The Awesomest Jelly Bean Dispenser Ever

Intro: The Awesomest Jelly Bean Dispenser Ever

Here is an idea that has you both building and enjoying a delicious snack for the afternoon! Yep, thats right, a JELLY BEAN DISPENSER! (also works for M&Ms.) Sorry about the sideways pictures. I cant really figure out how to fix that. oops! :)

STEP 1: Materials

For this project, I used...
- 2 4''x4'' pieces of wood 7/8'' thick
- 1 31/2"x31/2" piece of wood 11/2" thick (31/2" 2x4)
- 1 31/2''x31/2'' piece of wood 1'' thick.
- 1 61/2'' to 10'' long piece of wood 1'' thick and 1'' wide
- 1/4'' dowel
- thin piece of wood at least 11/2'' long and exactly 1'' wide
- Mason Jar and cover. (screw on part)
- wood glue
- very small nails
- nails that are able to secure the wood good (not to long, not to short.)
- 1/2'' drill bit
- drill bit the size of the very small nails
- 3/4'' or 15/16'' drill bit
- Table saw
- Band/Scroll saw
- Tape measure
- Square
- Hammer
- Punch
- Needle Nose Pliers
- Varnish, Paint, or Polyurethane.
- Jelly Beans!!!!

STEP 2: Cut and Drill

Cut all your wood down to size, and then mark the two 4x4'' top and bottom. find the middle of the top block and drill a hole in it with the 3/4'' or 15/16'' drill bit. Set both pieces aside. take the thin 31/2''x31/2'' piece, and the long piece of wood of the same width. (1'') Put the top 4x4'' piece and place it atop the thin 31/2''x31/2''. Using a pencil, put a dot into the 31/2'' piece through the hole, so you know where to place your long piece. center the long piece of wood over the dot, and mark where it is with a pencil. make the lines you just made about 1/16'' bigger, and cut out on any saw, just make sure it is even. After this, carefully glue and nail down the wood you cut onto the thicker 31/2x31/2'' piece.

STEP 3: More Cutting, Drilling, and Gluing!

Take the long piece of wood, and make a line 1/2'' down. find the middle of this new, smaller section, and with the 1/4'' bit, drill a hole in the center. Do not drill through the wood, but go far down. About 3'' down from the hole you just made, mark a 11/4'' space. turning it on its side, mark a line that is 1/6'' above the bottom. from there, make 2 30 degree angles that go down to just a bit more than the length of a regular m&m or jelly belly jelly bean.
Cut out this space. (also look at the pictures below) Take the 1/2'' drill bit, and drill a small circle into the slot you just made. this will make it so the jelly bean will not fall out of the slot as easily. 

STEP 4: Putting It All Together

take the 31/2'' blocks that you put together, and center, glue, and nail the top and bottom 4x4'' pieces to it. Make sure the hole in the top piece is directly above the opening in the pieces of wood. (smaller 31/2'' that were cut earlier) once this is done, take the long piece of wood and place it inside the opening. it should fit snuggly, but slide easily. If it does not, sand or cut out more from the sides. once you do this, get the 1/4'' dowel, and put it in the small hole in the mechanism. (long piece of wood) mark the dowel so just a small bit goes above the top 4x4'' piece. cut and glue inside the hole. Now, take the thin scrap wood and cut a piece that is about 1/2'' bigger than the back of the mechanism. making sure the wood is inside the opening, glue to the back, and add a small nail if you wish. You should now have a working dispenser, with out the jar on top.

STEP 5: The Jar

Take the lid to your jar, make sure it has a hole in it bigger than the hole in the top piece of the wood, and carefully drill about six holes in it that are the size of your very small nails. center the lid on the top of the dispenser, and using a hammer and punch, carefully nail it in place. put on the jar, and voila, you have an almost finished jelly bean dispenser!

STEP 6: The Finishing Touches

Erase any pencil marks, add a coat of varnish, paint, or polyurethane, and you have a finished jelly bean dispenser! For a cooler design, you could try using an old lightbulb for the jar, or even a tree stump instead of the wood! I hope you enjoyed my instructable! Even if it is a bit confusing! (this is my 2nd instructable)

Comments

[Tinman1102]

I made one for gumballs and one for jellybeans and they don’t drop into the mechanism very often. Please help!

[Horseshoe]

Dre Mel a little cone in or fashion a plastic or metal funnel into it?

[KevinM631]

So Sorry but these instructions need some work. They are very unclear. Also the materials are not common sizes and require unnecessary cutting.

[EliM49]

I don't understand your materials. They don't make any sense.

[MichaelH160]

I purchased a similar one of these at an event in town.. All the skittles pick up the wood flavor.. Is there a way to fix this?

[RLBULLDOG]

MIX UP A MINERAL OIL AND BEES WAX CONCOCTION FOR YOUR FINISH. THIS IS NOT ONLY A CHILD SAFE MIX BUT SHOULD TAKE AWAY THE WOOD TASTE. BE SURE TO FINISH ALL PARTS THAT COME IN CONTACT WITH THE PRODUCT.

[pbelloli]

Thanks for the inspiration. It was a fun project and good use of scrap wood. Keep the ideas coming!

[rorih3450]

do you have to use jelly beans or can you use something else?

[OutdoorGirl16196]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[CalinB3]

definately gonna make this

[NormaD6]

Might I suggest a good hard wood and food-safe polyurethane? I would be hard pressed to use a wood candy dispenser if it did not have a good food-safe finish!

[ColeH12]

As long as the polyurethane dries, it should be fine. The only non-foodsafe part in poly is the carrier that keeps it a liquid. Once, it evaporates, it should be fine.

[JosephT10]

Good point.

Mineral oil or beeswax are also food safe - could do the outer pieces with whatever you stain and finish you like, and do the areas that are in contact with the candies with the food safe version.

[gloriluis]

gracias por sus proyectgos son muy profesionales

[19kschafer]

This project is very fun and pretty easy. It takes a few hours but the product works great! I tried a different style for the sliding piece of wood. I cut an entire hole in the wood so that you could easily put your hand underneath it and let the jelly beans fall into your hand.

[OutdoorGirl16196]

Great idea! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[jokingbatman]

Hi I'm making this in a school project and I don't really get the measurements so can you please give it to me in CM

[MichaelH160]

Multiply everything by 2.54

[MichaelH160]

Whoops I mean divide.. Divide everything by 2.54

[hizane1501]

I made this with tools that I made from this same site! So fun! Thanks