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How to fold an origami construction site

A real project. Snip a lattice crane mast and jib, pleat a turntable and hang a hook. Add a digger with a reverse-folded arm, a dump truck, a brick wall, a worker and cones, and stand it up.

You need: 21 pieces: yellow 2 × 16 and 1.6 × 14 cm strips, sky-blue A4, brown, orange, black, grey, red, lime and skin bits (sizes in steps). Scissors, glue.. Challenge, 75 steps, about 90 minutes.

Steps

  1. Crane mast: fold in half. Start with the crane mast: a 2 × 16 cm yellow strip, yellow side up, standing tall. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  2. Mast: in half. Fold the top edge down onto the bottom edge.
  3. Mast: and again. Fold the bottom edge up onto the top fold.
  4. Mast: once more. Fold it in half once more, top down, to a small 1 × 2 cm stack. Crease hard.
  5. Mast: snip the lattice. Snip a triangle off both corners on the folded side of the stack, 7 mm across and 8 mm down. Each snip will open into a diamond hole.
  6. Mast: open it. Unfold the last fold.
  7. Mast: open again. Unfold the next fold.
  8. Mast: and again. Unfold the next fold too.
  9. Mast: open flat. Open the long fold. A column of diamond holes leaves criss-cross struts between two straight rails: a steel lattice mast.
  10. Mast: pleat the turntable. Fold the top part down in front, creasing 5.5 cm below the top edge.
  11. Mast: pleat, back up. Fold it back up 5 mm lower. The pleat leaves a ledge across the mast: the turntable the jib swings on.
  12. Mast: point the top. Cut both top corners off on a slant, from the top middle down to the sides 2 cm lower. The point is the crane's peak.
  13. Jib: new sheet. Set the mast aside. For the jib, take a 1.6 × 14 cm yellow strip, yellow side up, lying long.
  14. Jib: fold in half. Fold the top edge down onto the bottom edge.
  15. Jib: in half. Fold the left end over onto the right end.
  16. Jib: and again. Fold the right end back over onto the left fold.
  17. Jib: once more. Fold the left end over onto the right once more, to a small stack 1.75 cm long. Crease hard.
  18. Jib: snip the lattice. Snip a triangle off both corners on the folded edge of the stack, 7.5 mm along and 5.5 mm down, just like the mast.
  19. Jib: open it. Unfold the last fold.
  20. Jib: open again. Unfold the next fold.
  21. Jib: and again. Unfold the next fold too.
  22. Jib: open flat. Open the long fold. The jib is a long lattice arm like the mast.
  23. Counterweight: new sheet. Set the jib aside. For the counterweight, take a 1.4 × 3.6 cm grey piece, grey side up, standing tall.
  24. Counterweight: pleat. Fold the bottom edge up, creasing 1 cm above it.
  25. Counterweight: pleat, back down. Fold the flap back down 5 mm higher. The ledge splits the weight into two heavy concrete blocks.
  26. Hook block: new sheet. Set the weight aside. For the hook block, take a 1.4 cm red square, red side up.
  27. Hook block: point it. Fold both bottom corners behind on a slant, so the block ends in a point where the hook hangs.
  28. Ground: new sheet. Set the hook aside. For the ground, take a 29.7 × 4.3 cm brown strip, brown side up, lying long.
  29. Ground: neat edge. Fold the top edge behind 4 mm, for a neat straight edge of dug earth.
  30. Brick wall: new sheet. Set the ground aside. For the brick wall, take a 6 × 3.5 cm terracotta piece, red side up, lying long.
  31. Brick wall: fold in half. Fold the right half over onto the left half.
  32. Brick wall: open it. Open it out again.
  33. Brick wall: snip. Snip down the middle fold from the top edge, 1.2 cm.
  34. Brick wall: half built. Fold the top of the right half behind, level with the end of the snip. The wall steps down: the builders aren't done yet.
  35. Worker: new sheet. Set the wall aside. For the worker, take a 2.4 × 3 cm lime piece, lime side up, standing tall.
  36. Worker: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  37. Worker: cut the body. Snip a slant up the fold from the bottom, 1.2 cm, between the legs. Round the top open corner for a shoulder; snip the bottom one for a boot.
  38. Worker: open it. Open it out: a sturdy worker in a lime safety suit, with two legs and round shoulders.
  39. Head: new sheet. Set the body aside. For the head, take a 1.6 cm skin-tone square.
  40. Head: round it. Fold each corner behind, 5 mm along both edges.
