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Backgammon Board - Custom made

Project by GaryK posted 533 days ago 4828 views 25 times favorited 47 comments Add to Favorites Watch

I’ve had one of these on my list of things to make for a long time now. It ended up being easier and harder than I thought it would be.

I thought the hard part would be to make the board field wedge pieces. But I made a little jig that made it very easy.

This one is set for 11 degrees. I just had to make a 5 1/2 degree cut on one end of each board first. Then I just flipped it over after each cut.
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The rotate it 90 degrees for cutting the wedges to length.
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The wedges are made from Brazilian Boxwood and Wenge. The middle of the field is quilted maple with a bloodwood border on each side. The case is made from curly maple with a Indonesian Madrone Burl veneer covering it. The splines are also Wenge.

The protect the corners I used brass, and a pair of brass handles to carry it. You can’t see it in the pictures but there are two brass latches to keep it closed.

The dice are made from solid Gabon Ebony with the dots drilled and filled with white paint. The pieces are also boxwood and wenge. I had extra milled up so I used it.

The size is 19 1/2” x 23” and 2 1/2 thick.

To line the pockets I used crushed velvet.

I used the following techinque: http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/GaryK/blog/4858

The hard part was the engineering that went into it. Everything had to be in proportion. The diameter of the pieces had to be a little smaller then the width at the bottoms of the wedges. It also effected the length of the wedges which had to be about 5 times diameter of the pieces.

The diameter of the pieces also determines the thickness of the case. and the piece thickness determined the length of the pocket they are stored in.

Basically you start backwards and determine the size of your playing pieces before anything.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.


47 comments so far

View Napaman's profile

Napaman

3482 posts in 969 days


posted 533 days ago

wow…gary…very cool…but I have figured it out…your really not “gary”...there is no way that you could produce such high quality work at such a rapid rate…

you must be santa claus…and you have a team of elves to help…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...

View PaBull's profile

PaBull

292 posts in 557 days


posted 533 days ago

I enjoy watching the project coming out of your shop one after an other. This is very nice!

-- http://www.twinoaksgrowers.com

View Karson's profile

Karson

25794 posts in 1292 days


posted 533 days ago

Gary: Great looking board and great tutorial on the design that went into it.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View dennis mitchell's profile

dennis mitchell

3791 posts in 1206 days


posted 533 days ago

Another beautiful job!

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

View TomFran's profile

TomFran

2509 posts in 886 days


posted 533 days ago

That is a beautiful board, and the contrasting woods are fabulous. Nice work, Gary.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

View coloradoclimber's profile

coloradoclimber

448 posts in 960 days


posted 533 days ago

wow, that is beautiful Gary. I made a much simpler backgammon board for one of my kids years ago, not nearly as superb as this one. Makes me want to go back and think about trying again. You’ve sure set the bar high with this one.

View Daren Nelson's profile

Daren Nelson

529 posts in 797 days


posted 533 days ago

Man, that sure is pretty.Hmm, makes me think with the right wood/craftsmanship how many boardgames could be made into heirlooms ?

-- Urban logger, http://nelsonwoodworks.biz/

View Bob #2's profile

Bob #2

3033 posts in 913 days


posted 533 days ago

Man, Gary you get nice results.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

View teenagewoodworker's profile

teenagewoodworker

2479 posts in 660 days


posted 533 days ago

thats really cool Gary! i love the selection of all the different species of woods there, thanks for the post.

View BertJ's profile

BertJ

49 posts in 590 days


posted 533 days ago

Gary, you got way too much time on your hands, dude! What a fabulous project, and the engineering is superb. As you describe it, the tough part was designing it so everything would fit. But I have a question. Why are you using Oreo cookies for playing pieces?

Great job—beautiful craftsmanship and lovely wood. What more could one ask for?

View Grumpy's profile

Grumpy

14914 posts in 743 days


posted 533 days ago

Very nice job Gary. How’s your game skill ?.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

View Betsy's profile

Betsy

2388 posts in 788 days


posted 533 days ago

You never cease to amaze me. You are one very talented fellow. I hope you have passed a little of your talent to your daughter—- when she starts stacking those little wooden blocks—- let us know how she does!

