The critical component for this project are the basic pieces that you will use for the toppling set. You can make this project as simple or as elaborate as you like, ranging from plain 'dominoes' to all sorts of shapes and unique mechanisms. Pick and choose those that seem interesting and devise your own if you like. The basic pieces are ideally identical so that you can use them in various situations. We made ours out of 3/8" (9mm) thick Baltic birch plywood which works very well for this purpose. You can also use 1/2" (13mm) thick plywood or hardwood.

The dimension that we prefer is 1.5" x 3" (38 x 76mm), but you can experiment with different dimensions. We also made a few pieces of different sizes which adds interest by speeding and slowing the rate of toppling. Begin by ripping strips on the table saw, and then cut them to length using a chop saw or the miter gauge (or crosscut sled) on the table saw. To complete the pieces, lightly sand all edges to ensure that they are not sharp and are splinter free. Note that the ends must be square and it is probably wise to confirm that your cutting tools are square to their respective tables. The topple shown in the video clip used about 100 basic pieces along with the additional domino devices.