How to Make Fake Jail Bars
Perhaps you need jail bars as a prop for a stage play, or want them to create a creepy dungeon scene for Halloween decorations or a haunted house. Whether you plan to put a cot behind your jail bars or decorated them with fake cobwebs and rubber spiders, there is no need to purchase expensive metal bars.
Making your own fake jail bars is simple and very inexpensive. The whole process shouldn’t take more than an afternoon.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Wooden 1-inch by 3-inch boards
- Tape measure
- Wood glue
- Quarter-inch PVC pipe
- Hacksaw
- Electric drill
- Boring drill bits
- Black spray paint
Instructions
-
-
1
Use a tape measure to make marks on your wooden boards 4 to 6 inches apart. Any wider than this and “prisoners” behind the bars will be able to squeeze through.
-
2
Drill through the boards at each of your marks with a 1/4-inch boring drill bit. Boring drill bits have flat, flared heads with three points on the drilling end. Carefully brush away splinters and sawdust.
-
-
3
Cut as many 7-foot lengths of PVC pipe as you have holes in one board. For example, if you have 12 holes in both boards, cut 12 pieces of PVC pipe. Push a piece of PVC pipe through each hole in one of the boards so 6 inches sticks out the other side.
-
4
Push the other end of each piece of PVC pipe into a hole in the other board as in step 3. Smear wood glue around the holes on each board to hold the pipe in place.
-
5
Finish the jail bars with black spray paint to mimic iron. You may need several coats to cover the pipe and wood completely.
-
1
