THE BLADE PYRAMI D

© Copyright 2011 by J C Sum

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 THE BLADE PYRAMI D

THE BLADE PYRAMID

A New Design for a Sword Box

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 THE BLADE PYRAMI D

EFFECT

A pyramid-shaped prop that is elevated off the floor is displayed on stage.

A lady’s silhouette is seen on the front of the prop. The side door on the prop is
opened and a girl enters the prop.

Four solid steel blades (that can be examined) are slot vertically into the front of
the prop at even intervals. Next, three swords are inserted into three corners of
the front of the pyramid prop. The prop is revolved around so the audience can
see the blades & swords extend fully through the prop.

The blades & swords are removed, the door opened and the girl emerges
unharmed! Fig 1 shows the effect from the front view.

FIG 1

Front View

INTRODUCTION

This was designed as a practical and easy to build illusion. It is great as a

first or one of your first illusions. It also looks a bit different from the standard fare
for illusions of this nature.

The illusion can be built to pack completely flat and only needs one assistant to
perform.

While the instructions in this plans are for a professional version of this illusion. At
the end of the plans, I have also given an alternative list of “cheap” materials to
build the illusion for illusionists on a budget or for someone who is looking to
experiment with this illusion.

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 THE BLADE PYRAMI D

METHOD

There are 3 illusion deceptions that make this illusion work. The girl’s
position, the creation of a partial hiding space with a hollow base and the
gimmicking of two of the blades to create a partial hiding space as well.

In this illusion, the girl is hidden in a cross-legged sitting down position akin
to a “Doll House” illusion but a looser cross-legged position so her knees are not
resting on her feet. Her upper body is hidden between the two middle blades.
However, the thickness of the handles of the blades creates the visual illusion that
the space is narrower than it is. Part of her lower body is hidden partially in the
base and two gimmicked blades (that are narrower in width than the other two)
create the other hiding space. See Fig 2 for the girl’s hiding position.

Fig 2

X-ray Side View of Prop &

Hiding Position

There are two sets of blades, one large and one small. The audience thinks each
large set and each small set are the same size but actually, one blade in each set
is 2” shorter in width than its counterpart. However, the handles are the same
length and thickness so the illusion created is that the blades take up more space
than they actually do.

The swords pass through empty spaces in the prop. Figs 3 & 4 show the overall
details of the illusion.

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 THE BLADE PYRAMI D

FIG 3

Front View

10”

36” 8”
11”
25”
6” 6”
14”

1”
2”
1”

20”

24” 16”
3” 3”

22”

FIG 4 2”
Side View

Door
36” 32”

2”
2”
1”

3” 3”
28”

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 THE BLADE PYRAMI D

REQUIREMENTS

The Base

In terms of fabrication, the main four-sided box of the base is built first. I will
call this the Base Box. Do not build a top or bottom for the box. The Base Box is
made from 3/8” ply and measures 40” x 28” x 2 5/8”. The inside corners can be
braced with 1.5” x 1.5” x 3” long aluminum angle, 3mm thick, for extra support if
desired.

A sheet of aluminum, 2mm thick’, measuring 40” x 30” is bent 90 degrees along
each 40” side, 1” from the edge. This gives you a “U-shaped” piece with 1” vertical
sides at each end. This “U-shaped piece is bolted or riveted to the inside of the
Base Box so that it is flush with the bottom of the Base Box.

The box is finished, inside & outside, in black carpet.

Next, the Main Step of the base must be built. This is basically a cover/
frame made from 3/8” ply that fits over the base box with 2” high vertical side
walls. The frame is 3” wide on all sides. The side walls are supported by aluminum
angle brackets under the top frame as well as glued and nailed.

This main step is finished in black laminate with 1” aluminum flat bar trim (2mm
thick) all around the side walls.

Cut six pieces of 1” x 1” aluminum angle, 3mm thick. These will act as brackets to
secure the pyramid top to the base. You can also find pre-cut steel angles of
different sizes that are pre-packaged in hardware stores. These are generally
used for brackets for shelving units. Three angle brackets are bolted or riveted on
the front and the back of the Main Step so that the pyramid can be slot inside
these six brackets on the Main Step and bolted into place. See Fig 5 & 6 for
details of the Base.

The legs are made from 3” x 3” aluminum angle, 5mm thick. The bottom of
each angle leg has a 3” x 3” aluminum sheet plate, 4mm thick, welded to it. This is
so that a castor can be bolted through this base plate. The top of each leg is
bolted to each outside corner of the Base Box; two bolts per leg with a washer &
wing nut, one of each outside corner. Each leg measures 20” with the castor.

The Pyramid

The Pyramid is not actually a real pyramid shape but more triangle-shaped
in the front and back. The front and back panels are made from ¼” ply and
measure 40” x 36” (H). The side panels are also made from ¼” ply and are 28”
wide. One of the panels has a door that swings out to the audience. It is held in
place with the strip of 1” aluminum flat bar on the underside of the panel and a
door latch on the outside.

The four panels are put together with piano hinges on each inside corner with
removable wire pins. This allows the four panels to break down flat for packing.

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 THE BLADE PYRAMI D

The front and back panels have four vertical slots cut out in each of them to
accommodate the blades. Each slot is ¼” wide. On the back of each front and
back panel, there are two strips of 1” x 1” aluminum angle, 2mm thick), each
measuring 8” in length, bolted or riveted into place. These are guides and
supports for the blades when they are inserted through the pyramid. However,
one set of guides is placed 2” higher than the other for the gimmicked blades. See
Figs 7 & 8.

There are also 3 holes (or slots, depending on where you are using swords or
spears) at each corner of the front and back panels. You have to determine the
exact position to ensure that it is in a “safe” area.

