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Feb 15, 2024

Get your coins in order fast with this DIY coin sorting machine

If the video player is not working, you can click on this alternative video link. Don't waste your time sorting coins by hand! Use your ingenuity to devise and build your own coin sorting machine.

If the video player is not working, you can click on this alternative video link.

Don't waste your time sorting coins by hand! Use your ingenuity to devise and build your own coin sorting machine.

Find out how with this simple guide.

As you can imagine, you'll need some tools and materials before you get started.

With all your gear in hand, it is time to get on with this great little build.

The first step is to take your compasses and open them up to 3 and 15/16 inches (10 centimeters). Then draw a pair of circles on a sheet of cardboard.

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With that done, sketch out a rectangle large enough to encompass the two circles as well.

Then sketch out the other parts needed for the machine as shown in the video. Once all is complete, grab your sharp knife and cut out the shapes as needed.

Puncture a hole through the center of each of the circles as well.

With all the parts ready, we can now begin the assembly. Grab the largest cardboard rectangle and apply some hot glue to it.

Affix the angled pieces of cardboard to the base as needed. With that done, glue one of the larger cardboard circles to the angled side of the cardboard pieces.

With that done, take your coins and find one example of each type and size. Place them on another piece of cardboard and trace around their circumferences. Then cut out some opening through the cardboard so that only that particular coin can fall through it.

Make a small rail for the sorting piece so that a coin will run down it and fall through the openings when reached (smallest hole first).

Test the piece by holding it at an angle and rolling coins down it. Adjust as needed.

With that done, glue the middle-sized circle to the remaining larger circle. Puncture the outside edge of the larger circle at every 45-degree angle and then add a small wooden peg into each hole (you can make these from short lengths of toothpicks or similar).

With that done, take a wooden skewer and affix the smallest circle to one end. Thread the piece through the center of the pegged wheel and glue it into place.

Take the pegged wheel and insert it into place on the main machine base as shown in the video. The wheel should be able to freely rotate.

With that done, take the coin sorting arm and glue that into place to one side of the main wheel.

With that done, cut out another small piece of cardboard and glue it into place at the wheel end of the sorting arm, This will catch coins on the wheel and force them to roll down the sorting arm.

Next, add a strip of cardboard around the bottom of the wheel. This will be used to hold the coins ready for sorting.

With that done, make a series of coin sorting bins to be placed underneath the sorting arm. This will obviously be used to catch the sorted coins.

Place the bin in place underneath the coin sorting arm to complete the machine. Now all you need to do is to add some coins to the base of the main wheel and turn the rotor at the rear.

Coins should now be grabbed and dragged by the teeth around the wheels, onto the sorting arm, and sorted according to size! Amazing.

If you enjoyed this little build, you might want to make some more cardboard-based machines? How about, for example, some tabletop games?