How To Build A Box Kite

Complete Instructions For The MBK 2-Skewer Box Kite

This set of instructions on how to build a box kite assumes you know absolutely nothing about kite making. You might already have some of the simple tools and materials required. Anything you don't have is easily bought. If not exactly what I used, then at least something pretty similar!

The instructions on how to build a box kite might look awfully long, but that's because they are so detailed. For those who like pictures, every detail is illustrated with photographs too. Just quickly work your way through, skimming over any detail that you don't need. All in all, it should be quite hard to build a mistake!

If made from 30cm (12 inch) skewers, the MBK 2-Skewer Box Kite is not huge at 58 cm (2 feet) long and cell panels about 17 cm x 20 cm. This box design is a fresh to strong wind flier, and requires no tail unless flying in a storm which is not recommended anyway!

I originally made this kite with removal cross-pieces, which is described below. However, after several outings, it became clear that friction alone cannot be relied upon to keep the cross-pieces in place! If you like, just cut them to length and glue or tape in place instead of adding the little prongs on each end. The complete kite is still small enough to easily carry on the seat or in the boot of a car.

How To Build A Box Kite - Main Spars

• Snip the point off a skewer, then measure it to establish '1 skewer length' (1.0SL) for your kite.
• Snip the points off 7 more skewers, to exactly the same length as the first one. These 8 skewers will form 4 main 'spars'.
• From a spare skewer, snip off 8 lengths, each just 0.1SL long. These are the reinforcers which will connect the spar skewers together.
• Lay down the 8 spar skewers, together with the 8 reinforcers, and lay wood glue down the joins. See the photo.
• Get down low and look along each spar in turn. Carefully move them as necessary to get each spar as straight as possible, before the glue dries.

How To Build A Box Kite - Cross-Pieces

• Take 2 more skewers, and trim each one to a length of 0.98SL. These are 2 of the 'cross-pieces' - 2 more will be needed later, but don't make them now.
• From a spare skewer, snip off 8 lengths, each just 0.05SL long. These will secure the cross-pieces to the main spars.
• Arrange these to make 2 cross-pieces, as in the photo. Lay down wood glue over every join.

How To Build A Box Kite - Sail

The template down there represents one cell of the kite, laid out flat. Now transfer the measurements to the sail plastic as follows...

• Firstly, take a light, single-ply plastic bag and lay it flat on the table. I use cheap orange garden-bag plastic - the more expensive bags are usually 2 or 3-ply plastic, which is heavier and less see-through.
• Measure and mark the rectangle outline first; with a black marking pen and ruler. Do this near the side crease of the bag, as in the top photo.
• Now measure and mark the fold lines.
• Flip the bag over and trace over all the lines.
• Cut out the plastic containing the 2 rectangles and open it out, as in the bottom photo.

• Cut around the 2 rectangular outlines with scissors, one at a time. You'll be sorry if you attempt to cut both thicknesses of plastic at once, since the bottom one will tend to slip out of position!
• Arrange the 4 bamboo spars over the plastic as in the photo, covering up the drawn fold-lines.
• Tack down all 8 corners of the sails to the floor or table top with small pieces of sticky tape. This stops unintended shifting of the plastic while you are trying to...
• Lay down 4 long lengths of clear sticky tape, securing the spars to the plastic. The tape is visible in the photo - look for where the plastic is smoother and slightly darker, near the edges.

• Remove everything from the table top, either pulling off or trimming away the small square bits of tape at the corners.
• Fold the sails, bringing the short edges together and sticking them with tape as shown in the photo.
• Now open the box kite out, and carefully lay down tape along the inside edges as well, to make the 2 joins even more secure. A bit tricky, take your time!

How To Build A Box Kite - Rigging

Firstly, take a good look at the top photo. The cross pieces both go under one middle spar and over the other one. Hence the kite can be opened out into a box shape.

Another 2 cross pieces need to be fitted now, to make the kite rigid. However, due to the inexact nature of working with bamboo skewers and plastic, you need to fit each one individually. Here's how...

• Take a bamboo skewer, and snip it to a length just a little longer than one of the cross-pieces already in place.
• By trial and error, trim the bamboo down until you can just squeeze it into place next to an existing cross-piece, but diagonal to it.
• Mark the cross-piece and the 2 main spars it touches so you can put it back in the same spot later. Remove the cross-piece and glue small pieces of bamboo to it, just like the 2 already done.While the glue is drying...
• Just one more cross-piece to do. Fit the last cross-piece in place in the same way, at the other end of the kite. Make more marks so you know where this one goes too. When its length is just right, glue the small pieces on and wait for the glue to dry.

The bottom photo is a close-up, with my markings visible on a main spar and one of the cross-pieces. The other cross-piece had single marks instead of double, to tell them apart. Hope you get the idea!

How To Build A Box Kite - Bridle

• Measure 0.3SL in from one end of a spar (half the width of the sail), and use a spare skewer to poke a small hole through the plastic, on either side of the spar.
• Cut off a 3SL length of 20 pound flying line, and tie a small overhand loop into one end.
• Attach the looped end to the kite, by passing it in one hole and out the other. Feed the other end of the line through the loop and pull tight around the bamboo. See the photo.
• Add a small length of clear sticky tape onto the sail plastic, to prevent the bridle shifting forward and stretching the plastic. The yellow rectangle on the photo shows where the tape is.
• Attach the other end of the line to the same spar, just behind the join of the 2 skewers, using a couple of Half Hitches. Smear a drop of wood glue all around the bamboo and into the knot, to hold it secure.

Now take a length of flying line about 1 skewer long, and tie one end to the bridle line with a Prusik knot, or any other shiftable knot. Tie a small Double Overhand Loop into the other end, just to get a big knot. Need some help with the knots?

All this is visible in the above photo. At this point, you've pretty much finished making the MBK 2-Skewer Box Kite!

How To Build A Box Kite - Flying!

Finally, make up a flying line and attach it to the bridle with a Lark's Head knot. See the photo over there.

Assuming there is plenty of breeze outside, just dangle the kite at arm's length until the wind catches it. As long as you feel the kite pulling, let out line slowly by letting it slip through your fingers.

Another approach is to get a helper to hold the kite up and let it go, with maybe 10 or 20 meters of line let out. This way, the kite soon gets high enough to build it easy to let more line out. That's assuming there is plenty of wind!

If the kite doesn't fly, there is only one explanation - not enough wind! If it loops around in both directions, try shifting the towing point forward a little. That is, move the shiftable knot along the bridle line towards the nose of the kite. As a last resort, you could add a small tail.

NOTE: During it's first outing, I had to use several small strips of insulation tape to keep the cross-pieces in place. The cross-pieces had a tendency to fall out during flight! Don't over-do it, so you can remove the tapes easily if you want to. This design flaw will be fixed later, but probably not soon. Also, this kite is small enough to just be left ready-to-fly!

Isn't it nice to not be grounded when it's blowing a gale outside, and it's way too strong for most other kites! By the way, if the kite stays quite low despite a good wind, you could try moving the towing point back a bit, towards the tail end of the kite.

Here's a picture of the MBK 2-Skewer Box Kite in the air. Air pressure on the sails is causing the main spars to bow out a little. Hope you've enjoyed learning how to build a Box kite!

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Last updated: 11 Sep 2009