Mini Pillory (Stocks)

This wooden Pillory makes a perfect stand for your mini skeleton. If you are not familiar with a Pillory, the device was used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. This project was made from pallet wood and was scaled to fit the 18” tall plastic skeleton. Only basic woodworking skills are needed and it should take less than 4 hours to build.

Tools:

• Table or Miter Saw
• Drill Press & Bits
• Nail Gun or Hammer
• Sander
• Ruler
• Pen/Pencil

Materials:

• 3/8” thick wood x 1 1/8” strips.
• 3/8” thick wood x 2” wide
• Nails
• Wood Glue
• Paint or Stain (optional)

Buy a plastic skeleton. Depending on the size, you might need to change the dimensions below to match the proportions of your skeleton. This skeleton was purchased from Michaels and cost about $4.00. You should be able to find others at Amazon, Target, Walmart, etc.

You will be building to this drawing. All the dimensions are in inches. Note that the parts are color coded for easy reference.

Cut multiple strips of 3/8” thick wood. For the sides, cut the pieces to the lengths shown. You will need 4 of the orange part and 2 of the yellow part.

Attached the sides together as shown. I used glue and clamps for the attachment.

Cut Base parts as shown. You will need 2 of each style. Note that the chamfer is optional.

Again, glue and clamp.

Cut the brace as shown.

Cut 4 gussets as shown.

Cut a piece of the 3/8" thick wood to 2.125" x 10". Mark the hole locations and drill the 3 holes as shown.

Cut the part along the center line to make two pieces.

Attach one of the sides to the base. I used a nail gun and glue for this step. Make two of these.

Attach the sides together using the brace. I used glue and a clamp for the attachment.

Add bottom clamp as shown. Make sure to center it between the sides. Note that this might be a tight fit. If so, lighlty sand it until it fits into the slot. Glue into place.

Add gussets as shown. I only used glue for this step.

Since I wanted contrast between the skeleton and the Pillory, I added homemade stain (coffee/water) to the wood.

The shoulder sockets on my skeleton didn't rotate out, so I readjusted the rotating joint.

Drop the head and hands through the hole and add the upper clamp.

Enjoy your Pillory!