-- You can't get a hug from Facebook.

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

7599 posts in 1110 days


posted 533 days ago

Wow!

After throwing this thing together this afternoon, what will you do with the rest of the weekend? <g>

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View TomK 's profile

TomK

503 posts in 766 days


posted 533 days ago

Gary, you never cease to amaze me with the speed at which you come up with and craft such great projects.
Awesome job! It also looks like you’ve overcome your photography issues. The photos are great too.

-- If you think healthcare is expensive now, wait until it's free! PJ O'Rourke

View jockmike2's profile

jockmike2

7297 posts in 1138 days


posted 533 days ago

Very cool Gary, My son plays but I don’t he says it s a lot of fun. Great Idea, and work. mike

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

View dlcarver's profile

dlcarver

260 posts in 622 days


posted 533 days ago

WOW!!!!!!! Need I say more Gary?
FANTASTIC…DAVE

-- Dave Leitem,Butler,Pa.,http://dlcarver.etsy.com

View jjohn's profile

jjohn

391 posts in 606 days


posted 532 days ago

After seeing your talents with some of your other projects it’s no surprise to me that you would produce this in a short period of time. As usual, really looks great.

-- JJohn

View Tim Pursell's profile

Tim Pursell

388 posts in 674 days


posted 532 days ago

I’ve had one of these on my list of things to make for a long time now too. I hope when I get to it, it comes out looking as great as yours. Can you elaborate on how you made the pieces? Do you have two colors of dice?

Not too many Backgammon players around my neck of the woods anymore. We had an informal group that would host a get together once a month at a local watering hole, but the place burned down & I have yet to find another. I enjoy the game. Thanks for sharing. Now I’ll have to move my set further up the “to do” list.

-- http://www.grandprairiewoodworks.com http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6453794

View Lee A. Jesberger's profile

Lee A. Jesberger

3710 posts in 871 days


posted 532 days ago

Hi Gary;

Masterful work as always.

Simply beautiful.

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

View Tony's profile

Tony

812 posts in 922 days


posted 532 days ago

Fantastic looking project – very professional

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

View wpreman's profile

wpreman

1486 posts in 604 days


posted 532 days ago

Another beautiful piece Gary. Great job, thanks for the post!

-- Bill, Florida

View John Fry's profile

John Fry

73 posts in 592 days


posted 532 days ago

Wow, Gary.

Great job, great attention to detail, a beautiful backgammon set. And making your own dice???....Geez, man, you’re too much.

-- John, Chisel and Bit Custom Crafted Furniture, www.chiselandbit.com

View USCJeff's profile

USCJeff

899 posts in 960 days


posted 532 days ago

You can sure crank out some fast fine pieces. I spend forever maing the cuts and then twice as long fixing the sure to come mistake. You must have a pretty good handle and a lot of experience on techniques.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

View Mike Lingenfelter's profile

Mike Lingenfelter

457 posts in 1006 days


posted 532 days ago

Yes very nice indeed. A Backgammon board is on my list of projects too. I had envisioned using a jig like your, on my project. It’s nice to see how it all comes together,

-- http://theinquisitivewoodworker.com/

View lew's profile

lew

4474 posts in 647 days


posted 532 days ago

Beautiful Work, Gary!!!!

Lew

View DAN 's profile

DAN

6438 posts in 875 days


posted 532 days ago

another fantastic posting … true class act

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

View Woodhacker's profile

Woodhacker

1145 posts in 615 days


posted 532 days ago

Gary, I can’t think of any thing else to say that hasn’t already been said.

Another incredible project! That looks like you had a lot of fun building. Thanks for showing it.

