ORIGAMI DIAGRAMS E-BOOK

by Bennett Arnstein

ORIGAMI DIAGRAMS E-BOOK

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
NO.
1
2
3
5
6
9
11
13
15
16
18
20
22
24
27
28
29
30
32
33
34
35
37
39
42
43

TITLE
Front Cover
Table of Contents
Lockable Linkable 8-piece Wreath
Baggi Box Cube
West Coast Origami Guild Boomerang
Kiss My Fish
Self-Locking Masu Box
Majestic Flapping Bird
Locked Magazine Cover Box
Paper Noisemaker
Lazy Susan
Cicada Airplane Glider
Me Spin Long Time For You
Four Birds Module / Cube Display Frame
Self-Locking Triangular Letter Fold
Wallet
Wallet II
Spinning Buzzing Equilateral Triangle Exercise Toy
Storage Container / Coin Purse
Self-Locking Letter Fold
Letter Becomes its Own Envelope
Traditional Chinese Junk
Triangle Tile Puzzle
9-Windmill Octagon Medallion Spinner
Page 1 of Spike Ball Module Diagrams, from www.spikeballheaven.net
Simplification of David Mitchell's Discovery that Alex Ratner's Button Box
can be made from the Froebel Windmill

LOCKABLE LINKABLE 8-PIECE WREATH

C Rona Gurkewitz & Bennett Arnstein 7 / 5 / 2007
Page 1

Refold the crease

of step 1.
B
EDGE A
7

Fold up the top two layers so that the crease

touches the left corner and edge A touches
corner B .
x8

8
Unfold the top
two layers.

9
Lift up the top layer and refold the second
layer under the top layer along the existing
crease from step 7.

10
Module finished.
Make eight for one
wreath.

TAB

POCKET

LOCKABLE LINKABLE 8-PIECE WREATH

Page 2

17

This completes the

first lock, on the front
side.

Wrap the second layer around the edge of

the top layer.
19

18

This completes the second lock on the back

side. Turn over and repeat steps 12 through
18 for the remaining six modules.

21
Three linked wreaths. There are an infinite
number of ways the wreaths can be linked
to form larger wreaths, chains, and tessellations.
C Rona Gurkewitz & Bennett Arnstein 7 / 5 / 2007

BAGGI BOX CUBE

Modification of Giuseppi Baggi's Box to make a cube. The original Baggi Box is
rectangular with a double-thickness slanted edge on the inside and outside of two
opposite walls. The other two walls are smooth. If a second box is used as a cover for
the first box, the inside slanted edges of the cover can catch against the outside slanted
edges of the first box, making it difficult to remove the cover. Making the box a cube
allows the cover to be rotated 90 degrees and still fit the box, with the slanted edges of
each rubbing against a smooth wall of the other. Modification by Bennett Arnstein.

C Bennett Arnstein 4 / 7 / 2005

BOOMERANG

Modification of Max Hulme's Boomerang in the book "Super Simple Paper Airplanes" by
Nick Robinson. Modified by John Andrisan and Jim Cowling to make it spin faster and
longer. The modification also adds a Kline-Fogelman effect to the underside of the
boomerang. As drawn, the boomerang is intended to be launched by a right-handed
person. For launching by a left-handed person fold a mirror image.

The boomerang is
folded from a rectangle.
A convenient size to use
is half of a letter-size
rectangle. The exact
dimensions are not critical.
One-third of a letter-size
rectangle will also work,
as will the strip remaining
when one large square is
cut from the rectangle.

BOOMERANG
Page 2
THIS IS THE TILTED SQUARE
OF STEPS 8 & 9, FOLDED IN
HALF.

12

11

The area inside the heavy

circle is shown enlarged in
the next step.

Fold the half-square in half again

along an existing crease by pushing
it to the right.

18

17

C Bennett Arnstein 3 / 1 / 2005

BOOMERANG
Page 3
OPEN
DOUBLE
EDGE

OPEN
DOUBLE
EDGE

CLOSED
CREASE

CLOSED
CREASE

SECTION C-C

ROTATED 45 COUNTERCLOCKWISE

20

19

21

22

KISS MY FISH
Page 1
Fish with a big mouth and fat lips. Mouth opens and closes.
Lips by Soon Young Lee, adapted to Jun Maekawa's Piranha by Junior Jacquet

C Bennett Arnstein 7 / 28 / 2004

MASU BOX WITH SELF-LOCKING CORNERS

by John Andrisan

10

11

MASU BOX WITH SELF-LOCKING CORNERS

Page 2

13

12

15

14

16

18
17

20

19

MAJESTIC FLAPPING BIRD

by Laura Kruskal

Material needed: Rectangular copy paper. 8.5" x 11" will not give a very large or impressive
wing span, but the wings will flap. Better sizes would be 8.5" x 15", 11" x 17", A4, A3,
a recycled paper placemat, or approximately 6.5" x 11" which is 8.5" x 11" with approximately
a 2" strip cut off a long edge. Diagrams based on a 6.5" x 11" rectangle. Color side up.

