Downloads

	Foot Plate schematic
	Support Bracket Schematic
	Leg Schematic
	Leg Brace Schematic
	Exploded View - showing how parts fit

All measurements used in these schematics are in Millimetres, if you are not comfortable with metric measurements click here for an online conversion tool (open's pop-up window).

Step by Step Guide

First of all, all the wood has to be marked up before cutting. Make sure you have all the schematics at hand and use the pencil and ruler mark out all the cuts that have to be made. Cutting at right angles is important, especially in the legs of the stilts. Ideally a mortice block should be used here but if you don't have one then don't worry. You can use a set square or even the corner of a book to draw the line to cut across.

Once all the wood has been marked then cutting can commence. Ideally hold the wood in place using a work bench before sawing. If you don't have a work bench then a chair can be used to rest the wood on while you hold it in place with your knee.

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As the wood has just been cut the edges will need to be sanded down to get rid of all the nasty splinters. The easiest way to do this is with a sanding block (unless of course you have an electric sander). Get a piece of scrap wood that will fit comfortably in your hand, say about 10 x 6cm. Wrap the sandpaper round the wood and you have yourself a sanding block. This gives you something to hold on to while sanding and gives a solid surface to support the sandpaper.

Remove and splinters on the wood. You can also put a 5mm radius on the ends of the leg brace, this removes the sharp corners and makes it look nicer.

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Again the wood needs to be marked up prior to drilling. Using the schematics mark out all the points to be drilled with a pencil. This is where the set square and ruler are needed.

The holes that the bolts pass through have to align through all three sections of wood. If the holes get drilled squint then the bolts might not align and hence fit right the way through. Do not panic! If you have the luxury of a pillar drill then use that otherwise I've developed a helpful technique for making sure the holes all match up. measure out the point in the wood where you want to drill the hole. Rather than just drilling right the way through the wood, drill down approximately half way through. Now turn the wood over and mark out where you want the hole to emerge. Drill through this point so you meet with the first hole you drilled. If all has gone according to plan then everything should match up. By drilling in from both sides you force the bolt to emerge at the second hole you made and as you actually drilled two little holes rather than one big one the amount the drill deviates is much reduced.

When drilling the holes for the bolts it is important to note the grain of the wood. As a great deal of force is exerted on this join the wood may break if the holes are drilled in the wrong direction (I've had this happen to me before). See the diagram below, most wood will not have a definate direction in the grain, as in example (a). In this case it doesn't matter which direction you drill. In example (b) where the grain has a definate direction then the holes must be made against the grain.

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You are now ready to assemble the upright section of the stilts. Ensure that the 10mm holes are all aligned correctly by passing both bolts through the three wooden parts (leg brace, leg, support bracket). If every thing fits together snugly then you have made a good job of drilling the holes.

Cover the area around the holes with wood glue. Pass the carriage bolts through, from the Leg Brace, though the Leg, then through the Support Bracket. Place a washer over the end of each bolt and fasten everything together with the nuts, tightening the nuts as far as they will comfortably go. If you over tighten the nuts then it is possible to actually pull the carriage bolts through the wood, which needless to say, damages the wood.

Make sure the support bracket is level so the foot plate can sit flat on top. After the glue has dried nothing can be done to straighten things up. After glueing and bolting together both stilts leave them over night (or as long as is specified on the glue) for the glue to dry.

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There should be a few centimetre's of the bolts sticking out, just to neaten things up we can cut these off. Use the junior hack saw to cut off any excess bolt then smooth off the cut with a metal file.

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Hopefully by now your stilts are starting to resemble stilts, the last major part to attach is the foot plate. First of all get the foot plate ready by screwing in all five wood screws until they are only just sticking out from the bottom side. Remember that the two foot plates are mirror images of each other and there is a right and a wrong side to put the screws in. In order to ensure that the screws in the foot plate will meet the support bracket where they are supposed to, push the foot plate into position, the screws should be sticking out just enough to mark the wood in the position where they will eventually end up. With any luck all the screws should be aligned down the middle of the support bracket, if not you may need to drill the screw holes again.

The foot plate will also be secured with wood glue as well as the screws. Put a layer of glue across the top surface of the support bracket and the stilt leg. Make sure the Foot Plate is firmly up against the Support bracket and no gap's are present. Now tighten each of the five screws one by one.

Tip: It's probably a good idea to screw and unscrew the foot plate screws before applying the glue, this will make it easier to screw the footplate in the second time with a thread already created.

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I recomend painting your stilts as they look totally cool afterwards. Painting also helps to protect the wood from moisture. Leave a patch unpainted in the middle of the foot plate, this is where the grip tape will be attached. Wait for the paint to dry before carrying out any more work on the stilts. While you are waiting for the paint to dry you can get the straps ready to be attached.

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Straps should be cut to the following lengths;

Use Sharp Scissors to cut the strap then seal the ends by melting them with the candle. Be careful with the candle as it is easy to set fire to the nylon strap, always do this outside.

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Clips should be sewn on the ends of the calf straps, these will fasten round the leg. Glue can be used but be warned, glueing soft plastics is quite difficult hence sewing the clips on is much more secure. Thread the strap through the clip and sew about 2cm of strap together.

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Measure the points on the strap where the screws will go and mark with the pencil. Poke the screws through the strap so they just emerge from the other side. The straps can now be screwed into the pilot holes drilled earlier.

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Now to attach the grip tape to the foot plate, this will prevent your feet from slipping from the stils. Use the template (below) to cut out two pieces of grip tape. Remember that these pieces will be the mirrow image of each other, you don't want to end up with two left feet! Grip tape is quite coarse so may damage scissors when cutting, alternatively a craft knife can be used.

  Grip Tape Template

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Finally the feet of the stilts need some extra grip and protection. My prefered method is by use of childrens wellie boots as they not only look cute but they have also been designed to provide grip. It is essential that the wellies are tightly secured to the stil leg as it can be hazardous to have them slipping around when walking.

Alternatively you can use rubber tyres to provide grip, bike tyres are good as they are about the right size for the foot of the stilt.

Congratulations! You should now be the proud owner of a new pair of stilts, now strap them on and get walking!

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