Good morning Stick friends,

Here is the process that I used to modify a plunger into a lap belt, similar to what some other players use to facilitate playing while they sit. I was able to create this in about an hour using a small saw, some medium grade sandpaper and the pole from a plunger. I would recommend sitting with the lap belt as you go to get a feel for the finished product.

Selecting a pole
You will need a wooden pole of at least 50 cm or about 20 inches. The diameter of the pole should be at least 3/4 inch, but not wider than an inch. I went out and purchased a plunger and simply unscrewed the plunger head.

Measuring and marking the pole
Measure your pole and find the center point. I From the center, measure and mark a line using a pencil 1 9/16" on both sides. The result will be that you have an area that is 3 1/4 inches long exactly in the center of the pole.

Cutting the pole
Using a saw, cut into these lines all the way around the pole (or at least on the soon to be "side" of the lap belt). I went a little deep on mine, just shy of 1/8". I also didn't cut wide enough on mine, which explains why there is an additional cut)

While I am certain there are many woodworkers and carpenters among us that have the tools to make this next step easier, you can achieve creating the sides of the lap belt using some heavy sandpaper and small saw. Using the previously made marker cuts, cut across the pole 1/8" deep. I simply did this by eye and then sanded it out to even it up.

Sanding / Finishing
The last step was to smooth out the pole. I sanded the sides flat using medium coarseness sandpaper. At first, I was only sanding the area that was cut, or the side, but I then stared to sand across the outer sides of the area that was cut that created a gradual transition. This made it easier to sand and I was pleased with the way it felt.

Now you are pretty much done. You can paint it, finish it with a stain to match your Stick, put unicorn stickers on it, etc.

Using the lap belt is more convenient than putting on a belt. It's easier to get a few moments to play in between things that might be going on around the house. I also use a Taggart Stick interface with a Pearl boom stand. I will post some pics on that later. I hope this helps for any of those that are looking for an alternative to using a belt to play the Stick.

Thanks! I have been thinking about this ever since I first saw Bob Culbertson on YouTube (i.e. months).

I don't have any unicorn stickers. I do have some Hello Kitty stickers - would these also work?