Introduction: The One and Only REAL Dice Tower (V1.0)

About: I LOVE dice, I collect them!!! thousands of them..
How about a REAL dice tower (tool to roll dice) made from DICE?

Step 1: What You Need

First: Hi there from Germany!

Second: What you need!
- a sick idea, or just take mine! :-)

(BTW: I want to build up a dicetower with little bricks or LEGOs, but my sweet sweet girl friend said: "If you want to have a DICEtower, why don't U use DICE to build??? And why doesn't anybody has this idea before???")

- some :-) of these extraordinary cheap dice found at ebay (look for chinese dice or dice with red/ blue dots)
or perhaps at an asiashop near you... edgelength of the single die is 1,25 cm!!!
I bought 1600, because at least you need 1346 (!!!) dice for this project!
- plastic glue (and fresh air against headache!!!)
- baking paper (!!!)
- 2 CD cases (ONLY the cases, without CD)
- my EXCEL Sheet with the shapes of the different parts for 12,5 mm dice (see below for download)
- foil like the one you need for making mobiles with window colour pics... is it called "windowcolourmobilefoil"?
- transparent adhesive tape
- paper and a printer for the shapes to print out
- a plain underground, I used a big cutting mat
- some hours of time

- a visit at my homepage http://www.lord-of-the-dice.de to see more dice and more towers (follow the menu to Mona Lisa => "Gallery", then left to dicetower!)

PS: Why is it V1.0?

My first idea was to build it with 'normal' dice, but these dice are
- bigger (16 mm)
- more expensive!

But now, I see, my dicetower works, and my next idea is the Dicetower V2.0 with normal dice and some 'extras'... :-) Wait for it.

Step 2: Before Starting, Make Some Provisions

1.) take the big cutting mat (or table)
2.) get your prints from the excel sheets
3.) take sheet #1 on the cutting mat (or table)
4.) lay down the baking paper OVER the print with the non adhesive side to you
(plastic glue will not stick on it!!!)
5.) open the first brick of dice
6.) get the CD cases near you...
7.) arrange the dice
8.) open the plastic glue and BEGIN!!!!

Step 3: Let's Start!

I've started with the front "gate", see print below.

First you arrange some dice in the same direction (6 on top, 5 to you), apply some glue on the RIGHT side of every die.
Get the CD cases to arrange the dice in a straight line and PRESS the dice together to stick them... wait some seconds...

This is the way I do it MANY times... every step is like his, only the arrangement of the dice is different!

Congratulations, the first of MANY dice lines is ready... go on!
The first 10 dice (only 1336 more... *grin*)!!!

So create some more lines... they can harden meanwhile you arrange and glue the next!

Produce line after line... but attention, the direction of the dice in the middle is very important!!!

After 10 lines, the lower front side is ready!

Step 4: The Next Wall

Okay, now start with the left lower side...
After finishing the wall will look like below!
See that the '3's are arranged like their positions on the dice!
The "jags" will fit together, so at the end the dicetower don't need any glue to stand!
And you can put the several pieces in a box to transport!

Continue with the right and back side!

Step 5: Lower Ramps and Holder

To let the dice roll, you need something like a ramp or bevel, so create one!
And you need something to hold them!
see below

the falling dice have to follow the "arrows".. :-)

Step 6: The Bottom

My first idea was to create a bottom in one piece, but

1.) very heavy and
2.) it will be more fragile...

I thought about the problem and the result was to make it in two parts!
Don't think about the unusual shape, it's okay like this!!!

The falling dice will also follow the arrows here! :-)

Step 7: The "ballustrade"

When the dice will roll out of the gate, they are very fast! These little sweet speedies... :-)
Do you want to roll them over the table, down, then over the carpet, down the stairs, down... okay, STOP!

We need some fences!

I like the idea of some spaces in the fences, but to hold the exact distance, I used some dice without glue (the BLUE ones).

You need the side parts two times, the front part only once.

Step 8: Starting the Higher Parts

First you need the upper holder and second ramp...

Then the front, the side parts with the gaps for the holder, the back part.
Hang in there, the end is near! :-)

Step 9: The Roof!

This is IMHO the most difficult part...
The first top panel is easy.

After finishing turn the top panel arond, and cut out a piece of the foil, a little bit smaller than the hole in the middle... and tape it there! see pic!

Why?
1.) The foil avoids dust to fly in the dicetower, when you will let the dicetower stay there on your table for the weekly game round! :-)
2.) the foil directs the fallen dice to the first upper ramp...:-)

The second top panel is more difficult, because you have to build it in the third dimension. I hope, the pics will help you!
First, the base with the holders, then the second layer, a 'ring', and at last the little bricks to build a 'crown'.

Attention: Also on the top, the dice will imitate the dot positions on the dice, the two "2" fields rounded by "5"!!!

DID YOU NOTICE? The dicetower is COMPLETE! All 1346 dice, you are ready!

Step 10: The Different Parts

Now you have 20 different parts, made out of 1346 dice!
The will fit perfectly in a little cardboard box.

Step 11: How to Build the Dicetower From the Single Parts

Building the dicetower is VERY simple, if you have arranged all the dice in the right direction...

- Start with the bottom elements
- add the left and right ballustrade
- finish with front ballustrade
- place the holder for the lower ramp (the '3' will follow the arrows on the bottom!)
- put the lower 'cube' together and put the 'cube' over the free bottom field
- insert the first ramp
- put the second ramp holder on the lower 'cube'
- put the upper 'cube' together and put it over the ramp holder
- insert the socond ramp
- put the top on the top :-)
- add the 'crown'!

READY! and now...

Step 12: Let Them Roll!!!



If the video isn't shown here, please try to watch here
HAVE FUN!

Step 13: Last But Not Least

the genuine truth!