Super Stilts

Intro: Super Stilts

Ever had the desire to be really tall? or be able to dunk a basketball? or to see what the world looks like if you were tall? Well for all you short people here's the answer! All you gotta do is build the stilts, practice walking around awhile, painfully fall a few times, whack your head on doorways and light fixtures a couple times, and voila you are tall! It's about time you started rockin' the neighborhood in your very own pair of super stilts.

STEP 1: What You'll Need

1. Wood
2. Drill
3. Screws
4. Two old belts
5. No Fear of Heights

That's all..............what are you waiting for keep goin!

STEP 2: Find the Legs

First thing your gonna need to do is find two 2x4s the same length for the legs. I made mine 2' 2". The higher you go the bigger base your going to need.

STEP 3: Cut Base Plates

Now find some good plywood and cut it into a rectangle. Mine is 11" by about 6" but if your making your stilts any taller than 2' you'll need bigger base plates than that.

STEP 4: Cut Triangles

Now cut out four triangles, all the same size, out of a square board. These will be used later on for support.

STEP 5: Cut the Foot Plates

Now cut out two pieces for your foot to stand on. To get the length, make it as long as your foot is and cut two the same size.

STEP 6: Screw the Base Plate On

Screw the base plate onto the leg. Make sure the leg is in the center of the base plate and not shifted to one side. Do this to both stilts.

STEP 7: Screw the Supports On

Now take the triangle supports and screw them onto the sides of the leg to give it extra support.

STEP 8: Screw the Foot Plates On

Now center the foot plates on the stilts and screw them in.

STEP 9: Cut Up the Old Belts

Now cut the old belts. Cut them both the same. For the first cut slide down the belt about 3 inches from the buckle and cut. For the second cut slide about three inches down from the last hole and cut.

STEP 10: Attach the Belts

Attach the belts. Screw the buckle side on one half of the stilts, and on the other half screw the attaching end. Do this to both stilts. Next attach the heel strap, this keeps your foot from slipping out. Use the excess belt that hasn't yet been used. Put your foot on the stilt and tighten down the belt to however tight you'd like, then wrap the heel strap around your heel and staple or screw it in place.

STEP 11: Cut and Screw

Cut out six 8" x 2.5" boards and screw them onto the front, back. and sides of both stilts. Then cut out six blocks to make the support boards the same level as the base plate. You don't need them on the inside sides of the stilts because that isn't one of the ways you would fall. Slide a block underneath the support board and screw it in.

STEP 12: Enjoy!

Your done now, enjoy your stilts and try not to get hurt.

Comments

[OTP1]

Great job

[woofboy111]

To restate what was already said, these stilts are extremely dangerous.

I'm a stiltwalker who has experience on drywall, acrobatic, and homemade peg stilts. In every pair of stilts I've used, the calf strap is most important. The straps around your feet do have their purpose, but it is the calf strap that provides stability. Be really careful on these...

[codongolev]

depending on what you're doing, I'd even recommend a helmet. this coming from a guy who got an ambulance called on him (and a fairly serious concussion) for smashing his face into the ground while running around (without a helmet) on jumping stilts.

but, safety issues aside, they look like nice stilts.

[woofboy111]

Knee pads can't hurt either to protect from forward falls...

[chemkid42]

what are the dimensions on the square wood you used?

[sfstilter]

I am professional stilter of 10 years and I think your stilts are super cool however they are VERY unsafe. Stilts are an extension of your leg and the way you have it set up they are an extension of your foot which will cause an ankle break. A good stilt needs to include a support up the outside of the leg to the knee and then either a shin plate or calf plate for support. If you would like help designing a comfortable, safe, and light weight stilt please message me andI will gladly help you. I have made hundreds of stilts in various shapes and sizes.

Congrats on a pair of stilts and an even bigger congrats to getting up on them. In the stilting scene we have a saying "let's get high and have fun!"

[Kinnishian]

To reiterate the point everyone kind of made, is that there's basically a leverage force going against your ankle now. So you want to bypass your ankle, since your shin is a lot stronger than your ankle joint.

If your foot is normally some 4 inches from your ankle, now you have a force being applied some 30 inches from the same point = 7.5 times higher force.

[Kinnishian]

But, otherwise, this is awesome! Thanks for the instructable

[machoturtle]

These are SO cool! I love your front page picture!

[machoturtle]

That was my sister. She thought she was on her account. :)

[dragonsniper]

lol

[cortchops]

perfect for slenderman

[poofrabbit]

OOOH this could be so cool in use with a costume! Very well done!

[ilpug]

There is a reason why most stilts have small tips, and extend up the side of your leg- it lets you fall over easier and distributes all the stress along your leg. Your design has neither of those features. This is fun, and I am not saying that you shouldn't have fun doing it, just letting you know that there are safer ways to do this.

[lemonie]

These look "lethal"; you haven't got enough support to stop you wobbling and prevent your ankles from failing.
Don't try these.

L

[machoturtle]

just edited and changed it to have some more support. Thanks for the tip

[lemonie]

I'm impressed, but they still say "broken ankles" to me... : )

L

[machoturtle]

ya i know what you mean lol i fell today on them and it hurt my ankles not bad though...i got right back up and kept goin

[lemonie]

Good for you to get back up, but check your health insurance policy carefully...

L

[Kiteman]

Oh, come on!

Let's see them in use!