The Box Kite

How to make a simple box kite with a few sticks, some string, and a little bit of fabric. This one is 3 feet tall and about 12 inches wide (without wings).

Step 1 Materials

For the kite itself you'll need:

8 dowels - commonly 36 inches long, 1/4 inch is fine for all parts, however I used 1/4 inch for the spreaders and 5/16 inch for the main body of the kite. note - you'll need one extra 1/4 inch if you put wings on your kite.

Twine or string - I happened to have some extra hemp twine around that worked very well but cotton or polyester will work equally well, monofiliment and nylon are to be avoided within the structure of the kite.

2 yards of light fabric - I used some very light rip-stop nylon, but muslin would also work.

You'll aslo need:

scissors, a knife, ruler, needle and thread, and a spool of heavy fishing line.

Comments

[Kiteman]

May I humbly commend a little something of mine? It contains launching advice (step 4) and essential safety advice (step 6).

[notjustsomeone]

leave it to some bobby to bore you to death with advice on how to fly a kite... though I suppose it's all well for those of you who were never shown how to. I do agree that you should wear gloves when flying this type of kite as it can be powerful, leather gloves with half-fingers work quite well.

[rimar2000]

This is a good kite, but in my opinion, the cylinder is easier to make and flies better.

[Phil B]

I made a box kite from scratch back in the late 1960's. I used three or so relatively thin wooden yardsticks. I split the yardsticks in two lengthwise. I made notches in the ends of the spreaders, rather than tying them with knots. I also had only one set of spreaders for the top portion of the kite and one for the bottom section. The kite needed a certain amount of wind to lift and fly. But, one day I tried flying it in winds too strong, and the kite dove for the ground never to fly again. Thanks for the memory.