POW of POW’s Fiction – Gay S&M Stories sent the information and pictures below, about how he was inspired to build his very own pillory, and how he pulled it off! See below:
Pillory Construction
By POW
Overview
I never paid much attention to pillories. But then one made an appearance in A Left Turn at Albuquerque – Part 07, and it caught my eye. Trying to avoid giving away any spoilers, this (heavily edited) exchange takes place:
Jailer: “How are you holding up in that thing?”
Prisoner: “It’s not comfortable.”
Jailer: “It’s not supposed to be.”
Followed by:
Prisoner: “Can you let me out of this thing?”
Jailer: “Of course I can. But I’m not going to. Under our rules, badly behaved convicts have to be in the pillory for at least five hours.”
That fed right into something that is one of my core interest areas: long-term bondage with some sort of discomfort. Since I don’t know anyone who has a pillory, I decided to build one. Here’s the result:
Tools And Parts Required
For the record, I am in no way a competent woodworker or craftsman, but nevertheless I’m pleased with how it turned out. If I could build this, I think almost anyone could. Very little skill required, just make sure you take adequate safety precautions.
A typical pillory rests on a supporting stand. That was more complicated than I cared to attempt, but I had a good alternative: hang it from the steel beam running across my basement ceiling, and attach the sides to the support pillars that hold the beam up. The point is: The essential part of a pillory is the two separable wooden bars with half-holes in each for neck and wrists. Everything else is variable and you can adapt to suit whatever circumstances you have.
Note that whatever support you use, remember to fix only the bottom part of the pillory in place so the top part is free to move.
Measurements are given in inches and feet because that’s what’s available in my local hardware store. Convert to centimeters as needed at 1 inch = 2.5 cm.
Tools:
- Drill with bits of varying sizes
- Hole saws of appropriate sizes for neck and wrists. I used 5-inch and 2.5-inch diameter hole saws.
- Vise
- Sandpaper
- Rasp or file
- Wrench (either one adjustable or set of varying sizes)
- Saw for cutting metal (possibly, see threaded rod under Parts)
Parts:
- 2×4-inch board, four feet long
- 2×6-inch board, four feet long
- Threaded rod, 5/16-inch diameter, 6 inches long (2 pieces) (or one longer rod to be cut into 6-inch lengths)
- Eye bolts (4), 5/16-inch diameter, 2-inch length (with nuts)
- Wing nuts (2) to fit the threaded rod
- Washers (10) to fit 5/16-inch rods
- Flat metal strip, perforated with holes, 1 3/8-inch width, 16 gauge (only needed for self-lock capability)
Construction
Mark all measurements before drilling anything.
- If necessary, cut two 6-inch-long pieces from the threaded rod. File the newly cut ends until they are smooth.
- On the lower board (the 2×6), mark the center points where you want the neck and wrist holes. I put mine slightly below the line where the two boards meet rather than right on the line.
- Mark points along the edge of the board where the threaded rods will go. I wanted those one inch inward from the inner rim of each wrist hole, so 2.25 inches from the hole’s center.
- Along the upper board (the 2×4), mark corresponding holes where the threaded rods will go through. Your boards may be slightly different lengths; it does not matter that each hole be the same distance from the end of the board. What matters is that they are the same distance apart as the corresponding points on the lower board. This will ensure that the upper board can slide neatly over the threaded rods even if the ends of your boards don’t line up exactly.
- When you’ve done your measuring, double-check, then it’s time to drill. Start with the holes for the threaded rods. Use a ¼-inch drill bit and make the holes as straight and perpendicular as you can. Drill each 1.5 inches deep. Knock any shavings out of the holes.
- Thread the rods into the holes. Use jam nuts to make temporary bolt ends for the wrench to take hold of: put two nuts on the end of the rod, then only apply torque to the one farthest from the board. This nut will push into the next one, which won’t spin, and that will let you twist the rod. Keep the rods as perpendicular as possible. Screw them into the lower board until they are seated firmly enough to stay put (see previous image), then remove the nuts one at a time. Tap the wrench if necessary to unjam the nuts.
- Drill larger holes all the way through the upper board. I used a ½-inch diameter drill bit for these. You should then be able to fit the two boards together. Add a washer and wing nut to each of the threaded rods and tighten them down snug.
- Drill the holes for neck and wrists. For extra stability, I used straps to supplement the threaded rods in holding the boards together while drilling. Ropes would work too if you get them tight, but be sure to keep the straps or ropes away from the hole saw. If you’ve never used a hole saw, watch any of the available YouTube videos on how to use them safely.Key points I learned:
- Don’t rush; apply gentle pressure to the drill. Be patient and let the saw do the work.
- When you’re almost done and the center bit of the hole saw has emerged from the bottom of the board, stop drilling, flip the board over, and finish from the other side. This will ensure that the board doesn’t shred and splinter when the saw emerges.
- This was not in the video I watched, but I took a lot of breaks because it was slow going, particularly with the neck hole, and my arm got tired.
- Drill holes for whatever mounting hardware you plan to use, if any. I used four 5/16-inch holes located below and to the outside of the wrist holes. Precise location doesn’t matter as much with these, although you probably want the height to be consistent.
