Stilts

These stilts are adjustable, giving you anywhere from 1 foot of extra height to 3 feet of extra height. Walking 1 foot taller than normal feels trivial while 3 feet really gets your blood pumping. To use them you wrap your arms around each of the stilts and lift them up with your feet as you walk. It’s a bit of a challenge at first, but once you learn the skill you’ll be able can walk all over, even up and down inclines.

wooden stilts instructions

danger level

  • negligible
  • moderate
  • high
  • do not do this

tools

  • F. Table saw or similar
  • G. Drill

materials

  • A. Wooden 2×4, 15.5" long
  • B. (4) 3/8" wing nuts
  • C. (4) 3/8" ID flat washers
  • D. (4) 3/8" x 4" carriage bolts
  • E. (2) Wooden poles, 8′x1.5"x1.5"

video

how-to

  1. Cut the 2×4 at a 45° angle, forming two congruent trapezoids. The parallel sides should measure 6 inches and 9.5 inches. These two pieces will be the footholds.
  2. On the short side of the footholds, bore two holes 1.5" deep with a 3/4" wing bit. These holes should be spaced 4 inches apart (center to center). They will allow the carriage bolts to extend through far enough to get the wing nuts on.
  3. With a 3/8" bit, finish drilling the holes all of the way through. The footholds are now finished.
  4. You need to drill eight 3/8" holes in both of the 8′ poles. Start 6" from the bottom and drill a hole every 4" until you are 34" from the bottom.
  5. Place the footholds at whatever height you want (start low), insert the bolts, and tighten on the wing nuts with the washers underneath.
  6. To get onto the stilts, either back yourself up against a wall and step up as the stilts lean against the wall or have a trusted, strong friend hold them for you. Beginners often want to hold the poles in front of them, but is is impossible to balance that way. You have to place the poles placed behind your arm pits and wrap your arms around the front of them.
  7. If you notice that the bottom of the stilts start to splinter as you use them, wrap some electrical or duct tape around the bottoms to slow the process.

33 Comments:

  1. Feb 3, 2007 | 7:09 pm

    wc wrote:

    we used to nail section of bmx tires to the bottoms for better grip.

  2. Feb 14, 2007 | 12:34 pm

    Persyn wrote:

    I can’t beleive that this is the first time annyone sees this
    pretty cool tough

  3. Feb 26, 2007 | 6:46 pm

    person! wrote:

    how do u get down? lol

  4. Mar 6, 2007 | 4:18 pm

    Wowzor wrote:

    That is exactly how i’m spending my summer.

  5. Mar 13, 2007 | 8:51 am

    Mom-of-8 wrote:

    My Hubby made several sets, of different hights. The Kids LOVE to Chicken fight on them. I do suggest wearing shoes, and starting off in a Flat Grassy Area, Maybe like a football field.
    and When you are Really good at it, try cutting the poles off just below your Knees and tieing it securely to you caves, and Nailing Old shoes to foot rest. (Start Small!! broken leg for a daring kid Isnt fun for anyone)

    Person!: Try Falling…

  6. Mar 18, 2007 | 5:46 pm

    cody wrote:

    i did this and they snaped 3ft from where i started

  7. Mar 19, 2007 | 11:15 am

    Gerrg wrote:

    Yeah, a 1.5″ X 1.5″ wooden pole just doesn’t seem thick enough. Has anyone had a problem with them being to thin? Thanks!

  8. Mar 20, 2007 | 12:05 am

    Totu wrote:

    I have walked with them, it’s really cool, but hard too. I maybe will try doing them sometime if i have time. 1.5″ X 1.5″ wooden pole isn’t thick i think too, but i haven’t tried doing it.

  9. Mar 27, 2007 | 9:37 pm

    Ozone wrote:

    The 1.5″ by 1/5″ is known at the lumberyard as a 2X2. My experience with this exact design is that it is sufficiently strong for adults of moderate obesity, provided that the footrests are attached as described above, or permanently with heavy screws. Try breaking a 2×2 by holding one end above the ground and stepping on it. It won’t work without breaking your knuckles.

  10. Apr 29, 2007 | 11:37 pm

    Lampwort wrote:

    2×2 is ideal, but the wood must be knot free. Stilts will break at any knots. I have used 36inch 2×2 soft wood knot free stilts for some years and they support my 238 pound weight without problem

  11. Apr 30, 2007 | 8:22 pm

    Pottsworth wrote:

    This is a really good How-To. I’ve made stilts just recently, starting at a height of ~1 foot, but right now, I’m up to 4 feet. I’m using 2×3s because I didn’t really trust 2×2s to hold my weight at 4 feet. There’s a lot of room for bending and possibly snapping.

