How to build Cornhole Boards- fun project, great game!

Great video. I love cornhole. We played it non stop in college. I built a set back then but passed it down to some friends still in college. After playing with many sets on different surfaces my biggest suggestion is rubber pads for the legs and front edge. This will dampen the vibration and prevent it from jumping around a lot when playing on concrete. I used a matte finish because I’ve played on onces with glossy and clear coats and the bags shoot straight across the board, even with a high arc they still slide more than they should. You can also add a strip behind the board to hold pegs to keep score. That was the most difficult part for us since we usually drank while playing lol.

The bags are very easy to make as well (wife has sewing machine), just get some canvas and corn kernels. and stitch a bag with heavy duty thread.

-- - Eric Indianapolis, IN

Eric,
Thanks! College is where I played way to much cornhole too, drinking a bit of course and loosing track of score. I like the idea of the rubber pads under the boards, I may have to try that and see the difference. My mother and I usually whip together some bags and then end up repairing them quite often, no matter how many stitches are put in them they still seem to come undone.

-- Dothan, Alabama Check out my woodworking blog! http://woodworkingtrip.blogspot.com/ Also my Youtube Channel's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SailingAndSuch

Yeah, we did several rows of stitching. Unfortunately we had them on the floor when our basement at school flooded and ruined all of those bags.

The rubber pads make a HUGE difference if you play on concrete.

-- - Eric Indianapolis, IN

I never heard of a ‘game’ called cornhole. How ‘bout a quick overview of how the game is played, perhaps? Thanks!

-- Einstein: "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." I'm Poopiekat!!

Boards are placed 27ft apart. Usually you play in teams of 2 with one person from each team at each board standing on each side of it. A round consists of the 2 players from opposite teams at one board throwing their 4 bags (one person throws one, then the other throws one, etc) to the other board. After that round is complete, the 2 players at the other board throw to you.

Landing a bag on the board is 1 point, and in the hole is 3 points. At the end of each round you take the difference in points between the two players and give the points to the team who had the most that round. You normally play to 21 points. One variations includes 2pts for landing on the rim of the hole. There is some decent strategy involved as you can land it on the edge of the hole to block it from opposing player, or knock off an opposing bag. So I could land 4 bags on the board giving me 4 points, and the other person could with there last bag knock off a bag or two if mine are near the edge giving me only 2 points.

There are professional leagues with big prizes and tournaments in the mid west. I grew up in Maryland and never heard of the game until college and moving to Indiana. Its huge here. You can’t go to a sports game without seeing people playing it.

-- - Eric Indianapolis, IN

EDIT-
Eric’s description is much better lol.

-- Dothan, Alabama Check out my woodworking blog! http://woodworkingtrip.blogspot.com/ Also my Youtube Channel's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SailingAndSuch

Poopie – Around here people call the game Bean Bags. I hadn’t heard it called corn hole until I saw someones game here on LJ. At first I was a little worried about what kind of post it was.

-- ----- www.KNWoodworking.com ----- --

Love this game .. made and custom painted a couple hundred sets over the last few years myself so I can definitely appreciate the elegant simplicity of your design. Most of my sets are what we call ‘tailgate’ size which means they are 3’x2’ instead of the 4’x2’ – other than that they are identical.

-- Dan M, SW Suburbs, Chicago IL

My nieghbor and I built a set last summer. We too call it bean bag toss. Fun game for everyone.
Sailor ,great video,thanks for posting it,and great job that you did on the boards.

-- In His service ,Richard

Great Video Trip. Lots of fun.

jtmek

-- a good woodworker can fix his mistakes, agreat w/w can fix them before anybody see's them

Thanks, All! And yes, MrsN, I know of a cornhole game played in college too, but it wasn’t this! So… Bean Bag Toss it is, as I’ve known it since childhood! In fact I recall my genuine Yogi Bear Bean Bag Toss game, as well as the birthday party version with homemade targets. This could indeed become a very marketable game!
Great thread, Sailor!

-- Einstein: "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." I'm Poopiekat!!

Great video. My son is going off to college next year, so I may have to make him a set. I know my son and his friends won’t drink while playing though ;). It’s my own little fantasy world and I’m happy there. LOL

Thanks for the video!!!!

-- Paul, North Dakota, USAF Ret.

Thank you all for the great comments!
Pdub, your son would be pretty popular with a set of nicely crafted cornhole boards.

-- Dothan, Alabama Check out my woodworking blog! http://woodworkingtrip.blogspot.com/ Also my Youtube Channel's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SailingAndSuch

I’m making plans to make my set out of Gold and silver. LOL I love this game and will make it a complementary part of horse shoes. thanks for the nice video.

-- The works of evil people are not the problem. It is the "Good" people standing by and watching not speaking up. Dubsaloon

I learned a lot. Very well made tutorial.

Thanks for sharing. It appears to be akin to Lawn Bowls.

jamie

-- Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though 'twere his own. --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe