Create a Mesmerizing Kinetic Sand Table With Just One Motor

Patterns are everywhere in our lives, and our brains are amazing at finding them in everything we see. In this project, we’ll build a beautiful kinetic sand table—a simplified version of traditional kinetic sand tables, which often rely on advanced electronics and complex mechanics. This time, we’ll use spirographs, reducing the electronics to a single motor and the mechanics to a couple of gears, for an impressive and eye-catching result.

Let’s get started!

Supplies

Materials Needed

3mm-thick MDF wood sheet, 70cm x 100cm
Sand (any type)
Thin sticks
Fine-mesh strainer
Plastic container
Tweezers
Super glue
Small metal ball
Strong magnets
Motor
Battery
USB cable
Tape

Step 1: Prepare the Design

Cut the design file "Kinetic Sand Table.pdf" (attached in this step) using a laser cutter on the MDF wood sheet. This will provide all the necessary pieces for the assembly process.

Step 2: Gather Magnets

I salvaged magnets from an old toy that had magnets inside small plastic tubes. Use tweezers to remove the magnets. Make sure they’re strong enough to hold through the 3mm MDF sheet.

Step 3: Assemble the Gear With Magnets

Insert the magnets into the wooden gear, placing them in the small circular holes. Secure each magnet with super glue.

Step 4: Connect the Motor and USB Cable

Strip the wires from both the motor and USB cable, and connect them with tape. Be sure to match the correct USB wire colors: ground is typically black, and 5V is usually red. Verify using a multimeter, as my USB cable had unusual colors (green for ground and red for 5V).

Step 5: Glue Small Gears Together

Glue the three small wooden gears together with super glue, then attach them to the motor shaft.

Step 6: Attach Semi-Circle Pieces

Take the semi-circle wooden pieces and glue them to the wooden base (the base is the piece with multiple small holes around the edges and one larger hole in the center).

Step 7: Mount the Magnet Gear to the Circle

Glue the wooden circle to the gear with magnets, following the images as a guide.

Step 8: Create the Rotation Mechanism

Using the wooden circle with double holes around the edge, draw a central circle and glue thirteen 20mm diameter MDF circles to build the rotation axis.

Step 9: Prepare the Sandbed

Glue the two large hollow circles to the solid wooden circle. This will hold the sand. On the back, attach the larger circle with a hollow gear inside.

Step 10: Separate the Major Components

At this point, you should have four main wooden components. (Note: some images might differ slightly from the final design due to updates during the process.)

Step 11: Insert Sticks Into the Double-Hole Circle

Insert small stick segments into each hole around the double-hole circle. It’s a bit tedious, but this main gear drives the entire mechanism, so it’s essential.

Step 12: Insert Support Circles

In the same piece, insert three small wooden circles to help keep the inner gear with magnets in place.

Step 13: Assemble the Sand Table

Position the motor on the wooden base so its gear aligns with the stick gear. Secure with glue and attach the battery as well. Stack the following parts: the base, stick gear, magnet gear, and the sandbed.

Step 14: Add Support Sticks

Cut sixty 35mm sticks and insert them around the sand table for structural support.

Step 15: Test the Assembly

Place the metal ball on the table and connect the USB cable to the battery to check that everything is correctly aligned. The ball should follow the magnets' movement on the sandbed. If it moves in circles, something might need adjusting.