The Twitter Bird Box is the starting point for a future Twitter Bird project. It is interesting and fun to make on its own so I thought I would release it as a project in its own right. Turn the handle on the side of the Twitter Bird Box and the double finger cams tap repeatedly on the bellows making the integral pipe tweet.

Members can download the parts for free from the link at the top of the page. The parts are available to non-members for a small fee.

Print out the first three pages onto thin card. I used coloured card to add interest to the finished model. The last page is the net for the bellows. Print this out onto normal photocopier paper.

Score along all the dotted and dashed line and cut out the holes before carefully cutting out the parts.

You can see the Twitter Bird Box working on Instagram here.

Roll the bellows paper round into a tube and glue the edges down. Line up the edges as accurately as possible

Working from one end of the tube fold the creases. Dashed lines are hill folds, dotted lines are valley folds.

Work your way down the bellows tube one row at a time.

The completed bellows

Glue up the pipe tube as shown.

Assemble the pipe end and glue it to the end of the pipe. The bottom edges should be aligned accurately with the bottome edge of the pipe.

Fold over the double hexagon piece and glue it down to make double thickness card. Cut out the marked hole with a sharp knife then cut out the hexagon.

Glue the pipe to the hexagon so that the hole lines up with the air inlet in the bottom of the pipe.

Glue the hexagon to the front of the bellows. Glue the single hexagon piece to the back of the bellows. Once the glue is dried you can test it to make sure it works!

Assemble the two box side pieces with right-angle triangle tubes.

Make up the larger of the two box ends with equilateral triangle tubes.

Glue the ends to the sides… (note the the smaller end piece fits on the end with the faint bellows markings)

Glue the flaps into place making sure that the box is lined up squarely.

Fit the completed bellows into place in the shallower end of the box. Make sure that the bellows are centered so that they don’t catch on the sides.

Assemble the cam shaft with double thickness cams. Line up the cams with the two grey lines on the axle.

Roll up the axle and glue it down lining up the edge with the red arrows and the edge of the grey area.

Hold the cam shaft into place and thread the axle inner into place.

Assemble the handle in three steps.

Glue the handle to the axle to complete the model.

Turn the handle briskly to hear the Twitter Bird Box twitter!