The first step involves acquiring the necessary materials and proper tools. It is best to get everything prepared and set-up before commencing because you become free to progress without unnecessary interruptions.

Now that you have all of the tools and materials, we can jump right into the project. Let's start by preparing the wood for the project. Begin by printing the associated drawing for this step. The length of the wood is determined by how long you want the holder to be. We made a small holder that is about 16" (40cm) wide. Tilt the blade on the table saw to 45 degrees and rip a trapezoidal shape so that the long edge is 1 15/16" (49mm). In addition to this "top" piece, make two side pieces as shown.

With the wood cut, you can lightly sand and then glue the pieces together as shown in the image on the right. Make sure that the angled faces line up smoothly. We used polyurethane glue, but yellow wood glue would also work fine. While the glue is drying you can proceed to the next step, and once it does dry, you can paint or finish the pieces. We left our wood unfinished.

With the top and sides completed, you can begin working on the front and back panels which are made out of acrylic or plexiglass. We used 1/4" (6mm) thick material but 3/16" (5mm) thick is also suitable. The length is determined by the overall length of the holder. The back panel is to be cut to 3 3/8" (86mm) wide and the front panel is 2 3/8" (60mm) wide. Note that you can use ordinary woodworking tools to cut the acrylic. Once they are cut to size, drill some counterbored holes for assembly. The back panel requires a series of holes (we made three for our length) for mounting to the wood. It also requires a series of counterbored holes for mounting to a wall ( again we made three). The front panel, requires a series of counterbored holes for mounting to the front of the wood as shown in the image on the right.

With all the pieces completed, you are ready for final assembly. Begin by screwing the back panel to the wood and then tip that assembly back so that you can place some marbles against the wood and between the sides. Place enough marbles in the space between the sides so that there is just enough room for one additional marble - a little extra space is better than too little. Finally screw on the front panel so that the marbles are held in place. Now you are ready to mount the holder to any wall or flat surface.

design considerations

material

We tried making this project out of different materials, but low friction surfaces for the front and back panel work best. We recommend acrylic, but sheet metal would probably work well too. If you experimented with wood, make sure that it is highly sanded and finished to create a low friction surface.

size

The angles and dimensions of the pieces are built around standard 5/8" (16mm) marbles. Everything would work for slightly smaller marbles as well. The holder can be made as long as you like.