  41. Hard hat: new sheet. Set the head aside. For the hard hat, take a 2 × 0.9 cm bright yellow piece, yellow side up.
  42. Hard hat: round the dome. Fold both top corners behind on a slant, 6 mm along both edges. The bottom stays wide: that's the brim.
  43. Digger track: new sheet. Set the hat aside. Now the digger. For its track, take a 6 × 2.4 cm black strip, lying long.
  44. Track: fold in half. Fold the top half behind, the long way.
  45. Track: round the ends. Cut all four corners round through both layers, in small snips, so both ends of the track are curved like a real crawler track.
  46. Digger house: new sheet. Set the track aside. For the digger's house, take a 4.8 × 3.6 cm orange piece, orange side up.
  47. House: fold in half. Fold the bottom half behind.
  48. House: slope the back. Fold the top-left corner a little way behind, so the back of the house slopes down.
  49. Bucket: new sheet. Set the house aside. For the bucket, take a 1.7 cm dark grey square, grey side up.
  50. Bucket: fold the diagonal. Fold the top-left half behind along the diagonal, making a triangle. The long slanted edge is the bucket's open mouth.
  51. Bucket: round the back. Fold the square corner at the bottom right a little way behind, so the back of the bucket is round.
  52. Digger arm: new sheet. Set the bucket aside. For the arm, take a 4 × 8.4 cm orange strip, white side up, lying long.
  53. Arm: fold in half. Fold the strip in half the long way, bottom edge up to the top edge.
  54. Arm: in half again. Fold it in half the long way once more, so it is thick and orange all over. The fold along the bottom is the underside of the arm.
  55. Arm: bend the elbow. Outside-reverse-fold the right part so it points back down: open the layers a little and wrap them around the outside along a slanted crease.
  56. Digger cab: new sheet. Set the arm aside. For the cab, take a 2 × 2.4 cm orange piece, orange side up, standing tall.
  57. Cab: windscreen. Fold the top-right corner down in front on a slant. The white triangle is the windscreen.
  58. Truck tipper: new sheet. Set the cab aside. Now the dump truck. For its tipper, take a 3.6 × 4.8 cm grey piece, grey side up.
  59. Tipper: fold in half. Fold the bottom half behind.
  60. Tipper: slant the back. Cut the bottom-left corner off on a slant, 1.2 cm up and 1.1 cm along: the back of the tipper tilts up, ready to dump.
  61. Truck cab: new sheet. Set the tipper aside. For the truck's cab, take a 2.4 × 3 cm red piece, red side up, standing tall.
  62. Truck cab: windscreen. Fold the top-right corner down in front on a slant, 1 cm each way: a white windscreen.
  63. Wheel 1: new sheet. Set the cab aside. For a wheel, take a 1.8 cm black square.
  64. Wheel 1: round it. Fold each corner behind, 5 mm along both edges. The wheel is a chunky octagon.
  65. Wheel 2: new sheet. Set the wheel aside and take a second 1.8 cm black square.
  66. Wheel 2: round it. Fold each corner behind, 5 mm along both edges. The wheel is a chunky octagon.
  67. Cone 1: new sheet. Set the wheel aside. For a traffic cone, take a 2.2 × 2.9 cm orange piece, orange side up, standing tall.
  68. Cone 1: white stripe. Fold the bottom edge up 6 mm in front. The white band is the cone's shiny stripe.
  69. Cone 1: taper it. Fold both sides behind on a slant, from 2.5 mm off the middle at the top down to the bottom corners. A pointy cone!
  70. Cone 2: new sheet. Set the cone aside and fold a second one just the same.
  71. Cone 2: white stripe. Fold the bottom edge up 6 mm in front. The white band is the cone's shiny stripe.
  72. Cone 2: taper it. Fold both sides behind on a slant, from 2.5 mm off the middle at the top down to the bottom corners. A pointy cone!
  73. Sky: new sheet. Set the cone aside. Last, the sky: a sky-blue A4 sheet, blue side up, lying long.
  74. Build the site. Glue the crane mast at the left, the jib across its top, weight and hook below. Then ground, wall, worker, digger, truck and cones, as shown.
  75. Stand it up. Bend the sky gently towards you between the wall and the digger, and stand the whole building site up on the table.

Hard hats on!

Draw the crane's tie bars, cable and hook, the brick joints, the worker's face and stripes, and the digger and truck details. White clouds in the sky.

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