How to Make a Cigarette Dispenser

Antique cigarette dispenser

A cigarette dispenser is a a box that can be used to hold and dispense cigarettes. Cigarettes stored in the box can be automatically retrieved. Many old cigarette dispensers were beautifully crafted display items. They were often mechanical, featuring a device or figure that reached into the box and retrieved the cigarette.

Things You'll Need

• 1/4-inch thick plywood (2 x 2 feet)
• Utility knife or saw
• Wood glue

Instructions

1. Cut two 5 x 7-inch rectangles out of the plywood. Place one of these 5 x 7-inch pieces on a flat surface so that the long sides are facing away from you.

2. Make a 1 x 4-inch cutout on the very bottom of this piece. Center the cutout in between the two long sides. You should end up with a sort of notch on the bottom of this piece that is 1 inch high and 4 inches wide.

3. Cut two 2 x 7-inch strips out of the plywood. Cut a 4 x 5-inch square out of the plywood.

4. Join together the two 5 x 7-inch pieces and the two 2 x 7-inch strips in the form of a box. The wider pieces are the front and back of the box and the strips are the sides. Glue them all in place and let the glue dry thoroughly.

5. Cut a 3 x 5-inch strip out of the plywood. After the glue on the cigarette dispenser has dried, drop this strip in from the top of the box. It should land at an angle on the bottom of the box. Adjust the strip so that the strip is angled down toward the notch at the bottom of the front of the dispenser. The long sides of the strip should also completely block off the bottom of the box.

6. Remove the strip and place glue along its edges. Place the strip back in the dispenser exactly as before and allow the glue to set in place.

7. Place the dispenser on top of the 4 x 5-inch square. The back of the box should touch one of the 5-inch sides of the square. A little more than half of the square should stick out in front of the box. The front of the box is the side with the notch on the bottom. Glue the dispenser to the 4 x 5-inch base.

8. Cut 2 very thin strips, 1 x 2 inches, out of the plywood. Cut another strip, 1 x 5 inches. Glue the very thin strips to the sides of the dispenser base and the larger strip to the front of the base. You should have what looks like a tiny tray in front of your cigarette dispenser. This tray should have 1-inch lips around its three sides.

9. Use your cigarette dispenser by placing cigarettes in the box so that they are laying down. The front or butt ends of the cigarettes should point parallel to the base of the dispenser. Cigarettes will roll out at the bottom and into the tray.

Tips & Warnings

• Paint and decorate your cigarette dispenser. Make a cover for your box out of some additional plywood.

• If your cigarette dispenser dispenses more than one cigarette at a time, you can narrow the tray to control the rate of distribution. It may be harder to retrieve a cigarette from a narrower tray.

Resources

• Trade Key cigarette cases and boxes
• Alibaba.com cigarette boxes, cases, and smoking accessories
• Tobacco Antiques antique mechanical and static cigarette dispensers