Tags: reader submitted, suspension bridges, toothpick bridges
7,822 views in 2012
Toothpick Suspension Bridge
I just finished this bridge a few days ago after working on it on and off for 3 months. It’s a cable stayed bridge design made with standard round toothpicks and wood glue.
The bridge is 31 inches long and just under 20 inches tall. The main road truss is 2 inches by 2 inches, constructed of beams of laminated toothpicks (3×3) and held together by individual toothpicks in a triangular truss pattern. The towers were constructed of laminated toothpick beams as well, but thicker (4×4). Then the suspension was created with 4 strands of thick string wound back and forth across the top of the towers.
I didn’t make this for any particular occasion or contest; I just wanted to see if I could make a sturdy suspension bridge. I’ve built a toothpick bridge before. It won a contest by supporting 350 lbs. over a two foot span, but obviously it was destroyed in the process. I don’t plan on testing this one, although I imagine that someday my curiosity will probably get the better of me. Besides, I really don’t think this bridge will hold nearly that much weight. I’d love any comments or pointers you guys might have. Enjoy!
There are a few more pictures of this bridge (higher resolution too) on my Flickr photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/razokylava/ I’d love any comments or pointers you guys might have. Enjoy!
very nice construction
Awesome one
it really just took 2-3 days for it for me. i made it for my Science fair ! thanks for the idea 
Sweet, I had to make a bridge out of spaghetti for science. I believe mine had a 36.9:1 weight held to weight ratio. Mine could have held more but I botched the dimensions because I was OCD and kept chopping millimeters off the ends of the spaghetti so each piece would be even. I was .5 cm short of 1 foot and the bridge had to be at least 1 foot, so I had to hastily glue what little spaghetti I had left onto the end, and that is what broke. We couldn’t use string though
Anyway. If I recall correctly you should make each string looser. It will hold more weight that way. Its the same principle behind that of why a person can hand from a vertically suspended clothesline but not a horizontally suspended one. The way a string/cable is designed makes it so it can support MUCH more weight when stressed vertically than horizontally. That is why the cables on suspension bridges are so loose, and not tight (suspension, not cable stayed), so there is more vertical support as opposed to horizontal.
I’m actually remaking a bridge for a project in that class and analyzing the individual design components.
dude that was awesome. I want to make a strong brdge 4 my class. But I don’t know what kind of glue to use.
What kind of toothpicks did you use? I am considering to use this as a design, but i need to know what kind of toothpicks.
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the title of this says toothpick suspension bridge but i noticed you said it is a cable stayed bridge, now i know they’re very similar but i have to build a model suspension and beam bridge for my science project and i didn’t know how to make a model suspension bridge. i got a sort of idea from your model but if i make something similar (don’t worry i wont copy your idea) would it be considered a suspension bridge? I’m testing the strength of a suspension and beam bridge to see which is stronger so its crucial to my project.
hello, I’ve been searching your website as I need to make a 10cm bridge in science. I’m making a suspension/cable stayed bridge but am open to any other bridges aswell. Just wondering if you have made any bridges that are obvisouly not as as complicated as the one above but up to a high year 10 level. I’m allowed to use a certain wood starting with “b” cant remember its name, string and a hot glue gun, any idea’s???
claire
wah wat a wonderful bridge u have done really its superb done within 3+ months its really great.
hey! im having to build a Bridge for my class called ISM basically we choose a career and mentor under someone who does it in real life and i chose architecture and at the end of the year we have to build a prodect that relates to our topic! and im goign to design and build a bridge, your design really inspired me, but i have a few questions.
how did you attached everything togeather? and like what type of wood did you use? and like was it difficult to attach the string and make it taunt enough to support the bridge. and like the string, i was looking at the pictures and how did you attach the string! lol like it looks like you looped it up and twisted it around the tops of the towers and attached it to the other side! lol i dunno! if you dont mind your help would be apriciated!
and if you have a Facebook please feel free to add me! 
im trying to get as much help as i need!
this is not a real toothpick bridge because it is made with other wood sticks
great,
I have participated in a contest in which i have to make a suspension brige out of props of ice cream. so i have inspired from this and it will really help me while building my suspension bridge.
thats awesome but will it take less time to make it if i do it every day because its for my science fair i want to use this idea but it might take too long
hello i love this bridge and my friend and i made it hold 600 lbs
thanks 4 the idea but i can’t use string on my bridge. i can only use toothpicks and glue☺
Wow… A whole 3 months??? If I really had the encouragement I could finish something like that… But otherwise I wouldn’t even come close…. It is a beautiful looking bridge
, I’d think of that as a work of art 
Nice Job done 
This is a beautiful bridge! Thank you for sharing. My natural instinct is to encourage you to test it, but it would also be a shame for it to get destroyed.
It’s getting kind of tough because my natural instinct is to test it too. Every time I look at it my brain starts making rough calculations of how much weight it could support. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to resist the impulse much longer, but if I do give in I’ll be sure to post the results.