Simulated Tornado Machine at SFO Airport and DIY Plans To Build Your Own

Waiting for a delayed flights is a regular activity for most people, so when airports take it upon themselves to have interesting installations, I say “Hell yeah, this ain’t so bad after all.”

Case in point: SFO’s Tornado Machine. Tall enough for a grownup to stand inside of, the machine creates a very cool vortex of mist spiraling seven feet high. The effect is completely mesmerizing – I stared at it for two hours straight, and suddenly it was time to board my flight. Here’s a quick video I took of it.

Tornado machine at SFO from Mike Senese on Vimeo.

Gotta have your own? I felt the same way, and found a write up on how to build one for your home (with accompanying PDF information). This is a smaller size unit (about 3′ tall) but some modification wouldn’t be too hard.

Parts needed:
• 2 plywood or MDF disks, 18mm thick, 400mm in
• 2 plexiglass disks, 2mm thick, 400mm in diameter (DO NOT cut these – yet)
• 16 wooden blocks, length 150mm, 18mm × 60mm cross-section
• 1 PVC sheet, 1200mm × 1000mm, 1mm thick
• 1 PVC sheet, 300mm × 175mm, 1mm thick
• 1 PVC sheet, 300mm × 250mm, 1mm thick
• 1 (radial) blower fan, power rating / air throughput approximately that of a vacuum cleaner
• 1 power supply for blower fan (optional – depends on the fan you use)
• 1 RPM driver for blower fan
• 1 mist generator
• 1 PVC pipe, length 1000mm, 32mm thick
• About 30 bold-head screws, 30mm – 40mm long, and washers
• 16 ?at-head screws, 30mm – 40mm long
• 8 small rivets
• 2 aluminum strips, 2mm × 10mm cross-section, length 1200mm
• Glossy paint (computer-grey or something) for the generator’s outside
• Silk matt black paint for the generator’s interior
• A small (low-wattage) lamp, preferably colored light (optional)
• Silicone caulk (preferably black)