I'm a big fan of dice rolling games like D&D but I've always felt that I have a knack for having bad rolls. I'd seen a dice rolling tower online and thought that is what I needed but I didn't like how big and bulky it was. I attend and take a backpack to D&D sessions at a friend's house so I needed one that would easily fit with everything else I take. I then decided to make a dice rolling tower that was easy to take apart and put together and gave random but better rolls.

Supplies

For this project, you will need the following:

- 5 paperclips

- 1 ruler / tape measure

- A glue stick

- A box cutter

- A speed square

- A stapler (optional)

- Paint of your choice

- A Paint brush

- Enough cardboard to make:

Eight 7 1/2 in. x 6 1/2 in. rectangles (The walls of the dice tower)
One 11 7/8 in. x 5 1/2 in. rectangle (The floor of the dice tower)
Two 6 7/16 in. x 3 1/4 in. rectangles (The platforms of the dice tower)

Step 1: Stack the Eight Boards

First, take the eight 7 1/2 in. x 6 1/2 in. rectangles and pair two on top of each other. Do this with the rest of the boards. This should make 4 two-stacks like in the picture on the right. Next, glue the two-stacks together as a temporary bind and wait until they dry. This will leave you with four thicker 7 1/2 in. x 6 1/2 in. rectangles that will be the walls.

Step 2: Cut the Boards

After the boards finish drying, position two boards vertically and draw a line down 3/4 in. from the end of both sides for both boards. You will create a checkered pattern in the 3/4 in. sections of the two boards. The Kami export below will show the measurements I used for how big the shaded in parts are. You may use them or make your own. When making the checkered pattern, start in the middle where the boards meet. Start at the top of the left board and shade in a rectangle however big you want. Go to the right board and shade in a rectangle starting below the end of the previously shaded rectangle. Follow this pattern until you reach the bottom. When you reach the bottom, mirror the shaded rectangles to the other end of the board in the 3/4 in. section for both boards. Repeat all the previous instructions for the other two boards. When you finish all four boards, it should look similar to the picture on the left.

When all the boards have been prepared, cut out the shaded parts out of all the boards. You should be left with something similar to the picture on the top right when all the shaded parts have been cut out. They should also fit together like the bottom right picture.

Kami Export - 20230714_165523.pdf
Download

Step 3: Insert Platforms

Here you will use the two 6 7/16 in. x 3 1/4 in. boards. They will be platforms that the dice bounce off of. First, take the two walls of the dice tower that have more tabs at the end than the other two. These are what the platforms will be inserted into. Next, cut out a slim rectangle that is 3 in. long and 1/8 in. thick at a 45 degree angle at the bottom of the wall where it will be touching the floor and the back wall. Make sure not to cut into the tabs beyond the 3/4 in. line. If it looks like you have to cut into them, cut one notch at the top of one of the platforms on each side, similar to the bottom platform shown in the bottom right picture.

For the second platform, cut out another slim rectangle that is 3 in. long and 1/8 in. thick but at a 125 degree angle in about the middle of the wall. This platform should be facing towards the bottom platform so that the die will bounce off of it and go straight to the bottom platform.

After the second hole is made, line up the wall with its identical twin and cut out the holes in the same place. The end result of the walls should look like the picture to the left and the platforms should slide into their holes like the picture in the top right.

Step 4: Cut Out the Exit for the Dice

Take one of the walls that have not been used yet (it will be one of the walls that have less tabs at the ends compared to the walls used for the platforms in the step above). The exit for the dice will be put into it.

The exit hole will have to be at least 1 1/2 in. tall. Mark the max height of the hole and cut out everything below it. Remember not to cut into the tabs at the ends. The end result may look similar to the picture above (For me, I just cut off all the cardboard below the bottom tab).

Step 5: Connecting the Floor

The 11 7/8 in. x 5 1/2 in. board will be used as the floor.

First, take three of the small paperclips and bend them into the shape of an uppercase "U". Next, assemble just the walls and line them up with one of the long ends of the floor. You will then mark two dots with the same length apart as your paperclips in three spots: directly below the back wall, left wall, and right wall (The exit wall can't have a paperclip; the left and top right picture will show where to put the paperclips). Then, puncture the marked dots all the way through. They should stab into the back, left, and right wall. With the paperclips inserted through the floor into the walls, they will keep them together. The end result should look similar to the bottom right picture.

Step 6: Making Floor Boundary

A boundary / wall for the dice is most likely needed to prevent them from going everywhere.

First, fold over the edges of the floor to a height of 3/4 in. to 1 in. Putting some cuts may make this easier. Next, bend the last two paperclips into an uppercase "L". Then, puncture the long end of the paperclip through the front boundary into the side boundary like shown in the left picture. Do this again for the other side. Then, when both sides have a paperclip, rotate them so that they lay on the front boundary (Top right picture) and take a part of the paperclip's end and bend them up and over the front boundary (Middle right picture). The paperclips should be able to be easily removed while staying in this fixed position.

Step 7: Paint

Once all other steps have been completed, you are ready to paint. Take your choice of color and apply a coat on one side of each and every piece of the tower. Wait until they all dry. Once they all finish drying, apply another coat on the unpainted side of all the tower pieces. When they finish drying again, you are pretty much done. You can use the stapler around the edges of the walls to reinforce them, add your own designs, or modify the dice tower as much as you want.

Step 8: How to Assemble / Disassemble the Tower

This step will only state how to put the dice tower together if not known so already.

Put together the walls (Roughly shown in the picture above).
Insert the platforms through their respective holes.
Line up the floor and insert the "U" paperclips through the holes at the bottom of the floor into the walls.
Insert the "L" paperclips into the boundary walls.

To disassemble it, go in reverse order and do the opposite to when you were putting it together.