The panels can be finished in plastic laminate or your choosing with a silhouette
image of a girl on the front panel that is printed on vinyl sticker and stuck to the
front of the prop. I recommend a black background with a white silhouette of a girl.
The side edges are also trimmed with 1” aluminum angle. The slots and sword
holes have to be cut out of the plastic laminate and vinyl sticker.
46”
FIG 5

Top View of Base

The Main Step

(shown in grey) is a
34”
46” x 34” 3/8” ply
frame that is
mounted on the top
edges of the Base
Box

Aluminum Angle Brackets

FIG 6 3”

Side Cross Section Aluminum Angle Brackets

View of Base

2”

1”

Bent Aluminum Sheet (2mm thick)

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 THE BLADE PYRAMI D

FIG 7 FIG 8

Front View of the Back of the Front and the Side View of the Gimmicked Blade going
Back Panels of the Pyramid through the Back Panel of the Pyramid

8” Aluminum
Angles that act as
3” 3”
guides for the
blades

The Blades

There are four blades in all, two large and two small. The regular blades
are detailed in Fig 9.

The other two blades are not really gimmicked per say but are narrower in width to
their counterparts by 2”. See Fig 10 for details.

Each blade is cut from 3mm thick sheet aluminum with wooden handles along one
end, so that the blade is sandwiched in between the wooden handles. The total
thickness of each handle should be about 2” thick. See Fig 11. The top of the
blade is the pointed end of the blade. For safety, file down and round the corners
of the blade.

The Swords

The swords are ungimmicked and you can use any replica swords found in
weapons stores. You can also fashion spears out of stainless steel or aluminum
tubing.

SET UP

There is nothing to set up with the prop itself. The blades and swords are
on a table or can be held by a stage hand.

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 THE BLADE PYRAMI D

30”

FIG 9 2”

Front View of
Regular Blades

25”

1”

27”

2”

14”

FIG 10
1”
Front View of
Gimmicked Blades

30”

2”
FIG 11

Front View showing thickness

of all the Blade Handles
23”

2”

3”

27”

2”

12”

3”

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 THE BLADE PYRAMI D

PERFORMANCE

This should be performed to music but before you begin, you can have all
the blades and swords handed out for examination as long as the different sized
blades are given to people at different ends of the audience. Having the girl
examined is optional.

Music starts and you open the side door on the pyramid and assist the girl
to enter the prop, closing & latching the door behind her. Once inside, she gets
into a cross-legged position and waits for the first blade to come through the prop.
This will be the blade directly behind her and is the regular large blade.

Meanwhile, you pick up both the large blades but hold the gimmicked one by your
side as you lift up and display the broadside of the regular blade to the audience.
There is no reason for your audience to suspect the blades are of different sizes.

Insert the regular blade into the slot directly behind the girl. Be sure that the
pointed side of the blade is at the top. The girl helps to guide the blade through
the prop so it emerges out the other side. Once the blade is through, the girl leans
her back against it and gets into her proper hiding position.

Next, you insert the gimmicked blade to the slot to the left of the regular blade so
that it passes in front of the girl. She can still use her hands to help guide the
blade.

Pick up the two smaller blades in the same handling as before and insert the
regular small blade in the rightmost slot. Finally, insert the gimmicked small blade
in the last remaining slot.

Quickening your pace, pick up the swords one at a time and insert them through
all three holes.

Revolve the prop around to show that the blades extend through the prop. Due to
the design of the blades and the guides under the slots, only the top halves of the
blades extend through the slot so the audience cannot see a difference in widths
of the blades.

Reverse all actions and reveal the girl unharmed. If you like, you can also include
a costume change for the girl as a kicker.

NOTES

Alternative Finishes & Exterior Designs

“The Blade Pyramid” is very flexible in terms of customization for an exterior

design. My preference is the modern looking silhouette of a girl but you could also
work with an abstract geometric shape like a Zig Zag Girl Illusion.

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 THE BLADE PYRAMI D

It is also easy to brand it with corporate messages like “Costs”, “Inefficiency”,

“Waiting Time” etc. And the logo of the client is on the blades to demonstrate how
the client’s product can cut/ divide these messages into half.

One alternative design that I like is an Egyptian-themed one since the basic shape
of the prop is a pyramid. Add hieroglyphics and images of an Egyptian Goddess to
the prop. Aluminum trim is replace by brass trim. Legs are replaced with
sculptured or wrapped legs. Replace the swords with staffs or ancient Egyptian
broad swords. The handles of the blades can also be decorated. See a rendering
of such a prop design below.

All 3D images created by Adeline Ng

The girl can also be attired in a traditional Egyptian costume and do a belly
dancing sequence before the illusion. There is actually a load space in the base
behind the girl where you can load a live snake. So the girl can reappear with a
snake after the illusion. How cool is that?

Budget Version

Here is how to build a low-cost version of this illusion. Bear in mind, the
look of end product will be reflective of the cost you put in but if you follow my
dimensions and build processes, you will still have a serviceable and deceptive
illusion. You could build this version for under $250 if you look for lumberyards
and hardware stores that sell surplus wood.

 First, do not build the aluminum legs. You have two choices; simply build
straight legs out of 3/8” ply with 2” x 2” lumber vertical supports. Or, go
without legs and just attach castors to the bottom of the prop.

 Instead of the aluminum sheet bottom for the base, substitute it with 3/8”
ply.

 Instead of carpeting the prop and using plastic laminate, paint it.

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 THE BLADE PYRAMI D

 Instead of the vinyl sticker of the silhouette of the girl, paint an image onto
the front of your prop.

 Instead of aluminum, make your blades out of 1/8” ply and paint it metallic
silver, Be sure you file and sand the edges well to remove all splinters.

 Instead of replica swords, fashion spears out of wooden dowel.

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