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Make a Plinko Board

I couldn't find a good tutorial online, so I thought I'd share how I made my Plinko boards:

SUPPLIES I USED
Peg board
dowels
wood for sides,back, and disc
strong glue
pneumatic staple gun
chop saw/ scroll saw
small hinges
spray paint, acrylic paint


STEP 1
Home supply store- Buy a pegboard and have them cut it in half so it's tall and narrow.  (Now you can make 2 Plinko if you want!)  Find a dowel that fits in the holes snuggly and buy 3 of them.  Grab other supplies you need while you're there- like hinges for step 5.


***Note: I cut each board as I went.  If you want everything ready up front you'll need measure and cut all the wood first.***

STEP 2
Attach boards to back and sides.  One person suggested 2x4's, but I used some thinner wood I already had.  Use glue AND a pneumatic stapler.

STEP 3
Chop your dowel in pieces 2-3 inches long.  Decide the spacing of pegs and put in place.  I used tape to help me visualize.

***Note: The first one I made was the guinea pig, so some of the pictures seem to be missing steps.  Build yours how you'd like.  I'm just sharing the plan that worked best for me.***


STEP 4
Paint the whole thing.
If you type "plinko board" into Pinterest you'll see lots of painting ideas (but not as many tutorials ;) 
I used spray paint because it covers everything easily- no hand painting each dowel.  But it still took many coats.



STEP 5
Make it stand up!

First, Attach a "brace" board. (Hopefully my crazy wording will help you differentiate the pieces.)  The brace should fit between the back boards.  I placed mine a little higher than the middle of the pegboard.

Next, attach the legs to the brace board. I used small, inexpensive hinges.  They were perfect.  [The legs shouldn't be longer than the pegboard when Plinko board is folded flat.]

Lastly, stabilize the legs by hooking them together with another board.  Remember glue AND staples.



STEP 6
Paint "Plinko" at top and the shapes on bottom. 

I sketched it on paper then traced it onto the board.



STEP 7
Cut and paint wooden disc.
(I guess you could do this anytime during the process.)  Make sure it's big enough to "plink" around, but not so big that it gets stuck.


Hope this is helpful!  HAVE FUN!