C
Diagrams drawn by Bennett Arnstein

MAJESTIC FLAPPING BIRD

Page 2

C
Diagrams drawn by Bennett Arnstein

MODIFICATION OF TRADITIONAL MAGAZINE COVER BOX WITH RAW

CORNERS HIDDEN AND SIDE WALLS LOCKED.

Start with any rectangle;

long side horizontal.
8

5
A

7
B

5. Fold so the edge at the

center on the top layer touches
corner A .
6. Fold so that flap B fits
inside the contour of the
45 degree folded edge.
8. Refold flap B along the
crease of step 5 .

An existing traditional magazine cover box may be reworked to the locked configuration by
unfolding it to step 4 and then folding per this page to lock the walls. A locked box may be
crammed full of stuff until the walls bulge out, but the walls will not come apart.
If you're using a cover for the box, the cover may also be reworked to the locked
configuration.
C Bennett Arnstein 10 / 17 / 05

PAPER NOISEMAKER
Modification of New York City plastic metro-card clicker

Distance "A" should be

equal to distance "B" .
It need not be exact. Just
estimate it as close as you
can, and it will be ok.
Sharpen the crease and
then unfold.

1. Fold the lower right corner up

to the horizontal centerline, and
unfold.
2. Fold up a cuff through the point
where crease 1 intersects the nearest
one-third crease.
3. Make a cuff on the top edge symmetrical
about the horizontal centerline with the cuff
on the bottom edge.

Start with a letter-size sheet.

Estimate one-third of the width
and fold it to the right. See next
step for estimation procedure.

Rub your fingers

or fingernails on
the top layer to make
the slanted edges on
the bottom visible to
locate points C & D.

Points C & D are

where the slanted
edges cross.

E
E

10

11

Unfold the creases of

step 8, and partially unfold
the creases of steps 6 & 5.

Re-close the creases of step 8 while the creases of

steps 5 and 6 are partially unfolded. Grasp the
noisemaker at the heavy circles, between the thumb
and forefinger of each hand. Alternate your wrist motion
between E & F. Both wrists always rotate in the same
direction, as they go back and forth. Sometimes,
depending on the paper you use, you can make a louder
noise by rotating your wrists in the opposite direction,
as they both go back and forth.

PAPER NOISEMAKER

B
A

C Bennett Arnstein 10 / 12 / 2005

LAZY SUSAN
Traditional Chinese
Page 1

LAZY SUSAN
Page 2

20

19

Repeat steps 17 & 18

on the other three outer
compartments.

The bottom surface of

each outer compartment
curves upward. The
outer walls curve outward.
The inner walls curve
inward.

C Bennett Arnstein 10 / 19 / 2005

21

This is what the

underside looks like.
You can push down on
the center compartment
to flatten the bottom and
puff it out.

AIRPLANE GLIDER
by Michael Ujin Sanders
Page 1

AIRPLANE GLIDER
Page 2
To improve the way the airplane
glides, puff out the wings as shown.
This is a view from behind the
airplane, looking forward from the
trailing edge to the leading edge.

To make the wings puff out, insert one

finger between the upper and lower
surfaces of one wing. With the other hand
squeeze the inside and outside edges
together to make the wing puff out.
Repeat on the other wing to make it
symmetrical.

C Bennett Arnstein 12 / 6 / 2005

ME SPIN LONG TIME FOR YOU

by Bennett Arnstein

This is a blow top that spins for a long time after you stop blowing.
Start with the traditional windmill (pinwheel).
See page 42, step 6.

Fold the slanted edge up against the

vertical centerline.

Bisect the angle at the tip of one

blade. Allow the crease to run under
the next blade. Note that the slanted
edge is folded up against the
horizontal centerline.

C Bennett Arnstein 1 / 31 / 2006

ME SPIN LONG TIME FOR YOU

Page 2

FOUR BIRDS MODULE

by Raphael Elspas

Six modules form a Cube Display Frame. Other shapes may be made using
more than six modules.

All the creases are valleys. The crease

pattern is the same as for a traditional
windmill.

FOUR BIRDS MODULE

Page 2

FOUR BIRDS MODULE

Page 3

14

13

15

The module is finished.

The modules are connected at the

beaks. Prepare one beak on each
module by spreading apart the left
and right sides of the beak.
Insert the beak of one
module into the pocket
above the beak of the other.

