Who here has built their own stocks?

Hello all! I’m going to build some stocks, and am looking for suggestions, photos, and inspiration. Any help is most appreciated!

Thank you!

I haven't built my own yet, but I work on designs in my spare time in Sketchup. Don't know if I'll ever finish mine. Good luck, fellow stocks builder!

we have,,CMan used to have a bigger set,,,don't overthink it,,plenty of plans online,,just go for it,, you can always tweak them as you go,,

I made some easy and inexpensive stocks out of a styrofoam shipping container. The top and bottom mate up in a groove channel. All I had to do was had the foot holes and trim out some of the inside of the container. My wife's nylon feet have been in them 3 times so far. She said they are comfortable. I seal them shut by wrapping duct tape around the two pieces once her feet are in place.

I have some examples here. Simple clean and portable.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/FootStocks?ref=s2-header-shopname

I designed a set of stocks to fit a chair I bought. I've had some play with them and some photos but unfortunately I ended up losing those photos while using a computer optimization software as it thought they were useless files. They're quite sturdy, I designed them to be put together and taken apart quickly. When they're apart, they lay flat so it's easy to hide under a bed or stuff in a closet. Not the most portable though as I didn't plan on taking them places. I'm not quite finished with my design as I want to sand down the hard edges where the ankles go and add some padding to make them more comfortable. I'll probably stain and finish the wood at some point too.

I also want to note that I designed them so that when you're in them, you can't see your own feet. The pic is a bit blurry but I took it while I was in the process of making them and I just wanted to see if the ankle holes were big enough.

One suggestion, too. I find 3 1/4" diameter holes hard to beat (for ankle holes), but I'd love to hear what others are using. A better design would be more of an oval shape, and though more comfortable, that's a more tricky cut. A perfect circle that is sanded and/or padded should do. I think 3 1/4" should secure most ankles, leaves enough room for thicker ankles, but when padded is snug enough even for smaller ankles. Remember, when resting the ankles, there's a bit of a dip because the flesh will compress a little.

Yes, also, as others above have mentioned, it's important to determine what features you want from the stocks and what your main usage will be. Portability and storage is something to consider. Also...comfort, safety, whether it's being designed for another piece of furniture, weight, cost, if the size of the person in the stocks and their body parts is a factor, aesthetics when finished, strength...all good things to consider. A great YouTube channel for the basics is Woodworking for Mere Mortals...you can learn everything about tools, wood types, screws, glue, sanding, cutting, safety, etc.

For locking, I would consider those latches (you know, the kind on guitar cases)...Folding? Just some nice looking hinges. Also, make sure no part of the design interferes with other parts of the design. That's why the simpler the design, usually, the better.

This is what my husband built for me and we got it upholstered by a friend.

I strongly advocate gluing multiple pieces of plywood together rather than using boards. My first set of stocks were made with 2 x 12s and 2 x 8s, and a girl who was very strong and very ticklish broke them. I've found 4" holes work well with 2 inch thick upholstery padding (it compresses a lot after being upholstered). I use one piece that slides under the mattress as an anchor. The stocks component is separate and can be clamped or bolted on to it. I'll try to remember to post some pics.

I made mine from a desk drawer and various materials around the house. Pm for more detailed description of how they were built.

All these designs look awesome! Makes me wish my high school offered wood shop as an elective lol