How To Make A Prize Wheel

Prize wheel is a round wheel similar to that used in the popular game "Wheel of Fortune". The wheel spins and determines whether you have won or lost. You can use the prize wheel at carnivals, festivals and parties. This wheel is very easy to make. In this tutorial, we show all the steps to do it.  Feel that you can do this? Then let's give it a try!

Making A Wheel

Prepare a round piece of plywood. It is available in most hardware stores and has different dimensions. The ideal size is approximately 90 cm 93 feet)  in diameter and 2-2.5 cm (1 inch) thick. Thus, the circle should be large enough to generate momentum and at the same time, small enough to move it around.

Mark the center of the circle. You can find the center of the circle by drawing two approximately perpendicular light lines across its diameter.  The place where the lines cross is the center of the wheel. Insert a small nail or screw there.

Attach to your nail or screw a thread with a pencil. Measure 2.5-5 cm (1-2 inches) from the outer edge of the wheel and draw a circle. Determine the intervals. First decide on the number of wedges on your wheel. Example: suppose you want to make 16 wedges. Divide 360 (the total number of degrees of the circle) on the number of wedges (16), got 22.5. Write down this number.

Mark the intervals. Apply a protractor to the point in the center of the wheel along one of the previously traced perpendicular lines.

Plan the location of dowels. Make marks for them between the lines and between the traced circle and the edge of the wheel. You can measure the distance between them, if you wish (optional). It is very important to assure the equal distances between the dowels along the perimeter of the circle.

Cut the dowels. You’ll need as many dowels as there are wedges on your wheel. Each dowel should be about 5-7 cm (2-3 inches) long and 1-2 cm (0.4-0.8 inch) in diameter.

Drill the holes. Use a drill with a suitable size of a bit   (appropriate to the size of the dowel). Drill the holes halfway through the plywood.

Glue the dowels to the holes. Make sure they are well glued , and that they won’t fly off when you spin the wheel.

Decorate the wheel. Paint wedges in different colors, or alternating colors, or any color you like.

Mark each section with a specific prize. The prize can be stuffed toys, money, or even tickets to a sporting event.