7ft Jack-in-the-Box Static Prop

Step 10 Armature

Materials Used:
PVC Pipe
PVC Connectors
PVC Cement

The construction of the base of the armature is based on a cross configuration, so Jack will be supported back to front as well as side to side.

The inside width of the box was first measured and the width of the cross and tee connectors. The tee connector that I bought was four inches wide, while the cross connector was 4 1/4 inches. The bottom PVC pieces were 9 1/4 inches each. For the upper cross pieces I cut the front to be 8 inches and the back to be 5 inches, this allowed the base of Jack to be set a little bit further back in the box. The 90 degree elbows were then connected to the upper cross pieces, with small extensions to stabilized the base. In the front, the piece is about 2 inches and the back piece is about 3 inches, this makes it so Jack is leaning out of the box while remaining on a stable base. The base was largely constructed through trial and error fitting until it was stable and I was happy with the amount of forward lean. Once I was happy with the base I glued all the pieces using the PVC Cement, make sure you follow the instructions on the can as PVC Cement does have quite noxious fumes, so allow for plenty of ventilation.

I then cut a 6 foot section of PVC to serve as the "body". I did not glue this part to the base or to Jack's head so I can easily take it apart for storage.

For Jacks head I used a 12 inch section of PVC and the remaining cross joint. The cross joint is attached to Jack's neck and shoulders using zip ties. The switch and battery clip are attached to the PVC pipe for easy access.