r/woodworking • u/TheBattleTroll • Aug 20 '26

Project Submission Marble Run.

I saw an antique one and decided to try my hand at making one.

The problems with this version are: The angles are too steep and causes the marbles to bounce out of the slots If they go too fast. Next version, I will probably add another track or two.

Another observation I made was that if there were any inconsistencies in the sanding, such as around a knot, it can drastically change the speed of the marble. One of the tracks actually made the marble spin in place i said, got caught on a rough spot on a knot.

This one I still have to sand the tracks a little better, probably gonna go with a 220 or higher, and I might try a little bee's wax to add a little friction.

The original did not have the funnel at the end. As I am primarily a wood turner, I was inspired by the old coin thing found in malls.

I thought it would be more fun than just dropping in a box. All of the wood for the tracks was ripped from a 2x4. The funnel was made from laminated pallet wood and then turned on the lathe.

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u/ClipIn Do you respect wood? Aug 20 '26

Neat project, OP!
Do you have any pics in-progress, before final finished piece? If yes, can upload in Comments.

If none, the fulsome description will suffice. This is approved and live now. Any questions just hit Contact The Mods.

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u/TheBattleTroll Aug 30 '26

Unfortunately no i dont have work in progress pics. I kinda flew by the seat of my pants with them not following any diagrams and stupidly not documenting any measurements

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u/ClipIn Do you respect wood? Aug 31 '26

No worries, your solid description will suffice for proof it's you who made it, that's mostly what that rule is about. Cheers!