My Sister is always on the lookout for new and interesting projects for me to make. A few weeks ago, she posted an image of a kraft paper roll message board something similar to this on my Facebook page.  And within a few minutes, my friends were saying how cool it was and how much did I charge for one, thinking I made it.  So, I set about making one too see how easy it was and boy it was easy.   

This wall-mounted paper roll message board can be used in so many ways.  You can use it as an indoor or outdoor drawing board for your toddler, shopping/ to-do list message board.  And how cool would this message board be in any classroom?

How to Make a Paper Roll Message Board

Make the Message Board Base

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To start it is a good idea to find the paper roll and to make sure it is a standard size that you will be able to replacements for. In our small town, it proved a bit difficult and the only size I could buy was 450 mm x 50 m.  I used 12mm plywood for the base, you don’t want to use wood that is too thick, or it will be too heavy to hang with the paper attached. The base for mine was cut to 1200 mm x 600 mm using a jigsaw.

Next, you can cut 2 pieces of plywood 600 mm x 50 mm wide, these will be used to hold the paper in place. 

Next, I used an orbital sander using 180 grit sandpaper to smooth the surface.  If you are going to be using thin paper this is a good idea to do.  If the surface is too rough you will see the grooves through the writing on the paper. Use a wood router and remove all the shape edges with a round-over bit for a nicer cosmetic look.

Now you can apply whichever stain you want or paint to your wood.  I used dark mahogany stain, and which was sealed in two coats of satin polyurethane.

Making the Pen Holder

Making a stand for the marker pens was the next step.  It makes sense to have them freely available for when you want to write something on the board. The plywood for this holder is 600 mm x 60 mm. Use a wood router with a grooving bit and cut some grooves into the holder.  Do this before you cut the wood, so it is easier to use the router.  I cut mine first and found it really difficult to add the grooves, so mine is a bit wobbly. 

Ignore the metal in the image.   That was my first attempt at making a cutting blade for the paper, but once attached it did not work.

Attaching the holder for the paper roll

Drill pilot holes into the message board base where you want the pen holder to be attached. Line up the holder and use the holes you have already drilled as a guide to drill through the pen holder.  Add some glue and screw the two pieces together. The holes in the front were also pre-drilled to prevent the wood from splitting.  Before you screw the wood to the base you need to add a washer to each side between the two pieces of wood.  This will allow the paper to freely flow through the two pieces of wood.

Adding the paper Roll

To make the rail for your paper roll to hang on, an old curtain rail and brackets will work perfectly.  Level the pole and drill holes in the wood and screw in the brackets, the pole just rests on the top.

To make the ends of the poles look better I had these recycled wood knobs which were way too small. To make them fit into the ends of the curtain rail a few bolts were added using epoxy glue to attach them.  Once the epoxy glue was dry the pole was spray-painted using black spray paint to match the curtain stands.

Cutting the paper roll

The blade I made in the image earlier needed to be on the outside of the wood, which looked ugly.  It was also very awkward to tear off the used paper with that setup.  My husband came up with the idea of using the cutting strip off the kitchen foil dispenser.

These blades worked great but large I had to use large head nails to keep them in place. So, if anyone has a better way of doing the blade I would love to hear it. Ignore the nails in the picture they did not work.

To secure the board to the wall flush mounts were used which worked great.  There are so many uses for this style of board from memos, shopping list, chore list or your child can use it to draw on. 

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If you love the idea but don’t like the idea of making your own, we have got you covered.  Here are some choices for you.

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