Dungeon
St. Andrew’s Cross: How to Choose One
The short answer
A St. Andrew’s cross is an X-shaped restraint frame. You will also see it sold as a BDSM cross or a bondage cross. Before you buy one, check five things: how much floor and wall it needs, where it goes when you are done, how long it takes to put up, where the cuffs attach, and what else it does.
A cross fixed to a wall stays up and needs a wall that can take it. A free standing or portable cross needs floor.
We do not make a cross. We make a free standing frame that also works as one, and it breaks down for storage when you are done. More on that below. The checklist comes first, because it holds for any cross you buy.
The kinds of cross: on a wall, free standing, portable
There are three kinds, and the difference is what holds the cross up.
On a wall. A wall-mounted cross is fixed to a wall. It is always up and always in the same place. Whether your wall can take it is a question for a builder who can look at your house.
Free standing. A free standing cross stands on its own base on the floor. Nothing is fixed to the wall, so it can stand wherever the floor allows.
Portable. A portable cross is made to come apart or fold, so it can be put away between uses or taken somewhere else.
The checklist below works for all three.
What to check in a cross
How much floor and wall it needs
A cross on a wall takes a stretch of wall and the floor in front of it. A free standing cross takes floor, plus room to move around it. Either way, measure the spot where it will go, not the room on paper. Look up for ceiling fans and light fixtures. Check which way the door swings.
Our rigs need no wall at all. They are free standing, with no bolts or brackets in the ceiling, floor or wall. There is no hardware which can damage your ceilings or walls. What they need is floor: an 8 foot triangle for the Tetruss Rig, and a 9 foot triangle for the Tetruss Maxximus.
They also need height. Our rigs are made for a standard 8 foot ceiling. If yours is lower, order the custom height option, email us the exact height after you order, and we build to it.
Where it goes when you are done
Ask where the cross lives on the days you are not using it.
A cross that stays up is part of the room. Every guest, every contractor and every family member who walks in sees it. Some people are fine with that. Plenty are not. If you are one of them, a wall-mounted cross needs a room you can close, and a free standing one needs a spot out of sight. A portable one needs a closet.
Ours breaks down for storage. The Rig and Maxximus fit our travel bag, which is sold separately. The Tetruss Rig weighs about 21 pounds and the Maxximus about 33.
Packed down, it travels. Home, hotel, office, dungeon or outdoors. One customer tried it “in a hotel room!”
How long it takes to put up
A cross fixed to a wall is always ready. That is its strength. A portable cross takes set-up every time, so ask how long it takes, and whether you will do it.
Our specs page carries the Rig and Maxximus times. “Your average sub can assemble Tetruss Rig in 5 minutes!” The Maxximus assembles in about 15 minutes. If you have the room, you can leave it standing.
Where the cuffs attach
A cross needs restraint points where your body needs them. Before you buy any cross, check three things. Where are the attachment points? Can they move to suit the people who will use it? Do cuffs come with it, or are they extra?
On our side, two accessories matter here. Our 44 inch spreader bar has 2 top and 2 bottom eye-bolts. Our Wrist or Ankle Cuffs are leather and fleece-lined. Both are sold separately, and cuffs are not included with the Tetruss Rig.
What else it does
If you have room for one piece of equipment, ask what else it can do.
We call the Tetruss a 3 in 1: sex swing play, kink dungeon play and suspension bondage. If a swing is part of the plan, our guide on how to choose a sex swing stand for your room covers it. If rope is, read how to choose a shibari suspension frame.
A frame that works as a St. Andrew’s cross
Tetruss has been handcrafting rigs since 2000. We do not sell a cross. We make a frame that does the job of one, and several other jobs besides. A fixed cross suits plenty of rooms. Ours suits the room that has to be a bedroom or a living room again tomorrow.
Our Rig and Maxximus pages list the St. Andrew’s cross among the frame’s uses, alongside a spanking bench and non-rope suspension using the stirrups, cuffs and spreader bar in a wide variety of configurations. Our Rig Deluxe Bundle names it too: “St Andrews Cross style Flogging.”
One customer put it this way. The rig “can be used for rope suspension, swing hanging, or can be used in replace of a St Andrew’s cross.”
If what you want is the X shape itself, standing in the room as a piece of dungeon furniture, buy a cross. Our frame stands on a triangle of floor. It earns its place by doing several jobs and breaking down for storage. More in our 2023 post on the Tetruss as a St. Andrew’s cross.
What you need with it
The Tetruss Rig on its own is the frame. Cuffs are not included with it, and the cuffs and spreader bar in its photos are sold separately. Accessories in the pictures may differ from what is in the box, so check each product page for what is included. Our travel bag is sold separately too.
The accessories are sold one by one: the cuffs, the spreader bar and the 3 Leather Thigh/Back Stirrups, which are 2 leather thigh stirrups and 1 backswing with D-rings.
The Deluxe bundles put a frame and accessories together, and the bundles are where the best pricing on accessories is:
- The Tetruss Rig Deluxe Bundle + 1 set leather suspension cuffs includes the Tetruss Rig, a 44 inch spreader bar, 2 leather thigh stirrups, 1 leather back swing and 1 set of leather suspension cuffs. Chains and snap clips are not included.
- The Maxximus Deluxe Bundle includes the frame with the 42 inch top, a spreader bar and 3 leather stirrups. Chains and snap clips are not included.
Which Tetruss fits your room
Our free standing frames are all aluminum alloy. The Tetruss Rig is the standard, the lightest and the quickest to put up. The Tetruss Maxximus has a 42 inch top section that offers lots of head-room and interior space to work in, and it is made for dynamic rope and shibari.
| Tetruss Rig | Tetruss Maxximus | |
|---|---|---|
| Top | Standard top | 42 inch top section |
| Floor | 8 ft triangle | 9 ft triangle |
| Weight | about 21 lb | about 33 lb |
| Set-up | about 5 minutes | about 15 minutes |
| Ceiling | made for 8 ft | made for 8 ft |
| Rated to | 300 lb dynamic load | 300 lb dynamic load |
| Travel | fits our travel bag (sold separately) | fits our travel bag (sold separately) |
Both are rigs we list as a St. Andrew’s cross. Check the floor and ceiling rows against your room.
Still deciding?
Check the full specs, or read what owners say on our testimonials page.
Our rigs are made in our Oregon, USA shop and carry a one-year warranty on all parts.
Browse the rigs and bundles when you are ready.
