How To Make A Roller Kite

1-Skewer Roller: Template, Tips, Step-By-Step eBook

Here's how to make a Roller kite! The Template and Tips might be sufficient, otherwise try the step-by-step eBook containing the MBK 1-Skewer Roller Kite instructions. In fact, the eBook covers the entire 1-Skewer Series of MBK kites.

The Template and Tips below should be enough if you are keen kite person. If you have put together a number of kites before, with a few different kinds of bridles, the 1-Skewer Roller should not be too hard. Everything you need, apart from the skewers perhaps, might already be lying around your house somewhere. I'm assuming you know how to make a Roller kite with low overall weight and appropriate knots.

The 1-Skewer Roller Kite is quite small at 29 x 29 cm (1 foot) square. Due to its small scale, this one is designed with a somewhat bigger gap between the upper and lower sails, to aid stability. Even so, it flies best with a short tail.

The template shown above represents one side of the kite sail of course.

How To Make A Roller Kite - Tips

• 30cm bamboo BBQ skewers worked well for me. You might be working with 12" skewers, which is pretty much the same.
• Try positioning the template so the edge of a bag becomes the center-line of the kite.
• For more durability, edge the sail with sticky tape. Over-doing it will increase weight and decrease stability though!
• Cap each spar tip with a single piece of tape, wrapped around and stuck on both sides of the plastic sail.
• A simple 2-point bridle is appropriate for this kite. The lower end of the bridle attaches to the keel which in turn is attached to the lower end of the vertical spar. Attach the flying line with a shiftable knot to get an adjustable towing point.
• Tie a simple tail to the vertical spar. A length of about 4 times the height of the kite is a good starting point. Being an old hand, I'm sure you will experiment with more or less tail, depending on how the kite flies!
• Bend some dihedral into both horizontal spars. If this weakens the bamboo too much, just stiffen the cracked portion of bamboo with wood glue.

Just getting back to that eBook again, it's a nice reference if you want to try a whole range of different kites from time to time. The info is pitched at the beginner, with very detailed instructions on a range of kite-making topics.

However, the book is well-organized so the more experienced kite-maker can quickly scroll through and pick out bits of detail that are helpful or interesting. The long Table Of Contents helps too!

Click here for more info on the eBook 8 MBK Kites To Make - The Complete 1-Skewer Series.

How To Make A Roller Kite - Flying!

You know how to fly, so I won't elaborate here. Except to say that we have had a number of enjoyable flights with possibly the smallest Roller kite design available! As long as you don't let out a huge amount of line, it will happily sail around at a 45 to 50 degree line angle in light winds. With enough tail, and accurate construction, it will put up with quite fresh winds too. Performance-wise, the Roller is similar to a Diamond of similar size. Maybe just a bit more efficient, but definitely steadier in the air!

Oops, it seems we haven't taken any video of the 1-Skewer Roller. We'll have to dig it out and rectify that situation! Watch that space...

Here's a picture of my wife May flying our original 1-Skewer Roller kite, in the dunes at Semaphore beach, Adelaide. There was a kite festival in full swing, just a bit further down the beach.

Have fun flying, and I hope you've enjoyed seeing how to make a Roller kite the MBK way!

By the way, if you would rather make a bigger Roller that is twice as tall as the 1-Skewer design, why not try the 2-Skewer Roller kite instead. Or, going twice as tall again, the nice big Dowel Roller kite could be just the ticket!

Last updated: 25 Jan 2010