How do you make a homemade clinometer?

Answer 1

Way One - Buy a plastic protractor or make one from cardboard. Tape a standard drinking straw to the straight edge of the protractor. This will be your scope. Attach string to the straw at the 0 degree mark. Tie a light weight to the string. You can use a washer or a screw or anything else that can balance the clinometer and be unobtrusive. Sight a tall object to make sure the clinometer was constructed correctly

Way Two - Fold a "square" piece of paper in half from corner to corner and crease, it to form two triangles with one 90 degree angle and two 45 degree angles, and leave it folded together so that it appears to be one triangle. Tape or glue the triangles together so that they will not open back up to make it stronger. Note: Thicker paper, such as construction paper or poster board will make your clinometer more durable. The paper that you use must be square so that both sides (called legs) of the triangle are equal length.

Tape a straight drinking straw to the triangle's hypotenuse. Position a drinking straw along the hypotenuse (the longest edge of the triangle) so that one end extends slightly out from the paper, and use tape or glue to secure it to the paper. The straw will be the sight that you look through. Make sure you don't deform the straw, and make sure that it is aligned perfectly on top (along the edge) of the hypotenuse.

Punch a small hole close to the corner where the hypotenuse meets either side. The hypotenuse, of course, meets both of the other sides. You should put the hole near the corner where the straw does not extend beyond the paper (this will be the top of the clinometer).

Insert a string through the hole and tie a knot or tape it to keep it from slipping out of the hole. Use enough string so that you have at least a few inches dangling at the bottom of the clinometer.

Tie a washer or fishing weight to the bottom end of the string. The weight should dangle a few inches below the corner of the clinometer so that the string will swing freely. Use one eye to look at the top of some tall object, such as a tree or pole, through the straw.

For such an object, you can back up or move forward while the weight always points straight downward and when the string lines up with the leg

of the triangle and it will be 45 degrees, reading on the clinometer. When this happens, it means the angle of elevation between your eye and the top of the object is 45 degrees.