How to Make a Traffic Control Barrier

Cut 2-inch-by-6-inch-by-8-foot wood boards to create four, approximately 36-inch long A-frame legs. Form an angle of about 15 degrees at the top of each leg. Cut each leg so that a large amount of its base touches ground.

Join two legs at their top with exterior wood screws to form the top of an "A." Use enough screws to secure the legs to one another properly. Embed the screws completely in the wood so that the head of each screw is at least flush with the wood. Repeat the procedure using the other two legs.

Cut one cross beam for each A-frame to size out of 2-inch-by-6-inch-by-8-foot lumber. Each piece will extend from the middle of one leg to the middle of its paired leg. Cut a 2-inch-by-2-inch slot in the middle of each cross beam; a cross rail will rest in the slots. Secure each cross beam to the outside of a pair of A-frame legs with exterior wood screws.

Cut a 6-foot-long section from 2-inch-by-6-inch-by-8-foot lumber. Place the wood in the middle of each A-frame to check how well it works as a cross rail. Ensure that it fits inside the slot you cut in each A-frame's cross beam. If an end doesn't fit, create a wider slot on the A-frame using a saw so that the cross rail slides in easily.

Paint all sections of the traffic control barrier with weather-resistant, brightly colored, reflective paint. Apply at least two coats of paint, waiting between coats for the paint to dry.