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How to fold an origami forklift

Cut an orange body with a round counterweight. Bend black and grey strips into a cage and a mast with a fork, pleat a brown pallet, then add a box and wheels.

You need: Orange paper 16 × 11 cm, black strip 28 × 1.4 cm, grey strip 24 × 1.8 cm, brown 8 × 4 cm, tan 6 × 11 cm, two black squares, scissors, glue. Hard, 24 steps, about 40 minutes.

Steps

  1. Body: fold in half. Start white side up. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge, so the body is orange on both sides with the fold along the top.
  2. Body: shape it. Cut the top back corner into a big round counterweight, snip the bottom back corner round, and cut the front on a slant down to the nose.
  3. Cage: new sheet. Set the body aside. Take the long black strip, white side up.
  4. Cage: in half. Fold it in half the long way, so it is a thin black bar.
  5. Cage: back post. 9 cm from the bottom, fold the rest of the bar over on a 45° slant so it points forward. That's the back post and the roof.
  6. Cage: front post. 8.5 cm along the roof, fold the end down on a slant, so it leans forward a little. That's the front post.
  7. Mast: new sheet. Set the cage aside. Take the long grey strip, white side up.
  8. Mast: in half. Fold it in half the long way, so it is a grey bar.
  9. Mast: fork. 15 cm from the top, fold the rest of the bar over on a 45° slant so it points forward. That's the fork.
  10. Mast: fork tip. Cut the tip of the fork on a slant, so it gets thinner at the end.
  11. Pallet: new sheet. Set the mast aside. Take the brown piece, brown side up, long side across.
  12. Pallet: fold up. Fold the bottom edge up, creasing 1.8 cm above it.
  13. Pallet: pleat. Fold it back down on a crease 8 mm higher. The pleat makes a thick board along the bottom, like a real pallet.
  14. Box: new sheet. Set the pallet aside. Take the tan piece, white side up, long side upright.
  15. Box: lid. Fold the bottom edge up to 8 mm below the top edge, so a white lid strip shows along the top.
  16. Back wheel: new sheet. Set the box aside. Take the smaller black square, white side up.
  17. Back wheel: corners in. Fold all four corners in to meet in the middle.
  18. Back wheel: middle. Fold each point back out a little, so a small white square shows in the middle. That's the hub.
  19. Back wheel: round it. Fold the four points of the square a little way behind, so the wheel looks round.
  20. Front wheel: new sheet. Set the back wheel aside and take the bigger black square, white side up.
  21. Front wheel: corners in. Fold all four corners in to the middle.
  22. Front wheel: middle. Fold each point back out a little for the hub.
  23. Front wheel: round it. Fold the four points behind to round it off.
  24. Build the forklift. Glue the body, then the pallet with the box on top, behind. Add the cage over the seat, the mast in front with the fork under the pallet, and the wheels.

Lift it!

Draw a black seat, a steering wheel, grille lines on the counterweight, gaps in the pallet and tape on the box. Beep beep, coming through!

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