Thread: Looking for some help...

Tweet

This year I am going to build a 6 ft tall standing pumpkinman to look over my pumpkin patch.

I want to use wood as his base and "bone infrastructure" and then some type of a filler. Going to have him in pants with a large flannel shirt and a lighted pumpkin for his head.

I wondered if anyone had plans for a 6 ft or similar standing prop that they had built. I just need the skeleton plans so I can build his wood infrastructure.

How do I make it stable to stand, what do you do with the bottom so a stiff breeze does not knock him down? I got a plan written down but I dont see it being very sturdy.... Need just a little help here

When I start this I will keep you all updated with pictures

Thanks!

I am doing something similar in the outside of the house.
I was planning into doing the frame work with PVC pipes and using the 3 pumping heads I got really cheacp.
I was going to add some of those foam noodles for the body.
I am very interested in what others will post. Maybe I will change if its something easier.

All the plans I can find online are for PVC. I guess it is way cheaper and easier to use... I guess I was looking for something more sturdy..

I found this great site for pvc props. It even has a link to a calculator to determine your cuts for the props height.

Spooky House Productions - PVC Frame

Originally Posted by pumpkinman

All the plans I can find online are for PVC. I guess it is way cheaper and easier to use... I guess I was looking for something more sturdy..

I found this great site for pvc props. It even has a link to a calculator to determine your cuts for the props height.

Spooky House Productions - PVC Frame

This came in very handy last year. I made 4 or 5 last year. Not very sturdy. At least the ones I made, but I used the smallest PVC pipe to cut on cost.

I may just not be seeing it, but what are you trying to make it look like?

Are you looking for a 'traditional' scarecrow look where there's a skinny trunk with a body stuck on it or a full size body from top to bottom?

What materials are you using? Let's say you do get a wood frame, what next? Chicken wire and duct tape are easy to form into whatever 'body' type you want. The clothing can be slipped over this (I did this for a 'dummy', however, it was horizontal on a table).

As far as securing the frame and having it not blow away, how about just staking the main 'trunk' of wood into the ground? Attach a piece of PVC pipe to the wood frame and use the PVC + rebar method so it doesn't blow away.

I don't have specific instructions for a frame, but it doesn't have to be complicated.

The year I made a wooden stand for my duct tape dummy, I just measured the wood against my own arms and legs.

I used 2 X 4's for the legs, back, and shoulders, 1x1's for the arms, and the chest out of some chicken wire, then slapped the duct tape dummy over the frame.

Mine was wearing a big robe, so to make it stand, I screwed the whole thing to a sheet of plywood and counted on the robe hiding it.

The assorted materials were all just crap I found in the shed.

It was certainly sturdy. And Heavy. The wood would be difficult to stake up. without some kind of base just due to the weight.

My experience with PVC frames has been a bit mixed. I have a 10' tall scarecrow that has held up rather well. Yet, I made a Jack Skellington for Christmas that is sitting in the shed, busted. Of course, he also withstood several feet of snow prior to Christmas, and appears to only need some leg reattachment. (the water must have got to the duct tape).

You want to use some of the larger PVC pipe, and stake it up with some sturdy rebar, and they hold together well. The advantage is weight, rounded shapes, and less hardware needed. Just pipe and duct tape. Super glue if you're really wanting to make those connections sturdy.

Well I decided to give it a go with a PVC setup... things went ok...

Here is a picture with the frame. I used myself as a model and I am 6'4


I secured some shoes to a 2 20 inch 2by4 and then drilled the end cap into them to put the legs into it and glued them


I added some small stabilizing wood pieces to help firm up the design. At this time this thing was really solid... as it leaned against my work bench...


I dressed it in a flannel shirt and some tattered pants. I filled it in with old carpet padding just to see what it would look like.. I did not spend much time on this as I will for my final product.... I put on old gorilla mask on him just for fun. My normal halloween stuff is up in my attic yet and I will be putting a lighted jack-o-lantern on it.


The problem is that as it stands free it still leans way forward and I am pretty sure it would not make it through the elements. I am going to do some fine tuning on him closer to Halloween and figure out a better base. The end caps dont really hold the whole thing that well.

I tried some other stabalizing pieces on the back but that did not really work.

This thing will stand almost 7 feet tall when I put my main pumpkin head on it... My plan is to tear this down to the regular pvc pieces and start fresh trying to make it stand more sturdy...

Rebar up the legs would help

A second along the back would help there.

Duct tape on all joints.

Why not try larger/ heavier PVC for the legs. And I'm sure that single piece for the back may be way too weak. Possibly 2 pipes for the back??

I'm working on a similar setup. I'm using sched 40, 1 1/4" pipe for mine. BTW, I'm 6'3". The T on top will be replaced with a 4 way cross so I can put a small pipe going up for the mask to sit on. Mine's not exactly done yet, but it's pretty strong.