From The *Somewhat Twisted* Mind Of Dulux-Oz

In the first part of this article I discussed the basic construction of a set of Dice Trays which I gave to my Players for Christmas a few years back. In this part I'm going to give Step-By-Step instructions on how to construct the Dice Tray, along with the Materials List. So here goes.

Note: All measurements are in millimeters. Measurements need to be exact, so measure each one twice before cutting, gluing, etc. Read through these instructions fully before starting so that you understand how the assembly process works.

Material List
Makes one (1) Dice Tray

• One (1) 300mm square 3mm 3-ply wooden tile
• Five (5) 1200mm-by-12mm square wooden "skirting strips". Note: Each Dice Tray only uses one-half of the 5^th Strip, so you only need nine (9) strips for every two (2) Dice Trays.
• One (1) piece of coloured felt at least 350mm square

Tools

• White/Wood Glue
• Seven (7) Small-Medium F- or G-Clamps
• Ruler
• Sharp Marking Pencil
• Dressmaker's/Sharp Scissors
• Dressmaker's Pins
• Medium Bulldog Clips
• Cross-cut Saw
• Craft Knife / Razor Blade
• Sandpaper
• Rags/Paper Towels

Method - Part 1

1. First, cut eight (8) 288mm long Strips from the Skirting Strips. These form both layers of the Dice Tray's Outer Lip (the Outer Lip Strips). Be careful when cutting the Skirting Strip - it has a tendency to splinter near the end of the cut. Touch up each end of each Strip with the sandpaper to take off any rough splinters.
2. Next, cut one (1) 237mm long Strip from a Skirting Strip. This forms half the Dice Channel Lip.
3. Next, cut one (1) 249mm long Strip from a Skirting Strip. This forms the other half the Dice Channel Lip.
4. Take the 300mm square Tile and carefully measure and draw a guide-line 12mm in from each of the four sides.
5. Take the Tile and draw a guide-line 39mm in from the top and right edges.
6. Take the Tile and draw a guide-line 51mm in from the top and right edges.
7. Take one (1) of the Outer Lip Strips; apply a smear of wood glue to one long edge of the Strip and glue it to the edge of the Tile using the guide-line as a guide. The end of the Strip should be flush with the corner of the Tile and there should be a 12mm gap at the other corner of the Tile. Use a F- or G- Clamps on each "corner" to hold the Strip in place.
8. Take one (1) of the Outer Lip Strips; apply a smear of wood glue to one long edge of the Strip and glue it to the edge of the Tile using the guide-line and the existing Strip as a guide. Remember to add a smear of glue to the end of the 1^st Strip where it butts against the edge of the 2^nd.
9. Repeat this process for the remaining two (2) Outer Lip Strips. You only need a total of four (4) F- or G-Clamps to hold all four (4) Outer Lip Strips in place if you place an F- or G-Clamp on each corner so that it holds the ends of two (2) of the Strips.
10. Take the shorter of the two Dice Channel Lip Strips, smear glue along one edge and on one end, and glue it to the Tile using the guide-lines you drew in Steps 5 & 6, placing the glued end against the side of the relevant Outer Lip Strip.
11. Take the longer of the two Dice Channel Lip Strips, smear glue along one edge and on one end, and glue it to the Tile using the guide-lines you drew in Steps 5 & 6. Remember to smear glue on the end of the shorter of these Strips where the longer Strip will butt against it. Clamp this junction and each of the junctions of the other two ends to hold everything in place.
12. Use the rags/paper towels to wipe away any excess glue.
13. Put the Dice Tray aside for 24 hours for the glue to cure properly.

Below is a picture of the Felt Template. We will draw this Template up to size and then pin it to our piece of Felt as a dressmaker's pattern. We will then cut around the pattern/Template to cut out our Dice Tray's Felt covering.

Attachment 15364

I've colour-coded the Felt Template to make it easier to see what goes where. The dark blue areas are 10mm wide and go between the layers of the Outer Lip Strips. The yellow areas are 12mm wide and go vertically against the Outer Lip and the Dice Channel Lip Strips. The light blue areas are 14mm wide and go along the top of the Dice Channel Strips. The dull green areas are 25mm wide and go along the bottom of the Dice Channel. Finally, the large bright green area is the Rollable Area and is 235mm wide.

The extra distances in these measurement account for the thickness of the Felt itself.

The large black cross is a guide-cross I used to create the Template and can safely be ignored.

All angles are either right-angles or 45-degrees - it should be obvious which is which.

Method - Part 2
Having allowed the Dice Tray to cure for 24 hours we can proceed with the constructions

1. Construct the Felt Template and pin it to the piece of Felt. Carefully cut out the Template and Felt, being careful not to allow the Felt to stretch - it will stretch, so be aware of this and try to keep it from happening.
2. Remove the Template from the Felt.
3. Starting with the Rollable Area, smear glue across the entire area and up the sides of the Outer Lip and the Dice Channel Lip. Position the Felt so that the relevant part is in the Rollable Area. Use The Bulldog Clips to press the Felt against the Outer and Dice Channel Lips, especially in the corners and along the edges. Don't use too much glue as it will soak into the Felt and ruin it, but don't use too little so the the Felt lifts from the Dice Tray.
4. Now smear glue along the top of the Dice Channel Lip and down the sides into the Dice Channel. Again, use Bulldog Clips to hold the Felt in place against the Dice Channel Lip.
5. Continue to smear glue along the Dice Channel and up the sides of the Outer Lip. Once again use Bulldog Clips to hold the Felt in place.
6. Finally, smear glue along the top of the Outer Lip and glue the "dark blue" areas of the Felt to the top of the Outer Lip. Use Bulldog Clips to hold things in place.
7. Take one (1) of the unused Outer Lip Strips; apply a smear of wood glue to one long edge of the Strip and glue it to the top of the Outer Lip, trapping the "dark blue" part of the felt between it and the Outer Lip Strip below. Position the top Outer Lip Strip so that it overlaps the corner-end of the adjacent Lower Strip the same way you do when laying bricks. By overlapping the Lower Strips at the corners you provide extra strength and rigidity, helping to prevent the Dice Try from warping. Use a F- or G- Clamps on each "corner" to hold the Strip in place.
8. Take one (1) of the remaining Outer Lip Strips; apply a smear of wood glue to one long edge of the Strip and glue it to the top of the Lower Strip. Remember to add a smear of glue to the end of the 1^st Strip where it butts against the edge of the 2^nd.
9. Repeat this process for the remaining two (2) Outer Lip Strips. You only need a total of four (4) F- or G-Clamps to hold all four (4) Outer Lip Strips in place if you place an F- or G-Clamp on each corner so that it holds the ends of two of the Strips.
10. Use the rags/paper towels to wipe away any excess glue.
11. Put the Dice Tray aside for 24 hours for the glue to cure properly.
12. Once the Dice Tray is fully cured take a Hobby Knife or Razor Blade and trim up any Felt the is protruding from the outer edge of the Outer Edge Lip.

That's it! I hope you have many years of enjoyable use from your Dice Tray, and may all your rolls be Crits.

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Copyright Stuff - All plans and diagrams in this article are (c) Copyright 2012 Peregrine I.T. Pty Ltd. Permission is given to use these plans and information for personal, non-commercial use only. All rights are reserved.

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If people find this interesting I can do a similar blog article where I can show you how to build your own Dice Tower - let me know if people are interested in this by leaving a comment below.