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How to Make a Dice Roller in a Flash

The purpose of a dice roller is to eliminate the possibility of cheating when rolling the dice while playing dice and board games. Dice vary in size. In the case of a dice roller for Monopoly, internally, a roller would need to be 1½ inches in diameter to allow two dice to sit inside and move freely when shaken. Here we will look at producing a 2½ inch tall, square hardwood roller with a bored-out center. This would be suitable for use when playing Monopoly, would be quick to make and professional looking.

Things You'll Need

Planed hardwood blank 2 inches square, 2½ inches long.
Metal rule
Center punch
Sticky tape
Hammer
Electric drill
1½ inch boring bit
1 sheet 160 grade sandpaper
Sticky-backed baize or felt 2 inches wide, 10 inches long
Utility knife
Pair of compasses
Vice

Instructions

Marking out the blank.
- 1
  Mark the center of one end of the hardwood blank. Drawing pencil lines diagonally from corner to corner using metal rule as guide to assure integrity of line.
- 2
  Make an indentation in the wood at the center point using a centre punch and hammer.
- 3
  Using sticky tape, mark required 2¼ inches depth on the boring bit shaft, the bottom of the tape indicating required depth and secure bit in electric drill.
Boring the hole
- 4
  Secure the blank vertically in a vice with the marked center at the top.
- 5
  Align the center of the boring tool with the indented center. Bore down vertically into the end grain of wood in stages, withdrawing occasionally to allow removal of waste shavings. Continue until bottom of tape is level with the top of wood and withdraw.
- 6
  Use sandpaper to remove unevenness inside the bored hole and on the base.
Trimming and finishing
- 7
  Using sandpaper, smooth the top, bottom and external sides of the dice roller. Remove all sharp edges and smooth the rim.
- 8
  Using compasses, mark out a circle on the back of the baize equal to the size of the bored hole.
- 9
  Mark out on the baize a rectangle equal to the depth of hole as one measurement and the circumference of the hole as the other. Place the wood on the baize and draw around the base.
- 10
  Cut out the baize circle, rectangle and square using the utility knife. Remove the baize backing paper.
- 11
  Stick the circular baize to the bottom on the hole. Stick the rectangular baize on the inside of the hole. Any overlap can be ignored. This is to reduce the noise while the roller is being shaken and improve appearance. Stick the square baize to the base of the roller. Trim the baize as needed using the utility knife and sandpaper.

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