How to Make an Abacus

Building It with Wood

Cut 4 pieces of wood for the frame. For 2 pieces, trim a ⁄4 in (1.9 cm) wood board into 11 in (28 cm) sticks using a saw. For the other 2, cut a ⁄4 in (0.64 cm) wood board into slightly longer 12.5 in (32 cm) sticks. The local hardware store should be able to cut these for you if you don’t have a saw.

Sand the 4 pieces of wood to create smooth edges. Use a medium grit (100 to 150 grit) sandpaper on the cut edges of the wood pieces. You can also sand down any sharp corners or splintered sections which could be a safety hazard for kids.

Drill 10 evenly-spaced holes into both of the 11 in (28 cm) pieces. Mark the spots with pencil or marker before drilling to make sure they’re each an inch apart, then use a ⁄8 in (0.32 cm) drill bit to create the holes. Only drill halfway through the wood.

Insert the 10 brass tubes into the holes on one 11 in (28 cm) piece. Push them firmly into the holes, twisting as you press to make sure they're secure. A little drop of hot glue in the hole before you insert the tube can add extra hold. Instead of brass tubes, you can also use wooden barbecue skewers.

Place 10 beads onto each tube. The beads can be any size, material, or color. If you go with wooden beads, you can use acrylic paint to decorate the beads in whatever colors and patterns you'd like. Painting beads while they're on a string or skewer makes it easier to coat the entire bead. They'll also dry more evenly and not smear. For an ombre look, choose 10 different shades of one color that will go from darkest to lightest as you move down the abacus.

Stick the tubes' other ends into the holes on the other 11 in (28 cm) piece. Don’t forget to press the 2 pieces of wood together gently but firmly to secure the sticks. Again, dabbing hot glue on the ends of the tubes or in the holes before pushing the piece of wood on can help.

Attach the top and bottom pieces of wood using screws. Take one of the 12.5 in (32 cm) wood pieces and lay it flat against the tops of the connected 11 in (28 cm) pieces. Drill a pilot hole on each side and screw together to hold. Repeat this on the bottom of the abacus with the other 12.5 in (32 cm) piece to finish the frame. Skip the drilling by securing the pieces of wood in place with wood glue instead.

Using Pipe Cleaners

Glue 4 jumbo craft sticks together to make a square frame. Use hot glue to hold the sticks securely in place. You can also buy a picture frame instead and simply remove the backing to skip this step. For a colorful abacus, paint the popsicle sticks with acrylic paint before assembling.

Thread 10 beads onto a pipe cleaner, 5 in one color and 5 in another. For example, you’ll have 5 pink beads followed by 5 blue beads on one pipe cleaner. Repeat until you have 10 pipe cleaners with 10 beads each. This is a great step for kids to help with to practice their motor skills. If you don’t have pipe cleaners, you can use pieces of string or wire.

Arrange the 10 pipe cleaners in a row in the frame. They should be evenly spaced and not touching each other so that you can move the beads on each pipe cleaner.

Wrap the ends of each pipe cleaner around the sides of the frame. You can use a drop of hot glue under each end to stop the pipe cleaner from slipping down the craft stick. Trim any extra pipe cleaner with scissors and tuck the end neatly around the stick.