materials).

 

 

Suggested stand - (2) 2"x4"x8' notched and crossed, bolted through the center. Make uprights 2"x4"x16" notched to fit and bolted. Slip the nutcracker's legs over the uprights and bolt.

You can use this stand to mount auxiliary features. I made toy soldiers out of 6" & 2" plastic pipe, put 2"x2" inside the legs and bolted them on.

Stand comes apart for storage - only takes about 20 min. to set up the display.