  12. May 5, 2007 | 2:37 am

    fiberglasser wrote:

    you can get professional stilts up to 8 feet tall from different specialized stores for fiberglassers. My friend used to use these all the time while installing fiberglass in roofs. They are fun at first, but get lame fast.

  13. May 22, 2007 | 1:16 pm

    twister wrote:

    I love stilts. They are so much fun. I had them as a kid and I’m 54 years old now. I have a 10-year-old. Think I’ll have my husband secretly make us each a pair and we’ll go out and have some fun!

  14. May 27, 2007 | 6:46 pm

    rockerkitten wrote:

    this is fun i have two sets in my garage LOL

  15. Jun 22, 2007 | 10:48 pm

    Anonymous wrote:

    this was fun untill i fell

  16. Aug 17, 2007 | 12:04 pm

    dace wrote:

    im 14 and did this in my house with my pocket nife/gerbers and it works great!!!!

  17. Nov 9, 2007 | 2:12 pm

    Marsh wrote:

    When I was a young girl I used to love stilts. Now I am 88,and am planning to make a pair for a great granchild

  18. Dec 4, 2007 | 8:39 am

    The Heartless Four wrote:

    I’m gonna see if I can’t fire a Spudgun while being strapped into these!

  19. Dec 13, 2007 | 4:00 pm

    Anonymous wrote:

    i can do this with my eyes close this is g……….

  20. Dec 14, 2007 | 1:31 pm

    grumpy old man wrote:

    use sandpaper to smooth the 2×2’s because they’re usually rough cut and will cause splinters quite easily. Also you can use a file to round the edges at the bottom and put a cane or crutch tip on them for more traction

  21. Dec 15, 2007 | 9:35 am

    …. wrote:

    i was watching the video and then i realized no!!!! i will never see your face!

  22. Dec 15, 2007 | 7:57 pm

    Jumbo wrote:

    we had some made as well and we used an old pair of crutchs to start with. They are almost done for you just need to add the platforms to step on.

  23. Feb 7, 2008 | 6:54 pm

    Bob wrote:

    I think I will try to make one out of metal in my welding class.

  24. Feb 25, 2008 | 10:57 am

    high walker wrote:

    If you take a pair of crutches and exstend the poles all the way out then flip them upside down ans put your feet where your hands would normally go they make great stilts…you can adjust the stilts to fit just about anyone, and if you dont have any go to the salvation army or thrift store, they always have a pair and cheep too.

  25. Mar 2, 2008 | 11:21 pm

    lilizzy wrote:

    My friend had a pair just like this when we were kids except her pair had shorter steps on one side and you turned them to get to the higher step. We went all over on those things!! Great how-to. Thanks.

  26. Mar 6, 2008 | 5:43 pm

    A Person wrote:

    How high is the chance of someone falling on that and how much does it hurt if you do?

  27. Mar 20, 2008 | 5:58 pm

    D M wrote:

    The chance of falling depends on how experienced you are, but everyone falls some times (you have to, to get down!) The trick is knowing how to fall safely, or how to adjust yourself if you start to fall. You are a lot less likely to fall if you keep moving, just step back and forth in place if you stop you’ll start to fall, when you fall lean back and never put your arms out in front of you. You can break your wrists if you do. I’m guessing thats what tom did (sorry tom) But if you lean back and keep your arms out of the way, you should come down on your knees and be just fine. Good luck, Have fun! I know I’m spending my summer stilting!

  28. Mar 27, 2008 | 9:23 am

    Gort wrote:

    To strengthen the 1.5 X 1.5 sticks, glue another piece of wood at least halfway up from the bottom. Quarter inch plywood works very well.

    Frog Leg Stilts

  29. Mar 30, 2008 | 3:36 pm

    NevilleDaDevil wrote:

    eeh… this is alright, but nothing like the ping pong gun i made! extra long barrel + scope + 4 ball clip + stalk + silencer + i spraypainted it black!!! aaaahhh yea!!!

  30. Apr 6, 2008 | 5:30 am

    Faldo wrote:

    this thing is the same as my traditional game at Indonesia. This thing called “enggrang” in Indonesia… This game started famous since Indonesia still forest haha it is a Betawinese traditional Game which now is Jakarta the Capital city of Indonesia. And that is it, and I glad that i share this… thx… yeah..

  31. Apr 25, 2008 | 7:54 pm

    Me wrote:

    These things are so fun I built them a couple years ago.

  32. May 5, 2008 | 12:02 pm

    Oscar ;D wrote:

    i am afraid this will snap and impale me.

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