Plywood Go Getas!

Intro: Plywood Go Getas!

These are Geta slippers. They're different cos they're made of plywood, with replaceable wooden Has (teeth)!

Over time, the stilts on the bottom (Ha) wear down. So that you won't have to throw away the whole pair, I've made these to be tough, with replaceable Ha so you can enjoy them indefinitely.

Try not to look directly at my feet --long day at work and too tired to get them picture ready... •_•

Anyway,

Here's how I made them!

STEP 1: Puzzle Pieces

-Plywood
-Wooden post or stick
-Clothesline twine (nylon)
-Washers
-Plastic/rubber/silicone tubing
-Drywall screws

Cut the plywood to the size you need, and make it so your heels hang juuuust slightly over the back ledge. Cut the teeth from the wooden post to be juuuust a bit narrower than the width of the slippers.

STEP 2: Mark and Drill

Mark and drill the locations for the holes by stepping onto one of the slippers. And after you make your marks for where to drill, make mirrored marks on the other slipper.

Drill the toe-strap slightly bigger than the 2 heel-straps. This is because the toe-strap holds two pieces of twine.

STEP 3: Sand!

This part of the slipper will be reused. So sand them to your liking:) (then spray it with polyurethane, if you want them to withstand some exposure to the elements).

After that's done...

STEP 4: Fit the Teeth!

Drill some holes that are the size of the heads of your screws ***but not all the way through the teeth!***

You want to countersink the heads of the screws so they don't scrape and wear off from expected ground wear and tear.

Then make marks on the bottom of the Getas for where your screws and teeth will go. Then simply screw them on, TIGHTLY.

*Consider this: It's probably best to place the front Ha just under the ball of your feet, and the rear Ha just slightly forward of your heel. It makes it so the rolling action of your foot (whilst walking) is transferred to the base points of the Geta, and it'll give your calf muscles less fatigue. I'd tell you to trust me on this, but we all have different feet...

STEP 5: Fit the Straps...

Tie on the nylon clothesline by getting an excessively long length, and burning the tips a bit to melt them and prevent fray.

String the two tips up from under each Geta, one end through each heel entry.

Mock fit the geta on(under) your foot and while holding the twine together above your foot, tie a knot by looping the two twine ends around itself, and pulling the two tips together through the loop. The knot loop will be sitting between your Lg and second toe, just slightly encroaching higher than the knuckle and towards the dorsal of your foot.

Now push the two tips through the toe-strap hole, and through a metal washer, repeat with another tied and tightened loop. This should fit a bit loose on your foot now.

Repeat for the other Geta.

STEP 6: Dress the Straps

Using some rubber tubing, measure the length of each strap. There is the toe strap (shortest), the medial strap (mid length), and the lateral strap (longest). Make 2 of each.

Undo the nylon twine and insert them into the tubes according to their location. You won't have to make any markings on the twine because the tubing already act as the desired length and therefore already show you where to make the knot/loop (I'm not familiar with the names of knots, so please feel free to drop some knowledge on me in the comments:)

STEP 7: Try Them On!

Get comfortable with walking in your plywood go geta slippers!

If I may advise, don't try going up or down any stairs just yet...

Notes:

These Geta are supposed to be über tough; the nylon wont stretch much and the rubber straps ensure some comfort and hold. When the teeth start to wear out on you, simply unscrew them and cut new ones out of the same (or differently sized) wood! Get creative and make designs or stain your custom Geta:) make a few for your friends and family, too •_•

Comments

[egwillfriedel]

yahoo! now I can cosplay as Jiraiya from Naruto!

[snoopindaweb]

Good Luck, that's the only thing that may save You from, see above. Happy & Healthy 2014. ~(:-})={

[snoopindaweb]

Fabian is out for a quick Toenail trimming, if not much much more. Them things catch a person quickly. Ow-Ow-Ow-Ow,,!

[azükiBEAN]

@Fabian: Thank you for chiming in! I thoroughly enjoyed watching you work on the Getas in your video:) I also saw the video you mention, of the playing children! Do you find that your feet are more comfy or that your posture appreciates the geta vs traditional footwear? Mine are comfy, but I can't imagine functioning exclusively on them day in and out. The next Go Getas I make are going to employ Negative-Heel 'Technology' :)

[fabianfred]

I like to walk barefoot if I can...most natural...but getas is OK because no glass or sharp stones and the light wood is not hard. You get used to anything eventually....lol.
I have seen Japanese geta with a rounded single ha beneath the arch of the foot...for health and exercise I presume. The Tengu geta are also good for back exercise since you have to balance well.

[fabianfred]

Look at my instructable on geta making...an hour long Youtube video.
Although yours look nice and are simple to make...some pointers.
There is no left or right in Japanese traditional geta...the front hole is central.
It is better to use a glue such as gorrila glue to attach the ha.. yours are held on by only a little amount of screw thread. You can still flatten the ha when they get very worn down and glue more on to build them up again.
enjoy your geta...i also have made the single ha tengu geta and there is a vid on my YT of kids playing on them and hula-hooping at the same time.
I wear geta only now...no more normal shoes...even wear them on my motorcycle here in thailand.

[azükiBEAN]

@Skarin: It'd be cool to hear so many ppl walking around in these!:)

@Nex: Thank you for the advice! Ill consider it for my next Go Getas, but I don't understand the need for it to be symmetrical. Is it a matter of tradition, or following social norms or rules perhaps(?) --pls elaborate, and thank you in advance for your input!:)

@Lorax: I had thought about the 'from above' approach, but after testing it with another scrap pair, I found that stepping on the screw head felt much like a tiny tiny pebble in my shoe. I couldn't think of a fast enough solution that would also leave the top of the Go Getas looking bare of screws n such... PS. I'd love to see the projects your students come up with! :)

[Lorax98]

These look interesting. I will suggest them to students in my shop class that have a couple of days left in the semester and do not want to start a large project.
I think you will get a better "hold" for the Has if you drill and screw from the upper surface down into the tops of the Has. Screw threads do not hold as well in plywood as they do in solid stock, so reversing the screw direction would give greater strength; also, you would eliminate the worry about screw heads contacting the ground.

[nex_otaku]

Nice try, actually you are doing it wrong.
Getas must be symmetric.

[Skarin_Blackraven]

So making these, wonder if the schools allow them? Anyways awesome idea! :)

[azükiBEAN]

@ebrynhildsen: Thanks! Definitely not my design, but my own rendition to a super-cool wooden slipper! I've always wanted some, but would've disliked having to throw them away after some use... Now, I can keep them:)

[ebrynhildsen]

ha ha - incredible! and so beautifully designed :-D Probably more natural and better then modern shoes.