How to Make a Basic Wood Sled

What child doesn't love sailing down a snowy hill in the frosty days of winter.  This is a great do it yourself project that will provide hours of fun in the snow.

The handles on the side are great for your child to have something to hold on to, while the rope makes it easy to pull the sled back up the hill for another run.

A little old fashioned, but suitable for those little ones that aren't too comfortable on those slippery plastic sleds.

Easy to do, fun to make and hours of entertainment are provided with this basic wood sled.

You Will Need:

• 5½' of ½" Plank - 4" wide
• 2' of ½" Plank - 1¾" wide
• 5' of ¾" Plank - 4¾" wide
• Twenty No. 8 wood screws
• Four Metal Brackets
• Rope
• ¾" Wide Metal Strip for Runners
• Polyurethane Varnish and Brush
• Crosscut Hand Saw - Coping Saw - Hand Drill and Bits
• Rasp (file) - Coarse and Fine Sandpaper - Ruler - Pencil

From the ¾" plank, cut two runners to the size indicated in Figure 1.

Negotiate the curved ends with a coping saw.  Use the coping saw to cut out the hand holes which should go under the seat rest positions that will not take a bracket. (see Figure 3).

From the ½" plank, cut four seat rests, each 4" x 16" long.

From the other ½" plank, cut a foot rest, 22" long x 1¾" wide.

In each end of this piece, drill a hole to take a rope, like shown in Fig 2.

File off any sharp or rough corners and thoroughly sand all surfaces to a smooth finish with the sandpaper.

Give each piece a number of coats of wood seal, polyurethane varnish for instance, just to give the wood some protection.

Secure each seat rest to the runners with four wood screws positions as shown in Figure 2.
Add the foot rest, also using four wood screws.

To strengthen the seat part, screw on the metal brackets to the undersides of the seat rests and inside of the runners as shown in Fig 3.

In this sled, four brackets were used, but you can sacrifice the hand holds and put brackets under each seat rest if you like.

To make the sled run more smoothly, nail ¾" wide strips of thin metal along the runners or wax the runners.

To complete, tie a rope through the holes in the foot rest.

You now have a great sled to provide hours of entertainment, all with a little time, effort and a few materials.

Until next time,

Happy Crafting!