Kickstarter

I am a huge fan of Halloween and the horror genre in general. In 2008, I attended a horror convention in which, the promoters used prop electric chairs on stage during the Q&A sessions with celebrities. This gave me the idea to build an electric chair for Halloween.

But just building the chair wasn't enough for me, I made it functional. Using transformers pulled out of old adapters, I setup a battery powered system which gives the victim a little shock of about 18v on each limb.

The following year, I decided on building a guillotine. It is by far my most complex project to date. It is a full size, almost to scale (as accurate as I could get considering a lack of guillotine dimensions and specs data online) 13' tall guillotine with a functional bench which slides back and stands upright and a working mouton and blade assembly which have been used to cut various material including foam noodle and 2 liter bottles filled with water! It was finished with a gloss mahogany stain which stays true to the traditional devices.

In 2010, I had to focus on my wedding, with my wife wanting a gazebo. Since it was going to be completely covered up, the material was of no concern to her, so I chose schedule 40 PVC. The reason for this was so after the wedding, I could drill some holes in the pipes and attach my fog machine to it for some added spooky effect.

Finally in 2011, I build the stocks. Some call it the pillory, some the stockade, but since it makes the person bend at the waist and it's not a room, I call it the stocks. I finished it off with a torch to give it an old, rustic look.

At this point, I think my skills and experience speak for themselves. I have no doubt the Gallows will be a great addition to my collection for years to come and will be enjoyed by everyone in our neighborhood during Halloween, specially the trick-or-treaters!

In closing, I'd also like to mention that safety is always the first and most important concern in all my projects. There are many safety features built in each one that will keep anyone, includes children, completely safe to be around them.

Here are links to a news article and the TV station report on my Guillotine:

http://www.newsherald.com/news/haven-88141-lynn-promises.html

http://www.wjhg.com/news/headlines/One_Bay_County_Mans_Head_Spinning_Halloween_Idea_106378129.html?site=full

http://digitaljournal.com/print/article/299595

The project picture is an exact scale 3D model of the gallows which I just got done with today after hand drawing all the diagrams for it.

I hope you enjoy the video and reading about my project and choose to contribute to a better Halloween!