SnipFold

Stationary Desk Carousel

A fixed miniature carousel with a raised stage, four paper horses on square posts, and a striped four-facet canopy on a central column.

Materials

  • 200-220 gsm cardstock
  • Scissors or craft knife
  • PVA glue
  • Ruler
  • Blunt scoring tool

Finished size: 110 x 110 x 104 mm

Steps

CutValley foldMountain foldGlue area

  1. Print, cut and score

    Print at 100% actual size; check the 50 mm ruler. Cut each of the 19 pieces once. Score dashed folds before cutting small tabs. Use 200-220 gsm cardstock, a ruler and a blunt scoring tool.

  2. Raise the platform

    BASE has a 100 x 100 mm deck and four 12 mm walls. Fold walls down 90 degrees. Fold each 6 mm corner lap around the corner, glue inside the following wall, and dry square on a flat table. Open bottom remains at z=0; deck is z=12 mm.

  3. Build the central column

    Fold CENTER at 12, 24, 36 and 48 mm into a 12 x 12 mm square tube, height 64 mm; glue the 3 mm lap inside the first panel. Fold all 5 mm end tabs outward 90 degrees. Center its base on the deck (50 mm from each edge); glue lower tabs to the deck. Keep vertical and dry.

  4. Mount four horse posts

    Fold POST1-4 into 4 x 4 mm tubes, height 48 mm, with 2 mm seam laps inside. Fold the 3 mm end tabs outward. Glue lower tabs to deck; post centers are 21 mm from each of the two nearest deck edges (four corners of a 58 mm square). Upper tabs are decorative capitals, left unglued. Posts finish at z=60 mm.

  5. Attach the four horses

    Leave horses flat. Glue the 4 x 5 mm belly patch to a post face, with the lowest hoof 16 mm above the deck (z=28 mm). Patch lies z=40-45 mm. Around the deck, POST1 is southeast, then northeast, northwest, southwest. Glue horses respectively to south, east, north and west faces, with heads pointing east, north, west and south. Let dry; these are fixed silhouettes.

  6. Seat the canopy ceiling

    Glue CENTER upper tabs to the underside of the 110 x 110 mm CEILING, exactly centered. Ceiling is horizontal at z=76 mm and overhangs the deck 5 mm on all sides. Hold level until dry; horse posts do not touch the ceiling.

  7. Build the faceted canopy

    Each ROOF facet has a 110 mm base and 61.717 mm face altitude. Fold its 6 mm base tab underneath, flat against the ceiling top, with base exactly on a ceiling edge. Raise the facet 26.980 degrees above horizontal. Work opposite pairs: all tips meet 28 mm above ceiling at z=104 mm. Leave side edges unglued until saddles are fitted.

  8. Lock the canopy seams

    Each SEAM is 8 x 40 mm with a central lengthwise crease. Fold to fit over a canopy ridge and glue one 4 mm leaf to each adjoining facet exterior. Start its lower end 15 mm up the 82.668 mm sloping corner-to-tip edge; upper end is at 55 mm. Match the roof angle without forcing it. Dry opposite seams in pairs. Finished footprint is 110 x 110 mm, height 104 mm. Stationary decoration: do not twist the canopy or horses.

Notes

The 3D model shows each piece in its finished, idealized shape; the exploded view only spreads the pieces apart. It is not a paper-physics simulation: curved shapes are forming guides, not exact physical folding or proof of developability, and intermediate fold shapes are not supplied.