How to build a fan for the summer

1. Bladeless Fan

If you live in constant fear of a motorized bladed fan malfunctioning and falling on you like in the movies, have a curious kid who might try to stick their hands in a fan, or don't like the bladed fan aesthetic, a bladeless fan is a good choice for your household. And you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on one, because you can make it yourself using household and easily accessible items.

To make this project, you will need a plastic bucket and water filter pipe, 110mm PVC pipe and coupling, a body spray bottle, 12V motor and 12V battery, and an electric switch. You can then follow the step-by-step tutorial in the video above to complete the build for your bladeless fan.

2. Electric Table Fan Made Using Bottle

Don't trash your next empty Coca-Cola (or other soft drink) bottle. Use it to make a simple table fan that you can carry wherever and save Mother Nature from more plastic. Besides the bottle, you'll also need a 12V DC motor, a 9V battery, switch, and polystyrene form.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsuYTL1kvsI

With all the materials ready, carefully cut the plastic bottle into two halves. Mark three corners on the upper half of the bottle and use a hand knife to cut oblique propellers. Slightly heat the area around the cap to make the propellers rigid for effective rotation and cooling.

Next, create a hole in the bottle cap and connect the motor, switch, and polystyrene form as illustrated in the video above. You will then have a working table fan to keep you cool.

3. DIY Wood Stove Fan

This wood stove fan project is a perfect fit for a skilled craftsperson looking for something a little more challenging than a DIY plastic bottle fan. To make it, you will need a single 120cm CPU heatsink, Peltier element, 1.5V motor, at least six propellers, ⅛-inch aluminum baseplate, and six nuts and bolts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u7POtVxtMI

Instead of electricity, it's powered by the heat from the stove. Once you gather the supplies, check out the video above along with the detailed build guide for step-by-step instructions on making one.

4. Electric Table Fan Using Cardboard

Got plenty of cardboard sitting around in your house and some time to spare? Make a portable electric table fan. It's so easy to make that you can even get the kids involved. Also, the resulting model is so pretty it'll be an instant conversation starter. Besides cardboard, you'll need a pocket knife, a switch, and a 9V battery to assemble your cardboard fan, as shown in the video above.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVG7VGYJSn4

5. Mini Electric Hand Fan

If summer's heat always leaves you sweltering, a hand fan would prove to be pretty handy (no pun intended). Best of all, it's the easiest to make of our seven awesome DIY fan ideas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlE1FzaXN2g

You will only need to glue two popsicle sticks on either side of a small 9V battery and then attach a motor directly to the battery's terminals and secure it between the sticks as well. Now attach a plastic fan-blades part to the motor, and voilà, your mini hand fan is ready to use.

You can make your fan blades from a small, appropriately sized plastic bottle, using the steps described earlier, or purchase a ready-made plastic part from a site like Amazon.

If this easy motor-based project has inspired you to try out some more, you can explore other simple and creative DIY projects using old electric motors.

6. Rechargeable Fan Made With Cardboard

Another great way to recycle cardboard is by making a rechargeable fan. It will come in handy whenever you run out of power or want to keep utility costs down. To make one, draw a 15cm diameter circle on a square piece of cardboard using a compass and pencil. Draw a smaller 3cm circle inside it and two more 3cm diameter circles outside it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ePKff6jxjE

Using the small circle inside as the middle point, cut out oblique shapes to create the fan propellers. Glue the three small cardboard circles together and complete the project as illustrated in the easy-to-follow video tutorial above. A 4V rechargeable battery is used here, which gives around 4 hours of fan power before it needs charging again.

7. DIY Mini Fan

If a mini popsicle fan doesn't tickle your fancy, a plastic spoon one might. Other than plastic spoons, you'll need a DC motor, a rechargeable 9V battery, a snap, a switch, a soldering tool, and a hot glue gun.

Cut off the ends and glue the spoon tips together to create the propeller. Glue one of the motor's flat sides to the battery, bring in the plastic spoon fan blades, attach the switch, and use your mini invention to keep cool. Check out the full build guide on Instructables for step-by-step instructions for how to complete this project.