16

Two modules connected. When the beaks

are fully engaged, squeeze the left and right
sides of both beaks back together again.
This will cause the entering beak to be squeezed
tightly and held inside the pocket of the receiving
beak.

OPEN DOUBLE EDGE

FOLDED EDGE

SELF-LOCKING TRIANGULAR LETTER FOLD

by Rona Gurkewitz

2
1
2

1. On the top layer only, pinch

the centerline near the bottom edge.

Start with a letter-size sheet.

2. Creasing both layers, construct

a 30 degree angle.

4
3

Bisect the obtuse angle

at the right edge.

Bisect the obtuse angle

at the left edge.

Bisect the obtuse angle at the

right edge.

WALLET
by Rona Gurkewitz

Fold the upper corners to

the horizontal center crease.

Cupboard-door fold the

sides to the center.

Blunt corners.

8
9

C Rona Gurkewitz 8 / 23 / 2007

Diagrams by Bennett Arnstein

WALLET II

SPINNING BUZZING EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE EXERCISE TOY

by Bennett Arnstein
Based on Rona Gurkewitz's Self-Locking Triangle Letter Fold
Page 1
4=

1
2
2
1

Divide a letter-size sheet

into four equal spaces and
cut off one strip.

1. Pinch the centerline

at the bottom of the
strip.
2. Construct a 30 degree
angle at the bottom
of the strip.

Cut along the last crease

and discard the shaded
portion.

C Bennett Arnstein
4 / 24 / 2006

18

SPINNING BUZZING EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE EXERCISE TOY

Page 2

Insert the last triangle

completely into the pocket
under the top layer.

The three altitudes, creased

in step 16, intersect at the center
of gravity of the triangle. Make
two marks at equal distances
from the center of gravity.

Using the marks as

locators, punch two holes
through all layers of the
triangle.

STORAGE CONTAINER / COIN PURSE

Traditional
Start with an 8.5" square (22 cm)
Page 5 of 8

Crease both diagonals.

Crease to divide all four
sides into three equal
parts.

Crease only where shown.

Repeat at the other three
corners.

F
A

Sharpen the four

mountain creases.

G
E

H
C

10
9

C Bennett Arnstein 8 / 1 / 2006

11

SELF-LOCKING LETTER FOLD

by Bennett Arnstein
Based on Yami Yamauchi's Sonobe module folded from a letter-size sheet, as is his
Square Spinner.

LETTERS THIS SIZE...

10
...MAKE A SELF-LOCKING
LETTER FOLD THIS SIZE.

ENVELOPE
Origin unknown. John Cunliffe calls it a Scoop Envelope because during one of his
folding steps for a split second it looks like a scoop. I learned it from Dr. Milt Sager who
said he learned it from somebody during a meeting of the West Coast Origami Guild, a
long time ago in a place far away. It could also be called a "Self-Mailer" because it
converts a letter into its own envelope, suitable for mailing. I think of it as a storage
container for flat modules or squares of origami paper.

6 - 9

The envelope in step 12 is the size that results from starting with a sheet of the size
shown in step 1.
For a longer narrower envelope start with the long side vertical in step 1.
C Bennett Arnstein 3 / 30 / 2005

CHINESE JUNK

Traditional
Page 1

CHINESE JUNK
Page 2

13

12

14

TRIANGLE TILE
Inventor unknown
Page 1
Three modules make one triangle. Six triangles make one hexagon puzzle. Use six colors,
three modules of each color. Each triangle has three different colors.
1

Unfold step 2 of fig. 1 .

1. Pinch the centerline near

the top edge only.
2. Construct a 30 degree
angle through the lower left
corner.

Refold step 2 of fig. 1 .

TAB

6
POCKET

FIRST
MODULE

10

SECOND
MODULE

The crease on the

top layer lines up with
the edge on the bottom
layer.

The module is
finished. Partially
unfold the crease
of step 5.

Make three
modules of
different colors
for each tile.

Assemble the modules in the flat position of step 5.

Insert the tab of the second module into the pocket of the first
module. Close flat the crease of step 7 on the second module.
Slide this crease along the edge of the pocket until the second
module reaches the pointy end of the pocket.
Diagrams and text C Bennett Arnstein 5 / 22 / 2006

TRIANGLE TILE
Page 2
THIRD
MODULE

11

In a similar fashion, place the tab of the third

module into the pocket of the second.
The pocket of the third module is now the top
layer, and the tab of the first module is the
bottom layer. Carefully lift the tab of the first
module and place it on top of the third module.
Then insert the tab of the first module into the
pocket of the third module.

Now refold the crease of step 5 on

each module, in the sequence shown.
Note that the second module is folded
first, then the first module is folded,
and the third module is folded last.
The flap of the third module covers
the flap of the first module and goes
under the flap of the second module.

