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I really enjoy making wood games. They make great gifts and are a great way to try out some new woodworking techniques to customize them. This time last year I made a Quarto game, which holds endless design possibilities. Like some chess boards, they become works of art as well as pastimes.
Shut-the-Box is a very old game dating back to the 12th century. Im going to guess that it is most popular as a gambling game, since it isnt very involved and each game lasts a minute or so. I think it would also be a good early-learning game for children to reinforce simple arithmetic.
I made mine out of cherry and paduk left over from my recent cheese cutting board project. I used all 1/2" thick wood because 3/4" boards always look "heavy" to me on smallish-sized boxes. I like to add inlay on lids such as this, where I drop a plywood panel into a rabbeted frame. It looks good, but the main reason is to conceal any gaps where my cuts arent perfect!
Plans:- WWMM Shut-the-Box plans (pdf)
- SketchUp file
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I only learned about Quarto a week ago. As soon as I started researching the game boards and pieces I knew I wanted to make one. It can be designed in all different ways, making it a great woodworking project. Plus, it would make a nice Christmas present.
Interestingly, this is one of the few projects I have made for which I used nearly all my power tools. Only my scroll saw didnt see any action.
The game itself is very simple to play and quite intriguing.
Heres a layout template for the circles if you want to make one similar to mine.
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No, it takes a lot to aggravate me. But making Aggravation games sounds fun! I remember playing it as a kid: it is similar to Pachisi and a few other board games. The
aggravation enters when one of your playing pieces (usually marbles) is just on the verge of entering "home" after a long trip around the board, and an opponent sends you back to the beginning.
It seems
Bill Wilson likes to make multiples of his projects. (Garden bench, cajon, wind chimes, etc.) He made an Agravation game for me a wile back that is just beautiful. Now hes coming up with new designs. To distinguish the various players and their colors, he used different types of wood. Classy.
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And speaking of classy game boards, check out Thomas MacSkimmings Quarto game. It is fascinating to see all the ways people interpret this project. By the way, Thomas and others have asked me if it is okay to build and sell my projects. Certainly! Making money at woodworking is tough, but if you can do it using any of my designs, go for it. Id be honored. Besides, I didnt invent Quarto or most of the projects I build. They are just variations of stuff that already exists.
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Oh, Ive been meaning to post this project Zach Mustard made in shop class for his girlfriend. A lighted heart for Valentines Day. Now that beats Hallmark any day.
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Dale Prohaska built my charging station project. Not only that, get wrote an article about it. Check it out!
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Heres a good idea. A charging station for your power tools. I like how Ron Ward made this one and painted it in DeWalt colors!
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Another recent WWMM project. Heres Clifton Withrows lumber rack. Looks great. I am so glad I made mine and only wish I had done it sooner!
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And going back to a project I made a little over a year ago, here is Kevin Maxsons take on my "Non-Yankee Woodworker" clock. He used purpleheart, spalted tamarind and oak dowels. A Valentines gift for his wife.
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Mere Minutes
Heres an update on my Credenza project from last week.
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After I posted a couple of large game projects on Monday,
Peter Davie sent over this Sapo game that he built. This game is popular in South America and involves tossing metal coins into the holes in the top of the game, with the highest score going to a coin that passes through the mouth of the Sapo (Frog). He built it based on photographs. If you would like to see he design and make your own, Peter has kindly supplied this
SketchUp plan.*****
Bird feeders!
Bill Wilson has been quite busy making artistic variations on my porch swing bird feeder. (If you havent made one, check out the plans. Super easy project.) Love these designs.
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This one from Jim Jarvis:
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And Chris McDowell got in on the action with this one:
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Upcycling
I just love this idea from Shannon Bickel for pallet wood deck seating:
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Duane in Savannah checks in with another garden potting bench, complete with dry sink. This has proven to be one of my most popular projects this year. You can put one together with any kind of wood you might happen to have. The rustic-ier the better!
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No wood is ever scrap! Raymond Levesque used old wood from an old deck to build this BBQ shed. Great idea, looks cool.
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And Daniel Quiroz used pallet boards and spray paint to create this flag for the wall.
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Heres a clever picture frame idea from Heath Fitts, made with pallet wood.
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And just in case you were thinking all pallet wood projects were rustic, check out this beautiful stein Michael Borg made out of oak pallet wood with purpleheart accents.
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Finally, vindication for anyone who thought my purple bench was odd. Jack in Moab discovered this one in the wild, near his home. Obviously someone with impeccable color sensibilities!
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