Six-Post Garden Gazebo
An open-sided garden pavilion on a raised hexagonal deck, with six load-bearing square columns, an open ceiling ring and a six-facet hip roof.
Materials
- 220-250 gsm cardstock
- PVA glue
- Scissors or craft knife
- Scoring tool
- Ruler
- Small square
Finished size: 132 x 114.32 x 108 mm
Steps
CutValley foldMountain foldGlue area
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Cut and score
Print at 100 percent; measure the 50 mm ruler. Cut all 14 pieces, including the central hexagonal opening in H. Retain every integral tab. Score indicated folds before removing pieces from the sheet.
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Raise the deck
Fold all six D skirts down 90 degrees, leaving the 60 mm-side hexagonal deck flat and 8 mm above the table. Adjacent skirt edges meet without overlap; the six bottom edges must sit level. Do not glue skirt corners across a gap.
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Make six closed columns
For each C, fold the four 8 mm-wide walls into an 8 x 8 mm square tube, 70 mm tall. Fold the 3 mm longitudinal lap inside and glue beneath the first wall. At both ends fold the 3 mm backing lip inward 90 degrees, then close the 8 x 8 mm cap inward 90 degrees and glue its last 3 mm over the lip. Keep caps square and let all six posts dry.
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Position the six supporting posts
On the deck measure from its center toward each vertex: place a post center 46 mm out, hence 14 mm inward from the vertex. Orient one square axis radially. Centers relative to deck center are (46,0), (23,39.84), (-23,39.84), (-46,0), (-23,-39.84), (23,-39.84) mm. Glue the entire bottom cap to D; all post tops must be 78 mm above the table. Hold plumb with a square and allow to set.
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Tie the posts with the open ring
Center H on all six top caps, matching its vertex directions with D. H has 66 mm outer radius and 36 mm inner radius. Glue its underside to all six full 8 x 8 mm caps. The 72 mm-wide central opening remains open. Dry flat before adding the roof; this plate ties the columns together.
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Join the faceted roof
Arrange R1-R6 counterclockwise around the apex viewed from above. Each 66 mm eave joins the next end-to-end. Turn each 3 mm hip tab beneath the neighboring triangle and glue it with a full 3 mm lap; R6 closes beneath R1. The hip tab changes direction about 26.9 degrees from its unfolded plane. Keep the 7 mm apex relief clear. Dry with the six eaves coplanar: the apex rises 30 mm, and each roof face slopes about 27.7 degrees above horizontal.
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Seat roof on the bearing ring
Turn the six 4 mm-deep eave returns under the roof until horizontal and pointing toward the center. Apply glue to their bottom faces, then seat them on the outer 4 mm band of H, matching all six vertices. Press through the open sides while drying. Finished apex is 108 mm above the table; roof spans 132 mm corner-to-corner. Leave every bay open; no rails or central support are needed. Physical assembly remains pending.
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.
- Original static architectural miniature. No central mast, enclosed tower, carousel mechanism or hidden supports.
- 14 physical cut pieces: one skirted deck, six capped posts, one annular bearing plate and six tabbed roof facets. All attachment tabs are integral and included in the exact face meshes.
- Load path: roof eave returns to bearing ring, ring onto six 8 x 8 mm post caps, posts onto deck, deck through its six 8 mm skirts to the table. The central ceiling opening is 72 mm corner-to-corner.
- Rigid zero-thickness nets are exact. Card thickness, glue thickness, crease radius, buckling and long-term sag are not simulated; roof hip laps and caps intentionally share contact planes.
- Physical printing, cutting and assembly are deferred. Keep this small model unloaded; it is not a structural toy.