2x2 Magnetic Dice Cube

Step 2 Create the Jig

The magnets embedded in each die have to be facing towards the core. This means that we need to drill a hole along one of the cube's four diagonals. Drill presses are usually not designed to do this, so we need a jig, which will hold the die at the proper angle. I came up with numerous ideas for this jig, some of them very complex, involving copper foil, solder, washers, and aluminum channel stock. But I decided that an all wood jig would be cheapest, and easiest to build.

First find a board to use as a base. It should be about the size of your drill press table. Next find a small wood block about 1 by 1 by 2 inches. I recommend a hardwood such as Oak. Use some kind of sander to shave off a fifty-five (55) degree angle from one of the long sides. The easiest way to do this without a disk sander is to mark off the block with a pencil. You can use trigonometry to calculate the dimensions. See the second picture for details. The angle shouldn't go all the way to the bottom of the block. This will lift the die off the base. After you have a 55 degree angle, cut the block into 3 pieces so that each is fairly narrow and has one angled side.

Arrange the slices on the base so that the angled sides face inward (towards each other). If your slices are too wide, you will have to sand them down on the angled end. Place a die in the depression created by the angled sides, and adjust the blocks so that the die fits perfectly. Mark the positions of the blocks on the base with a pencil, then glue them one at a time to the base. When the glue dries, the base is complete. You may want to reinforce the glue with a screw, but be careful not to split the wood.