13

The tile is finished. Each edge has the same

color, front and back.

The puzzle is to arrange the tiles side by side so that they form a hexagon, with the same
color edge on both tiles wherever two tiles touch. Since each color appears three times,
the third instance of each color must lie on the outside of the hexagon. You can solve the
puzzle as you assemble the tiles, and then make a sketch of the hexagon showing the
final color arrangement. Then use the sketch to solve the puzzle again after the tiles have
been shuffled.
Diagrams and text C Bennett Arnstein 5 / 23 / 2006

8-WINDMILL OCTAGON MEDALLION

Franco Pavarin's "Girandola"
Page 1
Start with step 6 of the Spike-Ball Module diagrams on page 42. This is the traditional windmill
with the four vanes sticking straight up from the base.

Hold the left vane in your left hand and the right
vane in your right hand. Mountain-fold the
diagonal of the square base so the rear vane and
the front vane both swing down and meet below
the mountain crease.

POCKET

X8

TAB

Fold both layers of the right point back

along existing creases, forming a pocket.
Note the slanted closed crease on the
inside, which is the tab. The module is
finished. Make 8 modules.
When two modules are connected, the
pocket of the first module gets wrapped
around the tab of the second.

A small sailboat has been formed, with two

points at the left end and one point at the
right end. Wrap the rear left point forward
around the two vertical closed creases
so it ends up behind the front left point.

C Bennett Arnstein 6 / 4 / 2008

FIRST
MODULE

SECOND
MODULE

The pocket of the first module has been

wrapped around the tab of the second.

Bring the sail of the

second module from
behind to in front of
the sail of the first
module. This will lock
the two modules
together.

8-WINDMILL OCTAGON MEDALLION

Page 2

The pocket of the second module

has been wrapped around the tab
of the third.

Move the sail of the third module from

behind to in front of the sail of the
second module.

10

Continue connecting modules until eight modules

have been connected. Then connect the eighth
module to the first one. In order to get the pocket
of the eighth module around the tab of the first one
it will be necessary to disconnect the sail of the
second module from the first one, and then
re-connect it after the eighth and the first have been
connected. Make sure that each sail lies in front of
the sail of the previous module.
This is the front side of the medallion.

This is the back side of the medallion.

C Bennett Arnstein 6 / 5 / 2008

The next page shows how to make the medallion spin.

HOW TO MAKE THE 8-WINDMILL OCTAGON MEDALLION SPIN

by Yami Yamauchi
Make a blow-top spinner from a ninth windmill, using the same size square as was used for the eight
windmills to make the medallion. Attach the blow-top to the back side of the medallion by inserting
the vanes of the blow-top between the modules of the medallion. This will be illustrated using a
"Me Spin Long Time For You" blow-top (see page 22).

First inspect the back side of the medallion.

Notice which direction the vanes of the blow-top
must enter the spaces between the modules.
For the medallion shown, the vanes of the
blow-top must enter in a counter-clockwise
direction.

Fold a "Me Spin Long Time For You"

blow-top with its vanes pointing in the
opposite direction, so that when the
blow-top is turned upside-down they
will be pointing in the correct direction.
Then turn it upside-down and insert the
vanes into the back side of the medallion
as shown in step 1.

BLOW-TOP

MEDALLION

C Bennett Arnstein 6 / 5 / 2008

The blow-top has been attached to the back side of the medallion.
The medallion will spin if you blow down on the front side, but it will
spin faster and longer if you spin it by hand. Spin it on a smooth hard
dry clean horizontal surface.

SPIKE BALL MODULE

by Rona Gurkewitz & Bennett Arnstein
Page 1

Start with the Froebl unit, invented by Frederick Froebl, also known as the Pinwheel, or Windmill.

Cupboard-door fold in both

directions, and crease both
diagonals, all valley creases.

Fold one corner to the

center, and then unfold.
Repeat at the other three
corners.

C Bennett Arnstein 12 / 6 / 2007

This completes the basic Froebl

unit. Rather than flatten the vanes
to form a windmill, spread open
and squash each vane flat,
making the four corners meet at
the center.

10

11

Mountain-fold both
diagonals by sharpening
existing creases.

Two things must now happen at each

corner:
(1) Let the corner point on the bottom
layer swing out away from the center
without making a crease on the
bottom layer.
(2) Fold the corner point on the top layer
in to the center, making a crease on
the top layer.
Repeat at the other three corners.

SIMPLIFICATION OF DAVID MITCHELL'S DISCOVERY THAT ALEX RATNER'S BUTTON BOX

CAN BE MADE FROM THE FROEBEL WINDMILL
Start with step 8 on page 42.

On the top layer, fold the

four corners at the center
out to the four outer corners.

10

13

12

11

15

14

17

16