How To Make a Pogo Stick

Well, Pogo sticks are very simple machines. They are only tubes and springs. There is some welding involved, but building them is quite simple. Let’s take a look at the materials first and then the process step by step.

To enjoy this sports you should have a best Pogo stick as this sports can be for fun, weight loss by burning Calories or extreme sports 

What Do We Need to Build a Pogo Stick?

Materials of Pogo Stick

• The springs: This is the first and most important element of a pogo stick. Don’t worry, it is really easy to find. Just go to your local used motorcycles shop or the nearest mechanic. They can be found on the floor lying around. Remember that the rear suspension on most motorbikes is done through big springs. Once they become unusable for bikers, they are sold by the weight. They will not hold the suspension of a motorbike, but will make your pogo stick jump high in the air. You might even get them for free on a good day.

• The tubes: The second most important part of how to make pogo stick is the steel tubes. We need three sizes. A smaller one that will slide inside the spring, another one to be welded to it (spring size) and a larger one in which the others will fit. Any other regular square tube can be used for footrests and a round one for the handles. It’s important to remember that they will be sewed off, so length is not an issue, width is. Make sure that the tubes are not rusty either, since they will be in touch with kids. If you can’t find tubes in good shape, you might be able to scrape them or paint them afterwards.

• Bolts: This is another key element in how to make a pogo stick. The bolts you need will be 5/16”and long enough to go through the largest tube. The use of the bolt will be seen further on, but it needs to be resistant, do not go cheap on this key factor.

• Rubber: To add grip to the footrests and the hand bars on top of the pogo stick. For the upper part you will need some skin friendly material that will make it more comfortable for users to spend more time with it. I recommend you use rubber for footrests and some foamy material for the hands.

• Painting and decoration: The rest of the materials needed are more related to the looks. The needed things are paint (it can be spray or brush) and maybe some cool stickers to make it more hip.

Tools For building a Pogo Stick

• A welder: This is the key element to building this pogo stick. Metal has to be welded together. There is absolutely no other way to join them. There are many available welders in the market and most people have one at the garage maybe just sitting there.

• Angle grinder (with a metal grinder disc): Another very important element, the length of the tubes is really important for comfort while pogo jumping. If you found your tubes at the local metal scrap place, you really have to adjust the correct height for the person that will be using it.

• Drill Press: This is another absolute must because you need to insert a metal bolt inside a metal tube and there is no other way but drilling a hole in it. The drill you need has to match the bolts you have.

• Hack Saw: Any good horizontal saw will do. You need to have a sharp one that will cut through metal and a pair of strong arms, of course.

• Sand paper, glue and finishing tools: These are the tools you need to have a better looking pogo stick but you can do without them just for the construction. The sand paper needs to be the correct one to use on metal and the glue has to be powerful and attach rubber to metal.

The Pogo Stick building process

Once you have all the materials the real fun begins! Let’s start from the beginning and divide this into steps.

Step 1

The first step is to weld the springs together. Take two springs for younger children (four to eight years old) or three springs for older ones. The springs will give you the overall strength and height of your Pogo stick.

• TIP 1! The springs have to be perfectly aligned together because they will help each other to lift people from the ground up.

• TIP 2! It is very important that the welding is done accurately so the excess of material will not touch the inner tube that will slide right in.

Step 2

Once the springs are welded together, it is time to weld the tube that is the same size of the springs to the last one. This welding has to be done with care but has to be strong. All the weight will be resting over it. When welding you have to be careful not to leave any excess material that can be in contact with the inner tube.

Ok, so by now you should have a structure of two or three springs attached between them (perfectly straight) and a tube attached to one of the ends.

Step 3

The next thing to do is to weld the smallest tube to the other end of the springs leaving out something like three inches so that the springs never touch the ground and the tube is the end of the Pogo stick.

• TIP! This is another key point where all the weight will be resting at. Make sure the welding is done properly and covers the entire round tube.

OK, we have one big structure now of two tubes and two or three springs, it is time to go for the next step and turn it into a Pogo stick.

Step 4

We took care of half the pogo stick already, now it is time to go for the big tube. To do that, we need to drill a hole in both, the big tube and the one that is the same size as the springs. Once the hole is drilled, we are going to match it to the big tube and have a set of holes that can have a bolt going through at the same time.

• TIP! The best idea for children is to drill several holes with a distance of about 3” apart. This is good for accommodating the different heights of the users as they grow up. You can always use the same bolt or a new one.

• TIP 2! Make sure you saw off the remains of the bolt so the user will not get hurt by it. This is very important.

Step 5

Now we are almost done, all we need is to weld the footrests and the bars on top of the big tube. The footrests should go at the very bottom, two inches away from the beginning of the springs. It is very important that they are perfectly even to help balance while jumping. Remember to weld the square ones on the bottom and the round ones on top for the hands.

• TIP! Make sure you measure perfectly the place where footrests are placed. It is also very important to measure the bar where the hands go to be perfectly aligned with each other.

• TIP 2! The bar for the hands can be one placed on top of the big tube or it can be done with two halves on the sides. The top tube gives it more stability and is easier.

Step 6

We are in the finishing line already. Cut off two big pieces of rubber and put them around the foot rests with abundant glue and let them dry. This is very important. Without a firm grip there, the Pogo stick can slip off and hurt someone. Cut off another piece of rubber and glue it to the bottom of the smaller tube in order to provide grip when jumping on the street. Once that is dry you can fold the rubber, glue it to the bar on top and add to it some foamy material for softness.

• TIP! For longer durability of the soft material on top it is a good choice to wrap it up with a durable vinyl cloth or neoprene or any other soft material. Remember that the sweaty hands of the user will be the ones holding on to it.

Step 7

Now that we are finished with the rough part is time to go into the details:

• Sand down any welding that does not look right and make it even.

• Wrap your footrests and the grips on the bar with some tape and then spray or brush paint the Pogo stick in your favorite color.

• Let the paint dry and then add any details you want to make it look cooler. It can be anything from stickers to a different color of paint to a custom artistic drawing. Anything goes as long as you like the result.

Step 8

Have lots of fun!

Final comments and conclusion

Pogo Stick Safety

Make sure that you look after yourself and others while performing all the steps seen before. Use the correct materials and tools. Wear the needed safety measurements (googles, gloves, welding mask, etc.) If you do not know how to perform a step or are in doubt about it, specially welding, ask for help from an experienced person. Remember that even if you do not perform these activities you will save a ton of money anyways.

Conclusion

Manufacturing a Pogo stick can be a fun activity and especially if it is shared with other members of the family. If it is a gift for your children and they are involved in the building process, they will be happier with it than if it was bought for them. Don’t be afraid to follow the steps and let us know how it went in the comments below. Always remember to have fun doing it and if you have new tips to contribute for future builders just add them there and help others avoid the mistakes you might have committed. You also should consider about Extreme Pogo  stick or Xpogo stick materials as it should be high quality.

‘Till next time and thanks for reading!