Make a wooden gumball machine for your home or a gift.
Bubble gum is a favorite treat for children of all ages, including adults. Gum balls come with wonderful memories of childhood, and old-fashioned wooden gum ball machines make the perfect display for this fun candy. Making your own wooden gum ball machine is a great weekend project for anyone comfortable using power tools and they make great presents or trinkets for your work desk and home. No matter how you use the gum ball machine, you're sure to enjoy building it.
Instructions
Instructions
1. Cut five wooden discs at various sizes. You will need a 6 1/4" x 3/4" for body disc 1, a 4 3/4" x 3/4" for body disc 2, a 4 3/4" x 3/4" body ring, a 4 3/4" x 3/4" for body disc 3 and a 4 3/4" x 3/4" for the top ring. Use a bandsaw to cut these pieces and use a pencil to mark the center of each disc.
2. Drill a 1/4" hole in the center of each disc. Create a clamping board with a piece of scrap wood and a 20" x 3" bolt and washers. This board will keep the gum ball machine in place while you work on it.
3. Stack body disc 2, body disc 3 and the body ring on the clamping board, then bolt it and place it on a flat surface. Measure about 3/4" away from the center of the discs and drill a 5/8" wide hole in body disc 3 and the body ring. The hole should go about half way through body disc 2 as well.
4. Make the slide lever in the body ring with your router. Draw an arc 2 3/4" from the edge of the ring and drill two 1/4" wide x 1" deep holes on either end of the arc. Use the router to create a 1" deep groove along your arc line and connect the two holes.
5. Remove the body ring and cut a 2 1/2" center hole out of it. Remove the top ring and cut a 5/8" vertical hole out of it.
6. Bevel the 5/8" holes in the body ring and body disc 3. Use a drill press to put a small indentation into body disc 1. This indentation will catch the gum ball when it comes out of the machine. Drill a 5/8" wide hold in body disc 2 for the gum return.
7. Glue body disc 1 and body disc 2 so the gum return is lined up with the dimple in body disc 1. Line up the holes in body disc 2 and the body ring.
8. Create a slide lever from a 1/4" x 2 1/2" dowel pin and a 3/4" x 3/4" dowel knob. Glue the dowel into the knob and allow it to dry. Place the slide lever into the 1/4" hole in the body ring and adjust so the slide lever is to the left of the slot mark. Remove the slide lever and glue the discs and body ring in place, clamp them together and allow the glue to dry for one day.
9. Create a groove in the top ring that will allow a canning jar to fit in place, then sand the top ring and glue it to the rest of the machine. Place the slide lever into the machine and glue it in place.
10. Finish the gum ball machine with stain if you wish. Fill the canning jar with gum balls and attach it to the machine.
Tags: body disc, body ring, body disc body, disc body, slide lever, ball machine