How to make a box kite
This box kite design flies well in moderate winds. Run into the wind to launch the kite and add a tail to the spar where the line connects if it needs extra stability. While your dad cuts all the pieces needed to make this box kite, you can use craft paints to decorate the fabric for your kite.
This box kite design flies well in moderate winds. Run into the wind to launch the kite and add a tail to the spar where the line connects if it needs extra stability. While your dad cuts all the pieces needed to make this box kite, you can use craft paints to decorate the fabric for your kite.
fresh home ideas
YOU WILL NEED:
6mm pine dowels:
4 of 6mm x 900mm - long struts /
4 of 6mm x 160mm - short struts
Parachute material: 2 of 300mm x 1220mm
Nylon ribbon
Clear strapping (packaging) tape
String
6mm silicone tubing: 8 of 6mm x 40mm
Felt-tipped pens for decorating
Handsaw
Utility knife
1. Use a handsaw to cut 6mm dowels into four 900mm lengths and four 400mm lengths.
2. Use a sharp utility knife to cut out two 300mm x 1220mm rectangles of parachute material.
3. Mark the fabric into four equal sections, then decorate.
4. Cut 6mm tubing into eight 40mm lengths, then cut a 25mm-long slit down the centre of each tube. Bend the tubes, then thread both ends of the long struts through the tip and out the slit. Position connectors 150mm from each end.
5. Lay the fabric strips face down, position the long struts on your layout marks and secure them in place with strapping tape. Tape the free ends of the strips to one another to create an oblong box.
6. Insert the ends of the cross struts into the open ends of the tube connectors installed on the long struts. Both pairs of "Xs" should be 150mm in from the ends of the box.
7. Poke a small hole in the material and tie your string to a point where a long and cross strut intersect. For balance, tie a tail to the opposite end of the same long strut.
DIY TIP:
Experiment with string and tail positions; little tweaks can make your kite fly higher and in lighter breeze.