Introduction: Easy to Make Candy Dispenser

About: I am a Makerspace/Technology Teacher on the International School of Aruba. I teach STEAM lessons in our Makerspace with kids from grade 4 till grade 12. I love tinkering, discovering and making, so I made it m…

This is a very easy to make Candy Dispenser. It's really nice to make this with kids from 6 till 12 years old as an introduction to woodworking. They are going to create their first Candy Dispenser Machine!

Step 1: Materials and Tools!

You need wood:

4 pieces of 4cm x 14 cm or 2 inch x 6inch

1 piece of 12cm x 14 cm or 6 inch x 5 inch

I used wood that had a thickness of 4cm / 2inch

1 mason jar

4 nails

6 screws (4 long, 2 short)

Wood Glue

and Skittles or M&M's or another small round candy

Tools to use:

  • handsaw (or circulair saw)
  • hammer
  • vile
  • cutter plier
  • drill/driver
  • sandpaper
  • scissors
  • optional: Drill Press
  • optional: Sanding Machine

Step 2: Sand and Glue

It is time to sand the pieces of wood. Make sure you sand al the splinters away. The wood should feel soft. It is also important because the wood later on will need to "slide" .

After Sanding you glue them together as in the pictures. Make sure you spread the wood glue over the whole side of the piece of wood. You can use a brush to do this or (like me) a finger. Don't forget to wash your hands in that case.

Leave this part to dry for an hour (or 2)

Step 3: The Dispenser

While the base is drying from the woodglue, we are going to make the dispenser slide.

We need a piece of wood that slides directly in between the two upstanding blocks on the base. If you keep to the measurements I mentioned before you will need a piece of wood from 23cm/9,5inch long. The thickness of the piece of wood is 4x4cm/1,5x1,5inch.

Now sand this piece of wood till it is completely smooth. It needs to slide easy in and out, so sanding is important.

Next: we use a spade bit to drill a hole halfway through. You can use a normal drill ofcourse, but as you can see in the pictures we used an drill press. Don't go to deep, you want to dispense just a few candies at the same time and it has to be taken out easy. De drilled the hole at the center on 15 cm/6inch.

After drilling: sand again till it is smooth again.

Then at one side, slam to nails on the other side of the hole halfway. These will be your stoppers.

Step 4: The Top

The the piece 12cm x 14 cm or 6 inch x 5 inch

Draw a cross and use an spade bit to drill all the way through.

When the hole is made, take a vile and start smoothing out the edges. You want to create some sort of funnel. That will make the candies slide through easier.

When you are done, take the sandpaper and start sanding it till all is smooth.

Step 5: Put the Base Together.

Now that the wood glue has dried, it is time to put it all together.

We are going to screw the top part to the base. First drill little holes in the four corners. Then drive a screw in those holes. (4x) The top is now connected to the base.

Take the slider and test how well it slides through the base. If all is well, you can put two nails to the other end of the slider. The slider is now locked in the base. (see the last photo) Make sure the dispenser hole is at the top.

Step 6: Attach the Jar

Take the lid of the jar and drill a hole through. Make the hole bigger with a plier cutter. It is probably no the best way to make a hole, but it worked for me.
Place the lid over the hole on top of the base.
Drill again two small holes and screw the lid to the base. I used screws, but small nails will do also for sure.
Use the hammer to edge the hole a little out if that's needed.

Step 7: Candy!

Fill the jar with candy and turn the jar on the lid.

Now, you have a candy dispenser!

Have fun!

Epilog Challenge 9

Participated in the
Epilog Challenge 9