Simple Pinball Arcade

A simple and quick project of the classic Pinball Arcade made of wood that will entertain everyone (especially grown-ups) for hours.

This project requires simple materials as listed below:

• 1 piece of plywood 5mm measuring 37cm x 29cm for the main game board
• Softwood 10mm x 30mm for the frame, internal walls of the game and flipper triggers
• Softwood 20mm x 30mm for the flippers
• Pieces of scrap wood to build smaller bits and bobs
• Multiple rubber bands of several sizes (at least 8)
• 2 metal screws 5mm x 53mm, bolts and washers to construct the flipper mechanism
• A metal spring for the ball launcher
• A 2cm diameter wood ball
• Several small wood screws, 15mm, to fix playfield parts
• Wood glue and super glue
• Tools: saw, screwdriver, drill

First thing is to build the main body of the arcade using the piece of plywood and cutting pieces of the softwood to create the outer frame measuring 29cm x 37cm, as in the image above.

The next step is to build the flipper mechanisms by initially cutting 2 pieces of 8cm from the 20mm x 30mm softwood and another two of 7cm from the same wood.

The 8cm pieces are going to be the flippers, so they need to be cut as on image 1 to create a pointy ending. Next, drill a 5mm hole on the other side for the screw and a slightly larger hole on the other side to be able to insert the bolt inside the wood, as in image 2. Insert the screw with super glue and screw the bolt tightly. This is important to ensure that the flipper doesn't slip when the arm connected to the end of the same screw moves.

The smaller 7cm pieces are for the flipper arms which will be in contact with the flipper shaft, under the game board. Drill a 5mm hole but don't insert the screw yet.

Image 3 is just to show how it will be after the installation is complete.

To complete the flipper mechanism, drill a hole on the main playfield board 7cm from the edge and from the bottom. Then insert the flipper screw through the hole. As the image above.

On the other side of the board, insert the flipper arms to the screw, the washer and bolt carefully to ensure the flippers are moving freely, so don't tighten the bolts too much. Then, apply instant glue between the bold and the arm to also prevent the arm from spinning.

Once the flippers are in place, cut 2 pieces of 2cm x 12cm of softwood to make the shafts that will hit the arm, moving the flippers. At one end, add another piece, like image 1 to create a stop.

Next, build the tunnel to hold the shaft aligned and in place using small pieces of wood as images 2, 3 and 4. One thing to ensure is to make the shaft hits the arm on its half, not too high or too low otherwise the mechanism will be too hard or not strong enough to move the shaft enough to hit the ball. The shaft should also move freely through the tunnel.

Once both tunnels and shafts are in place, it's time to insert small screws on the edges of the arms and shafts as stoppers and add rubber bands to bring it back after being pressed.

The flipper arms also need a rubber band to bring it back to the initial position after it moves. Experiment with 1 or 2 bands of different sizes to ensure the mechanism works smoothly. See images.

Once the flippers are in place, you can concentrate on the playfield design. There are many different ways and obstacles to include in this game. I recommend fixing them using screws rather than glue because they require a bit of experimenting and allows future improvements.

Initially, create two main corridors for the ball launcher and for the left side edge with a 25cm piece of wood.

Then, add three small blocks to serve as a ball guide at the top of the playfield.

You can add bumpers on each side using a wood plug and rubber bands.

To guide the ball after the launch corridor, add a piece of triangular wood at the top right corner. You can also make a rounded guide, improving the speed of the ball when entering the game.

To improve the game experience, I also added an elevated target at the top left corner, see in detail in image 3. As mentioned, you can create and add more bumpers and targets as you play.

The ball launcher is built from a piece of cylindrical wood (9mm) glued to a round disk and a spring to eject the ball.

Drill a 10mm hole on the front panel, insert the launcher with the spring and then glue a small piece of wood at the end to work as a pull knob and also serving as a stopper after release.

The final step is to add feet to the arcade by glueing small pieces of wood to hold the arcade in place and on the right angle to ensure the ball moves freely and at the right speed.

Have fun! Hope you enjoy this project!