Start by lining up three popsicle sticks end to end. Glue on two overlapping the seams. Then cut one stick in half for the two ends. You will then make two more with just two popsicle sticks making shorter beams.
These are going to make the trusses. Using a 3-stick beam and a 2-stick beam that has mostly dried, attach them with the sticks making a triangular pattern.
Once it dries a for about 15 minutes, flip it over and repeat the triangular pattern on the other side to make it double thick. You will repeat this to make the two trusses for the sides of the bridge. The other three-stick beams are to be used as the bottom base of the bridge. Lay them parallel to each other and glue sticks going across the bottom connecting them.
This would be the road that the car would drive over if it were a really bridge. Once the base is done, glue the side trusses on standing along the edge. I glued it and propped up some books along the side to hold them up while they dried. Attach the sides together along the top with another triangular pattern. Unlike a rectangle, a triangle cannot be deformed without changing the length of one of its sides or breaking one of its joints. In fact, one of the simplest ways to strengthen a rectangle is to add supports that form triangles at the rectangle's corners or across its diagonal length.
A single support between two diagonal corners greatly strengthens a rectangle by turning it into two triangles. Very similar to the one in the diagram. Draw your design on paper, and estimate the number of sticks you will need. Be creative with your design! Some things to keep in mind: A clamp of some sort is a good idea when constructing. I used Tim Andersons method, but bulldog clips work just as well. Clamps are important because most of the popsicle stick aren't flat, so if you don't clamp them when you glue them together your bridge probably won't hold together very well.
Don't pinch your fingers. Keep your workspace clean! I glued everything on top of a piece of paper, as I have a tendency to get glue everywhere. I started by making smaller pieces that would be easier to glue together. I counted out how many I needed and started with that. Once they'd dried just enough to not fall apart, I moved on. I glued the smaller pieces together, to create the main supports for the bridge. I then repeated the process and made some slightly shorter pieces for the top.
I started with each side of the bridge, keeping them symmetrical, then flipped each side and added more. I added angled supports across the bottom to start with, to hold it together, then across the top. Keeping in mind the idea that triangles are strong, I added some center supports going across as well as up and down. I finished it off with some pieces across the top. I'm not sure they add any structural support, but they look good.
I also touched-up on the glue where it was looking scarce, and added more horizontal supports. Lastly I sanded the top, to make it completely flat so that weight wouldn't be focused on any one point. This is the last step, obviously. We decided we'd test the bridge with sand in a bucket. We bought two 60 lb bags of sand, thinking surely my bridge would break under lbs. It held lbs. We emptied the sand out, and added 40 lbs of water, then added all the sand back.
It still held. We tried the intern, and it still held. Two days later we bought another lbs of sand. The bridge finally broke under lbs! How much does yours weigh? Excellent tutorial- you helped us launch our first ever "Builder Badge" project for 80 Grade 4 and Grade 5 students at our tribal school. However, it would be quite impossible to bring them to the kitchen table. Luckily, with a few bridge building techniques, a few popsicle sticks, a creative mind, and a few other household items, you can now build a glorious bridge of your very own.
To build a bridge with popsicle sticks, first glue some sticks end-to-end to make 4 trusses, which are beams that run the length of your bridge. When the glue is dry, glue sticks in a W pattern between each pair of trusses for support. Next, use long sticks or glue together shorter ones to make supports to go crosswise under the deck and trusses.
Finally, assemble the trusses, deck, and supports. If you want to learn how to plan a blueprint for the bridge, keep reading the article! Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet?
Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Things You'll Need. Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1. Determine the length of your bridge. You should consider how long you want to make your bridge before you even go shopping for supplies. There are multiple different sizes of popsicle stick that will be available at your local grocery or craft store.
You may want to: Lay out a yardstick on your work space. Note the approximate length of your bridge. Lay your yardstick crosswise to note the width of your bridge. Estimate the amount of popsicle sticks based on these dimensions, and the size of popsicle stick you decide on using.
Gather your supplies. Your popsicle bridge building supplies can be purchased at a local grocery store, general retailer, or craft store. The kind of popsicle stick you decide on using will depend on the vision you have for your bridge, but be sure you purchase a goodly amount so you don't run out mid-building.
Including your sticks, you'll also need: Popsicle sticks Hot glue gun and glue Large piece of cardboard or construction paper Paper for designing Pencil Scissors or shears for cutting popsicle sticks Yardstick or ruler. Ready your work space for action.
Place a piece of cardboard or construction paper on a table or any other type of smooth, flat, level surface. Make sure that the size of your work space is large enough to accommodate the bridge you will be constructing by measuring out its rough dimensions against the area available on your work space. Decide on the kind of bridge you will make. There are several different kinds of bridge you can decide between, including suspension bridges, draw bridges, and truss bridges.
For the purposes of providing a guided example, the following model bridge will be built following the classic Warren truss bridge structure. Imagine a blueprint for your bridge. A blueprint is a drawing that will serve as a plan for your design. Generally, a truss bridge has: Crosswise floor beams and struts. A deck, that forms the walkway or road of the bridge. Longways laying stringer beams beneath the deck. An external frame, composed of squares divided into triangles for better integrity.
Cross bracing forming an X along the top sections of the bridge. Sway bracing beneath the top crosswise struts.
Draw your blueprint. Now that you have a general idea of the structure you're trying to build, as well as the tried and true essential parts of a truss bridge, you're ready to use your imagination.
Take some time to sketch out your design. Don't worry too much about being true to life; your blueprint is a plan, not a perfect representation. Part 2. Plan out your truss beam layout in finer detail. Allow your general blueprint to guide you, but now you have to get down to arranging your popsicle sticks for actual construction. The trusses are the four beams that will run the length of the top and bottom of your bridge. Later, you'll add triangles to these for improved support.
To lay out your truss: Lay out four rows of popsicle sticks with each row being three sticks wide. Each row should be equal in length. Cut four popsicle sticks in half. Place each of the halved popsicle sticks at both ends of each of the truss beams, in the middle position of the three-wide popsicle sticks.
The component three-wide popsicle sticks of each truss will be glued together to form a truss three sticks thick. Glue your truss beams together. Take the component popsicle sticks of each of your four rows and, remembering to keep the popsicle sticks even, hot glue your truss beam together. This will create four, three-stick-thick truss beams.
Hot glue dries very quickly! Press the popsicle sticks together and apply firm pressure so your trusses are securely glued.
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