Box Kite Plans
For The MBK Box Kites
These Box kite plans are aimed at the more experienced kite maker. They
summarize the far more in-depth instructions to be found in the How To ...
pages for the Dowel and Skewer box kites. It assumes you have the
knowledge to do a neat job, use the right knots and keep the weight
down!
Dowel Box Kite Plans
- For the dimensions in the plan, use 5mm (3/16") diameter wooden
dowel for the spars and cross-pieces. Any light plastic sheet will do
for the sail.
- Use a single long strip of clear sticky tape along each long edge of both pieces of sail plastic. Besides to reinforcing the edge, this also attaches the spars to the plastic.
- Close the box using clear sticky tape along the short edges of the plastic. Also fold a short length of tape around the leading edge and trailing edge of both joins, to reinforce.
- Reinforce the sail at each tip of each main spar, with small squares
of packing tape. These caps, folded onto both sides of the sail, will
prevent the spars from slipping through the edging tape.
- Cut off 2 short and 2 longer dowel cross-pieces, using wood glue and spare dowel to make the tips as shown above.
- Tie a length of shoe-lace to the middle of both short cross-pieces.
Each pair of cross pieces can then be secured together at the
crossing-point, for extra strength and stiffness during flight.
- Insert and secure the cross pieces as indicated on the plan. You can
glue them in place if you want. Otherwise, glue small dowel lugs onto
the main spars so the cross-pieces cannot slip along the dowel. Bend
each cross-piece a little to remove it when packing away the kite.
- Try a bridle line about 1.5DL (180cm, 72”) in length.
- With the upper bridle leg attached and angled as shown, the kite
should be trimmed nicely. Feel free to experiment with sliding the
flying line attachment point fore and aft a little from this position.
Secure both bridle attachment knots with a small dob of glue, so they
don't slide along the dowel.
- This design is lightly built for light to moderate winds only! It's a fantastic flier in those conditions, and will respond to thermals.
- No tail should be necessary.
The Dowel Box kite in flight...
Don't forget - these plans plus step-by-step instructions and a flight report, are also available in an e-book. See up at the top of this page, on the right.
This is handy for getting nicely formatted printouts. Also, you can work off-line with the e-book on your laptop or other device.
The next 2 sets of Box kite plans use ordinary thin bamboo skewers for spars. A very light-weight and strong natural material!
2-Skewer Box Kite Plans
- Use a single strip of clear sticky tape over the long edges
of both pieces of sail plastic. This will reinforce the edge and at the
same time attach the skewers to the plastic. Each main spar is 2 skewers
with points removed, butted end to end and reinforced with 2 short
lengths of skewer glued on.
- Close the box using clear sticky tape along the shorter sail plastic
edges. Also fold a short length of tape around each end of both joins,
to reinforce.
- Reinforce the sail at each tip of each main spar, with small squares
of insulation tape. These caps, folded onto both sides of the sail,
will prevent the spars from slipping through the edging tape.
- Insert and secure the 2 vertical cross-pieces, one near the upper
cell and one near the lower cell, both butted onto the same 2 spars.
Hold in place with insulation or packing tape squares folded over the
main spar and onto the cross-pieces.
- Cut the other 2 cross-pieces slightly over-size, then trim down to
fit, before securing them onto the other 2 spars in the same way.
- Try a bridle line about 3.0SL (87cm, 35") in length.
- Poke a hole through the plastic for the upper bridle attachment,
then add a short strip of clear sticky tape just forward of the hole, as
reinforcement. Secure the lower bridle attachment knot with a small dob
of glue.
- This design just loves moderate to fresh wind, for which no tail should be necessary.
- Due to its small size, it is convenient to attach the cross-pieces permanently
to the spars with glue. You can use paper gussets or very short lengths
of skewer along with the gluing to achieve more strength in the joins.
Here's the 2-Skewer Box kite in flight, on an almost overcast day...
1-Skewer Box Kite Plans
- Use a single strip of clear sticky tape along the longer edges of both pieces of sail plastic. This will reinforce the edge and at the same time attach the skewers to the plastic.
- Close the box using clear sticky tape along the shorter sail plastic
edges. Also fold a short length of tape around each end of both joins,
to reinforce.
- Reinforce the sail at each tip of each main spar, with small squares
of insulation tape. These caps, folded onto both sides of the sail,
will prevent the spars from slipping through the edging tape.
- Insert and secure the vertical cross-piece.
- Cut the horizontal cross-piece slightly over-size, then trim down to
fit, before securing it to the 2 side spars. Apply a little glue where
it crosses the vertical cross-piece.
- Tie some flying line between the 2 side-spars, attached where
indicated on the plan (side view). Use a couple of half-hitches to hold a
little tension in the line, before securing the knot with glue. This is
an unusual box kite design, but it saves weight!
- Poke a hole for the bridle attachment, then add a short strip of
clear sticky tape just forward of the hole to protect the plastic.
- Try a tail about 6.0SL (175cm, 70") long, looped around and attached
at both ends to the lower cell where indicated. Experiment with
reducing the amount of tail later.
- This little kite flies best in moderate winds.
Here's the 1-Skewer Box kite in flight...
Hope you've had fun using these Box kite plans. Did it fly well? Great!
Click here for an e-book with plans, step-by-step instructions and a flight report on the 1.2m (4 feet) span Dowel Box kite.
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