How Do I Build Stilts Using 2 by 4s?

Professionals use stilts for entertainment.

Building a quality pair of stilts allows you to safely change your perspective on the world around you, just for the fun of it. A quality pair of stilts starts with strong vertical supports that can hold the weight of the passenger. A pair of 2-by-4 boards has the capacity to hold a lot of weight. Attaching strong footholds with the correct hardware ensures the stilts will not fail during use, keeping all part-time giants safe.

Things You'll Need

• 2 8-foot long 2-by-4 boards
• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Combination square
• 2 1 1/2-inch by 2 1/2-inch by 5 1/2-inch blocks of oak
• Coping saw
• 80-grit sandpaper
• 2 C-clamps
• 7/16-inch drill bit
• Drill
• 2 3/8-inch carriage bolts
• 2 3/8-inch hex nuts
• 9/16-inch socket attached to ratchet

Instructions

1. Place two 2-by-4's flat on a stable surface. Set them side-by-side with the ends of boards even.

2. Hook a tape measure to the bottom of one board. Pull the tape measure along the board face a place a pencil mark at the desired stilt height -- between 12 and 36-inches. Place one side of a combination square on the side of the marked board. Align the blade of the square with the pencil mark. Drag the pencil along the blade to make a line across the face of both boards.

3. Set two 1 1/2-inch by 2 1/2-inch by 5 1/2-inch blocks of oak on the stable work surface. Cut a radius on one corner of the 2 1/2-inch face of each block by marking the radius with a pencil and cutting along the line with a coping saw. Soften the edges of the radius cuts by sanding the block with 80-grit sandpaper.

4. Place the 1 1/2-inch side of a hardwood block on each marked 2-by-4 board with the radius facing toward the bottom of the board and the top of the block aligned with the pencil line. Secure each block to each board with a C-clamp. Place two marks on the front face of the hardwood block. Make one mark 1 inch down from the top of the block and one 1 inch up from the bottom of the block.

5. Drill a 7/16-inch hole at each mark with a 7/16-inch drill bit secured in a drill. Ensure each hole goes through the block and the 2-by-4 board.

6. Slide one 3/8-inch carriage bolt through each drilled hole. Keep the rounded head of the bolt on the outside of the 2-by-4 board. Thread a 3/8-inch hex nut on the end of each carriage bolt. Tighten the hex nuts with a 9/16-inch socket attached to a ratchet wrench.

7. Remove the C-clamps from the completed stilts.

References

• The West: Stilts
• "Boy's Life"; Easy-to-make Stilts