Cows are milked by machines today more than by hand but some farmers still milk by hand. Learning to milk can be a process essential to farmers or can be learned simply for fun. A model milking cow can give people a chance to try out milking without being near a cow. It may help people feel more comfortable with the idea of milking, as they won’t be touching an actual animal. Building your own model milking cow is a simple process that requires only a basic knowledge of carpentry.
Things You'll Need:
- Pink Bucket
- Paint Brush
- Hinges
- 20 Feet Of 2-By-4 Boards
- Pencil
- Nails
- Tape Measure
- Hammer
- Four Calf Feeder Teats
- Paint
- Jigsaw
- 2 Sheets Of 3-By-5-Foot Particle Board
Use your pencil to freehand draw a cow shape onto one of your pieces of particle board. Make the shape about six feet long and five feet tall. Cut out the shape using your jigsaw. Trace the shape onto the other piece of particle board and cut it out.
Build a framework of 2-by-4 boards to support each of your cow halves. Use your tape measure to measure the length of the boards you will need. Cut vertical and horizontal beams and nail them to the back of each cow shape.
Hold the cow shapes together at the top and connect them together by nailing a hinge at the front and back of the model.
Turn over your pink bucket and attach the teats to the bottom. Fill the bucket up with milk before placing the teats to get actual milk out of the bucket when it is milked.
Stand your model apart and separate the legs by about four feet. Nail a board between the two feet at the front of the cow and a board between the two feet at the back to support your cow and make it sturdy.
Cut two boards at a length that will fit between your cow halves at the bottom of the cow's belly. Make sure they fit together snugly under the belly. Nail the boards in the middle of the belly about two feet apart at the same height.
Place the bucket teats down between the two boards to create your cow udder. Adjust the height of the support boards if necessary to make sure the teats are visible but the bucket is not.
Paint your cow model as realistically or cartoonish as you want. Include features such as the face, body spots, toes and the tail.
Writer Bio
Eric Benac began writing professionally in 2001. After working as an editor at Alpena Community College in Michigan and receiving his Associate of Journalism, he received a Bachelor of Science in English and a Master of Arts in writing from Northern Michigan University in Marquette.
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