Game Board # 3

    A request for Christmas this year was one of those game boards made for what some call the corn toss game and others call it the bean bag toss game.    Either way they require the same game boards.   (I think the true name comes from what ever is in the bags that are tossed.)   This will be the third set of boards that I have built.  You would think that I should have the system mastered by now but there always seems to be a little glitch.  
    While this is the third time,  all three have had a slightly different end result.  The first one I put together I used plywood and 2x2 scraps.    It was solid, but it was so heavy it almost required a fork lift to carry it out to the park.   That one has been played with for two seasons now and the last I heard it was still solid and holding up quite well.  (Still heavy.)

    The second set that I built this past summer was considerably lighter.    This time I had a plan which I tried to follow.   It called for 1/4 " fiberboard for the top.   The fiberboard was glued and nailed to the frame.   It was easy to carry.   The top was solid, but after a weekend of being hammered by those little 16 oz regulation bags the top started to show that it was coming loose from the frame.     Part of the problem is that fiberboard does not glue to wood as well as wood bonds with wood.  It was a little disappointing, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be fixed.



  On this model I screwed the top down to the frame hoping that it would help make the top a little more secure.    I also added a support board on the bottom side.    Neither of these ideas were in the original plan, but I think this will help strengthen the top.   I'm thinking you could switch those corn bags for a couple old bowling balls to toss back and forth and these babies will continue to hold up.  (Okay. Okay.   A bowling ball might be a stretch.)
   One common thread between all the game boards built thus far is that most of the structure is from my scrap pile.  I end up buying the fiberboard and some hardware, but overall, I don't have a lot invested in materials when I am done.    

  Something that went well with this game board was the cutting of the circle.    I made this little circle cutting jig using my Roto Zip and it worked slick.  (I'm thinking of getting the wife a palm router for a Christmas, but maybe I better think a little more on that.)    Each of the holes in these boards turned out perfectly round.  Of course my famous jig is custom built for only six inch circles, but who knows - maybe there is a game board number four in the future.





  I mounted the legs and I gave the boards a couple coats of  white primer.    Last time when the primer had dried, I sanded the primed surface before adding the finishing coats of paint.   This turned out to be a mistake.   It did look like a nice paint job, but it made the surface very slick and the bags would slide off too easily once they had landed on the boards.  
  I'm going to leave the final painting tasks to the new owners.   I have heard that they are Chicago Bear's fans so they may want to select there own colors and details.

   More Christmas presents to make and Christmas is Two weeks away from today...