Robert Vrabel

I added some new additions to the boards this weekend.  Check them out below or my flickr.

I added a two cup holders on each board so when its your turn to shoot you have a place to put your beer =) . I also added a score board across the top (0-21) so no fights break out over the score . I also added a game scoreboard (0-5) to keep track of games won if anyone plays best of 5 or anything.  I am going to be putting number stickers above the holes so you can tell what the score is.

This is what the board looks like when its folded up. It took some thought figuring out how to add in the backboard so the drinks don’t get hit, and the cup holders so they could still fold but it worked out great and wasn’t to bad.

I added handles to both of the boards so they can easily be carried with one hand each.

Upon testing out the boards yesterday I realized that they were VERY bouncy when the bags hit the board.  The board would shake and move slightly and the bags would bounce right off very easily.  I decided to reinforce the bottom of it with a T shaped connecting 2×4 to make it more sturdy and have less resistance.

They are now rock solid and play a lot nicer.  I still need to sand down the holes again and re-stain the 3 areas that I had to drill holes at.

I have also noticed that some people’s boards are VERY slick (similar to ones I have played on in the past).  The bags slide all the way up them to easily.  I have read on the ACA site that its best to not have it to smooth otherwise people will drain 3 pointers to easily.  They recommend regular plywood as opposed to birch plywood since regular plywood is not as smooth (which is exactly what i used since they recommended it).  I have decided to keep it how it is and try them out to see how it works.  If it becomes to difficult to score i’m going to put a couple coats of high gloss white paint on it to smooth it out a little more.  Its all about testing and experimenting!

I also have a couple of ideas for additions to these boards that I will be posting once I try it out so stay tuned.

My first building project is complete.  I bought some power tools and wood and went to work.  I took pictures of my progress which are below.  You can also visit the flickr set with larger pictures and details.

Here is one of the work benches that I have in the basement.

Beginning Materials

These hand grip clamps are amazing. Very fast and they get the job done.

These are all the final boards that were cut.

I used the clamps to hold the pieces together and predrilled the holes before I screwed in to prevent cracking.

Here are the finished boards once I screwed the tops on.

I used some wood puddy over the screws and sanded it all down so you would not be able to see the screws at all.

I used a compass to draw the standard 6 inch diameter hole. I predrilled a big enough hole for the jigsaw blade to fit in.

I used a jigsaw to cut the hole.

I cut the legs so you can swivel them by just loosening the wingnut. Great for storing and transporting it in the car since that cuts down on the height of them and you can easily stack them. I also trimmed the bottom of the legs at ~ 99 degrees so they are flush with the ground.

I put two coats of stain on since the first didn’t go seem to do much.

Here is the finished product. It meets all ACA (American Cornhole Association) guidelines too. Still haven’t had the chance to test them out fully since they are still drying from the stain. The bags were also home made but I didn’t have the camera with me when we sewed them.