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DIY Pogo Stick

A pogo stick is a toy that works as an exercising tool without children realizing their fun is actually healthy. A child uses his legs, abdomen and arms to operate a pogo stick with repeated movement, exercising each muscle. A pogo stick is a simple machine called a spring that uses the weight of the child pressing down on the spring to cause the spring to push the child up into the air.

Things You'll Need

Red, green, blue and yellow metal spray paint
1-inch-diameter steel rigid conduit, 3 feet long
1/2-inch-diameter steel rigid conduit, 3 feet long
1-inch-diameter conduit, 5 inches long
2/3-inch-diameter conduit, 5 inches long
1/2-inch rigid conduit bushing
1/2-inch rigid conduit nut
1/2-by-1 1/2-inch rubber stopper
Rubber mallet
3/4-by-2 3/16-inch compression spring
Table vice
Drill
1/2-inch-diameter diamond-tip boring bit
2/3-inch-diameter diamond-tip boring bit
File
3 conduit caps, 1-inch-diameter
T-shaped conduit connector

Instructions

- 1
  Spray a 3-foot-long, 1-inch-diameter rigid conduit with red metal spray paint. Spray a 3-foot-long, 1/2-inch-diameter rigid conduit with blue metal spray paint. Spray a 5-inch-long, 1-inch-diameter conduit with green metal spray paint. Spray a 5-inch-long, 2/3-inch-diameter conduit with yellow metal spray paint. The separate colors make the pogo stick a colorful toy.
- 2
  Attach a 1/2-inch rigid nut and 1/2-inch rigid bushing to one end of the blue conduit. The nut is placed on the rigid end of the conduit before the bushing.
- 3
  Pound a 1/2-by-1-inch rubber stopper into the opening in the 1/2-inch bushing with a rubber mallet until the stopper is tightly stuck into the bushing.
- 4
  Place a 3/4-by-2 3/16-inch compression spring over the open end of the blue conduit and let it sit on the rigid nut.
- 5
  Place the red conduit into a table vice. Use a 2/3-inch-diameter, diamond-tip boring bit to cut a hole through the conduit 1 inch from one end. Cut the hole all the way through the conduit. Remove the conduit from the vice.
- 6
  Place the yellow conduit into the table vice. Use a 1/2-inch-diameter, diamond-tip boring bit to cut a hole through the conduit in the center. Cut the hole all the way through the conduit. Use a file to open the holes on each side slightly to give the pogo stick a secure, but easy movement. Remove the conduit from the vice.
- 7
  Slide the yellow conduit into the holes created in the red conduit. Turn the yellow conduit so the hole in its center is pointed toward the opening in the red conduit.
- 8
  Drill a 1/2-inch hole into the center of a 1-inch-diameter conduit cap. Attach the cap to the end of the red conduit with the yellow conduit.
- 9
  Slide the open end of the blue conduit inside the red conduit's cap and through the hole in the yellow conduit.
- 10
  Slide the green conduit into the straight section of a T-shaped conduit connector. Attach the T-shaped conduit connector to the open end of the red conduit by turning the connector clockwise. Cap the ends of the greed conduit with 1-inch-diameter conduit caps.
- 11
  Step on yellow conduit on each side of the pogo stick, hold the green conduit with your hands and use the compression spring to bounce on the DIY pogo stick.

Childrens Toys