Introduction and objectives: Several factors have caused the operating room to no longer be the ideal place for early surgical training, forcing the search for more effective options for simulation-based surgical learning. The objective of our study was to design and build a home-made proposal for a vascular anastomosis simulator for surgical training. Methods: Descriptive, preliminary, observational, analytical, and prospective study. The study was divided into two phases, the simulator construction with low-cost common materials (9.75$), and its operative evaluation with the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS-Modified). The study subject was a cardiothoracic surgery junior resident (postgraduate year two, PGY-2) who used the simulator and was evaluated through recorded sessions in 2 consecutive 3-month periods (first period, FP vs. second period, SP) by a senior surgeon. The acquisition of operative skills in the creation of end-to-side (E-T-S), side-to-side (S-T-S), end-to-end (E-T-E) vascular anastomoses were evaluated. Results: There were 273 sessions with a total of 4904 min of simulation training between the three anastomosis modalities. A significant improvement was identified in the final OSATS-Modified scores (FP vs. SP) in the use of the Castroviejo needle holder, needle angles, and needle transfer in the E-T-S anastomosis (p < .05); graft orientation, appropriate spacing, use of Castroviejo needle holder, and the needle angles in the S-T-S (p < .05), and in the use of the Castroviejo needle holder, and needle transfer in the E-T-E (p < .05). Significant improvement was reported in E-T-S anastomosis time and S-T-S (p < .05). Conclusions: Our home-made portable prototype has proven to be very efficient in improving operational skills on a smaller scale; however, our findings need to be extrapolated to a larger population of surgical residents. Current evidence suggests that skills acquired through simulation-based training are transferred and positively impact the surgical environment.