-- Martin, Kansas

View Blake's profile

Blake

2755 posts in 766 days


posted 532 days ago

IN… credible. My dad would love this too. I’m gonna show it to him. He always used to play backgammon with me when I was a kid.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com

View Davesfunwoodworking's profile

Davesfunwoodworking

259 posts in 767 days


posted 532 days ago

Now I really like this one. Wow what a great job. Very nice I want to do work like this some day…...WOW!!!!!

-- Davesfunwoodworking

View thetimberkid's profile

thetimberkid

1944 posts in 595 days


posted 532 days ago

Great job!

Thanks for the post

Callum

-- For wood working podcasts with a twist check out http://thetimberkid.com/

View Russel's profile

Russel

2057 posts in 831 days


posted 532 days ago

Gary, I look at your stuff and I simply don’t know what to say anymore. Beautiful, amazing, fantastic all seem underwhelming. Your work is top notch and motivation to keep learning.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

View ND2ELK's profile

ND2ELK

6136 posts in 666 days


posted 532 days ago

Hi Gary

Exquisite detail and design. You did a beautiful job on this piece. You are a trure craftsman of your craft. Thanks for posting.

God Bless
tom

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

View SteveKorz's profile

SteveKorz

2030 posts in 606 days


posted 531 days ago

Wow… something like that would take me three months… of measuring!... Great post!

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †

View trifern's profile

trifern

7894 posts in 659 days


posted 531 days ago

Beautiful game Gary. Thanks for the detailed tutorial.

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

View bfd's profile

bfd

418 posts in 699 days


posted 531 days ago

Gary,

Your work is just spectacular! Beautiful!

-- Brian, Folsom, CA http://www.brianfullerdesigns.com

View spoonman's profile

spoonman

39 posts in 531 days


posted 531 days ago

Wow, inspiring. Simply Amazing.

-- I came, I saw, I pondered...

View grovemadman's profile

grovemadman

558 posts in 664 days


posted 531 days ago

Pretty nice Gary!

-- --Chuck

View griff's profile

griff

921 posts in 654 days


posted 531 days ago

Another magnificent build, another demonstration of a master craftsman, great job

-- Mike, Bruce Mississippi = Jack of many trades master of none

View dustynewt's profile

dustynewt

446 posts in 754 days


posted 527 days ago

Great game board and well presented project. My brother has been after me to make him a custom backgammon board and I’ve been pondering the angles. Now I have no excuse. Thanks a lot.

-- Please visit me at http://dustynewt.com

View dewoodwork's profile

dewoodwork

111 posts in 848 days


posted 527 days ago

Holey cow! That is one fine backgammon board. My father and I spent many hours at the game. After seeing yours I shall add it to my some day list.

-- Express creativity with wood, Dewayne. Vacaville CA.

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

20538 posts in 714 days


posted 527 days ago

Gary,

I apologize for taking so long to get to your project but I have simply been unable to keep up. This is a nice piece. As usual it shows your inventiveness and attention to detail. This is truly a family heirloom and a one-of-a-kind set. Well done!!

By the way I like your idea with using the sled for the wedge pieces. I may have to “borrow” this idea.

Thanks for the post.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

View steve1627's profile

steve1627

10 posts in 558 days


posted 504 days ago

Awesome project Gary!

-- Steve, Carrollton, TX

View ChuckV's profile

ChuckV

79 posts in 419 days


posted 418 days ago

Gary – I am new here and just came across this amazing piece of work. You did a wonderful job designing and building this project.

-- Chuck - Central Massachusetts

View Woodwrecker's profile

Woodwrecker

488 posts in 467 days


posted 413 days ago

All I can say Gary, is you have some mighty good skills!!!

-- Eric

View motthunter's profile

motthunter

2079 posts in 691 days


posted 312 days ago

makes me want to play

-- making sawdust....

View James Frederick's profile

James Frederick

14 posts in 612 days


posted 286 days ago

Gary this was great. I also have wanted to make a backgammon board, but it seemed a little overwhelming. Thanks to your tutorial, you have given me the push to get it started.

thanks.

-- James F., San Antonio TX.

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

9521 posts in 880 days


posted 276 days ago

James – Be sure to post it when you are done!

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

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