- Sand everything smooth. Splinters are not a fun addition to a bondage scene! Focus in particular on the edges of the neck and wrist holes and also their inner surfaces. This is where the prisoner’s skin will be in contact with the wood the most. Smooth the other surfaces of the boards as well because at some point, someone is going to touch that too.
I considered applying some sort of stain or sealant but decided I prefer the look and feel of raw wood. If you do want to apply something, this is the time to do it.
- Secure the mounting bolts in place with washers and nuts as in the previous image (bottom left and bottom right corners).
Locking Mechanism
If you plan to use this with a partner, you’re done. The wing nuts on the threaded rods will be enough to lock the upper board against the lower one. The prisoner won’t be able to untwist them and set himself free, although the rods are tantalizingly close to his fingers and he will be tempted to try to reach them. He won’t be able to, though it will be fun to watch until he gives up.
If you want to use this for solo play, you’ll need a different way to hold the boards together. Make metal brackets to do the job.
- Cut some of the metal strip to a 13-inch length. Clamp 2 inches from one end in a vise and bend it to a little bit more than a 90-degree angle. Repeat at the other end. You want the distance between the bends to be about 9 inches, the height of the two boards together. Repeat to make a second bracket. These strips will be the locks that hold the boards in place, safely reachable, lockable, and unlockable by your trapped hands.
My metal strip came with pre-punched holes all along the center. If yours didn’t, you’ll need to drill a half-inch-diameter hole to fit over the threaded rod.
Unlocked:
Locked:
To use, put your neck into the neck hole but leave your wrists free. Fit each bracket over one of the threaded rods. Lift the top board slightly, just enough to get your wrists in place without dislodging the brackets, then lower the board back down. You should then be able to clamp the brackets into the locked position. Reason for this sequence: it’s difficult to fit the brackets onto the threaded rods with neck and wrists all placed in their holes; much easier to do it with free hands.
Making bends that are more than 90 degrees means that when they’re in place, the brackets apply up-and-down pressure to the two boards and hold them firmly together. That pressure also ensures that the brackets won’t slip loose until you deliberately remove them.
Assembly
Your setup may vary, but mine works like this. I suspended chains from the overhead beam using S-hooks.
Those chains hold up the pillory using the mounting bolts. Then straps go through the wrist holes and down to the base of the posts that support the overhead beam.
I cranked those straps down tight, and the pillory was fixed in position in up/down and left/right directions. Not shown: I tied the front mounting bolts to the wall studs in front, and the back bolts to a heavy table behind. That fixed the thing in all three dimensions so it could not move or tilt more than half an inch in any direction.
Again, if you’re a more talented woodworker than I am, you can create a support post and feet for your pillory. This version worked well enough for me. The pillory was fixed firmly enough that during my testing I couldn’t budge it; it held me exactly in position no matter how I struggled.
Testing
Important safety note, applicable to any self-bondage situation: plan and test and have multiple escape routes. Some people like to use timers or ice locks; I prefer to have an instant out available in case of emergency. House fire, sudden medical issue, whatever the reason, I want to be able to get free quickly when necessary. But within that constraint, I like the bondage to be real and secure. Using the metal brackets as locks meets those criteria. The locks are flush against the wood and easily reachable when needed but otherwise out of the way. Also, releasing either one is enough to get completely free — if my right hand were to go numb for some reason, I could open the left lock, get the left hand out, then reach under and release the right lock.
I ran a bunch of short test scenarios until I was confident everything was working as designed. I even did an hour-long trial run without using the locks just to see how my body would react. It went well. After that I was feeling like I could go considerably longer so I planned a test for real.
I decided on a three-hour sentence. Well short of the five hours described in the Alburquerque story, but long enough. The verdict? Success!
Standing was boring and uncomfortable, but it did not feel dangerous at any time. Comfort-wise, it made for a good mid-range experience. A sleepsack provides very comfortable bondage. When wrapped up snug in one of those you can drift away into a happy sub mindspace and stop noticing the passage of time. A Roman-style cross, at the other extreme, is incredibly uncomfortable. There is no getting into a Zenlike “I’m not here” mental space when hanging on one of those. The pillory, I learned, is in between. I found it to be uncomfortable enough that I could never zone out. I was always keenly aware of the slow passage of time and of my body’s discomfort. But the discomfort was never bad enough that I felt the need to cut the scene short and stop. I never felt in danger of lasting harm. Physically, I think I could have stayed there much longer. Mentally, though, I hit my limit for solo play and would have needed an enforcer to keep me there any longer once the three-hour alarm sounded.
Afterward, my arms were sore for the next thirty-ish minutes, and at first I was unable to lift them very high behind me. Soon enough that passed, and they were back to normal. My neck remained a little bit stiff for several hours, but there were no lasting after-effects from the experience.
Conclusion
I found this to be a worthwhile project, fun to build and fun to experiment with. I learned that a pillory provides exactly the sort of experience that pushes my buttons: long-term uncomfortable bondage. I really did not know how effective the pillory was at delivering that and find myself much more a fan of the device having now given it a chance. A big “thank you” to author Hunter Perez for providing the inspiration!
Metal would like to thank POW for this information and for these pictures! See more from POW by clicking here.
