Wooden Giant Dice

Length of Project:
Project theme:
Suitable for grades:
Tools & Materials
Material List
  • 4x4 (for a set of 6, you will need about 22” of 4x4)
  • Water-based finish (two contrasting colours)
Tool list
  • Hand saw / band saw / sliding miter saw
  • Drill press with Forstner bit / router with cove box bit
  • Sand paper / Palm sander / Table sander
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • Paintbrush
Procedure
  1. Mark your 4x4 at 3-½" and cut with your saw. You should have a perfect cube. Cut 6 to make a full set of yard dice.
  2. Sand the faces and corners.
  3. Mark the “dot” positions (opposite sides should add to 7 – check a die as an example). Use a ruler to mark the positions and keep your dots even.
  4. Drill or use the router to make the dot holes, keeping the centre of your bit on your pencil dot. Sand the dot holes.
  5. Paint or stain your dice with water-based finish. Apply finish to the die sides first, then finish by carefully filling in the dots in your contrasting colour with a small paintbrush.
  6. Let dry, then look up some fun “yard dice” game rules and have fun!
Extension Challenges
  1. Use a router and a bit of your choice to add detail to your dice edges.
  2. Paint each die different colours.
  3. Make a set of 6, sew a carrier bag for them, and give them as a gift.
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