# Making Gridded Game Boards



## nogeel (Jun 22, 2015)

As an avid board gamer I am wanting to start building board games both for fun and maybe for a bit of side money. Many games are grid based like a chess board.

I've seen Steve Ramsey's video on making Quaridor:

I was wondering of other ways people have found for making grid based boards or even jigs built to make the process faster. Thanks in advance.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Here is the best tutorial on making a chess/checkers board.





He also shows a clamping system that I've used and find superior to bar clamps.





As for Tafl games. I don't think there is anyway to do it except by cutting them into small blocks. Probably why all tafl boards are wood burned, painted, branded on leather, etc. I made a brandub board but painted it on a tile.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

I know how you feel I too would like the rewards of hard work cleaver thinking.
Without doing it myself.
Even if some was to share their money making tech,you still wouldn't have the knowledge in your head and hands to carry it out .
What has the world come to?

Aj


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## RogerM (Oct 31, 2011)

I have made several chess boards using a process similar to the one noted in the first you tube link noted above with one exception. For stability, I put a saw kerf on the edge of each strip (can easily be done on a table saw) and place a spline in the saw kerfs when gluing together. This is relatively easy to do and adds greater stability to the piece especially since there a lot of end grain glue joints.


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## nogeel (Jun 22, 2015)

Outside of the troll, thanks for the advice.

It seems like the two options for a gridded board is either from the video above (which I call the cutting board) and they key/spacer method (My link above and this one

I doubt I would ever try to make a living on it, just to cover cost of boards I ame for myself.. The efficiency is more about being effecient with the little time in the shop. Also, and being able to make these old board games that you can't get elsewhere for fellow gaming friends


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