Three Crokinole Boards

[Frank Pellow]

(part 1of 2)

My biggest accomplishment this week was making three crokinole boards.  They look better than I expected them to and I am very happy with the boards.  Here is one of those boards with a test game in progress: 

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Many of you will not know about this game.  It originated in Canada and has been popular here for well over 100 years.  The game is also known in some parts of the USA, of the Unitied Kingdom, and of Germany.

I only ordered pegs and playing discs for two boards so, technically, I have not really finished the third board.  But I am going to order three more sets so that I can finish the third board and in the expectation that I will make two more boards sometime.

One of the boards is going to be a Christmas present for Isla and Ethan (my grandchildren in Toronto), one will be a Christmas present for Brooke and Leah (two of my three grandchilren in Ottawa) , and I expect to donate the third to a charity auction sometime in 2011.

I made the boards using plans that I purchased from Mr. Crokinole (Wayne Kelly) a couple of months ago.  I also purchased the pegs and playing discs from Wayne.  Wayne also sells boards.  Here is a photo as well as a description of a board very close to the ones that I made:

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The Wellington" CB-91W. One of our finest octagonal crokinole boards. The maple playing surface is prepared with the same process that is used on our # 1 tournament, competition board, the "Eagle" series. Solid black walnut side rails. Exceptionally 'fast' brass posts clad with black surgical latex. Playing surface dia. 23-1/2", overall dia. 27-1/2". A full-size checker board is on the reverse side. Comes with a set of black & red Canadian hard maple discs. (13+13 of each), rules, basic care & maintenance instruction sheet. A board that will be viewed as a family heirloom. $ 239.95

I made the circular playing surfaces with 6 mm Baltic birch plywood.  I used my a beam compass to mark to circles, a jig saw with a very fine blade to cut them, then sanded them up to 220 grit.

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After applying 2 coats of polyurethane and sanding up to 320 grit, I marked the lines on the playing surfaces with a permanent marker.  I used a homemade beam compass (the opening in my Veritas beam compass was not large enough to hold a marker) to mark the circles and a carpenter’s square to mark the straight lines.

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The one thing that I am not happy about with the playing surfaces is that these lines look home made.  [sad]  If anyone knows of a way the get better lines on the playing surface, please let me know of it.  

After allowing the ink a day to become really dry, I allied another coat of polyurethane. Then, using a template that came with the plans from Mr. Crokinole, I drilled holes in the 8 [places where the pegs will be placed on the finished board.

I cut the border trim to go around the edges of the octagon from the ‘not so good’ ends of some walnut boards that I have in stock.

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I then resawed the pieces down to a thickness of 8 mm.

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then rounded the top edges over with a ¼ inch roundover bit.

The walnut octagon was to be cut from expensive plywood and I was nervous about cutting them accurately enough.  So, I practiced on a piece of old beaverboard (that’s what my Dad called the low quality stuff -you probably have a different name for it) .

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The result was perfect, so I felt ready to tackle to walnut. First I cut accurate squares using a track saw:

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I could have used my track saw to make the diagonal cuts to transform the square to an octagon, but I decided to use my Incra sled installed on my General 650 table saw instead (that’s the technique that I had already practiced with the beaverboard) :

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Again, the results were perfect, 12 cuts and not one mistake.

 

[Frank Pellow]

(part 2 of 2)

The next step was to glue the pieces of boarder trim to the octagon:

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I custom mitered each piece of border trim, glued and clamped, it then waited half an hour for that piece to dry before moving on to the next piece of trim.  

Next, two walnut Miller dowels were inserted through each piece of border trim into the plywood octagon:

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The assembly was hand and machine sanded up to 220 grit:

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One of my Lee Valley contoured sanding grips (68Z82.10) worked perfectly on the rounded edge.

A coat of polyurethane was applied using a special dripless brush to the walnut that will be exposed:

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It’s the first time that I used such a brush and it worked very well.

Next, I sanded with 220 grit using a hand sanding block and a linear sander:

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I spread glue on the back of the playing surface then, using a nail to align the playing surface disc and the octagon and a straight edge and masking tape to align the lines on the disk in the correction orientation. I positioned the disk on the octagon. Then the assembly was clamped.

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It was now time to drill the centre well, then to apply another coat of polyurethane and install the pegs.

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Finally a hanger and plastic feet were installed on the underside and I burned in my name and the year:

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[GhostFist]

Fellow Canucks approve  [big grin] I suppose i have to make one for my self now, I'll pile that on the stack of projects to be started.

 

[Wood_Junkie]

Frank, that board looks fantastic!  As usual, I'm impressed by your handiwork.

Regarding one thing you posted:  "If anyone knows of a way the get better lines on the playing surface, please let me know of it"

It would probably be quite a bit more work, but perhaps doing some ebony (or similar dark wood) stringing inlay.  Perhaps walnut, to echo the color and tone of the octagon.

Since you have to drill a center well anyway, it wouldn't be detrimental to have a center router-trammel point.  I'd think you could easily route a series of concentric grooves using the OF1010 and the trammel accessory or an aftermarket circle sled (I'm speaking in theory here, I've never done a bit of stringing inlay yet).

 

[atomicmike]

Frank, that board looks fantastic!  As usual, I'm impressed by your handiwork.

Regarding one thing you posted:  "If anyone knows of a way the get better lines on the playing surface, please let me know of it"

It would probably be quite a bit more work, but perhaps doing some ebony (or similar dark wood) stringing inlay.  Perhaps walnut, to echo the color and tone of the octagon.

Since you have to drill a center well anyway, it wouldn't be detrimental to have a center router-trammel point.  I'd think you could easily route a series of concentric grooves using the OF1010 and the trammel accessory or an aftermarket circle sled (I'm speaking in theory here, I've never done a bit of stringing inlay yet).

I wonder if you could do something similar, but instead of using wood for the inlay, use a tinted epoxy. You should then be able to sand it flush with the surface, just like with the inlay, but perhaps with less effort. I don't even know if there's actually an epoxy out there that would work, so it's just a thought.  [smile]

- Mike

 

[BigHonu]

Excellent job on the board as well as the pictorial documentation!

 

[Tezzer]

That board looks brilliant Frank. Thats a great WIP. I have never heard of the game here down under. I will have to Google it to understand how it is played.

 

[rnt80]

Great job Frank!  This brings back some memories of living in Ontario...I haven't playe crokinole in a loooooooooooong time.  Thanks for sharing.

 

[gojira]

I have never heard of "crokinole" but then I live in Texas. I'm sure the boards will bring many hours of pleasure to you grandchildren. I admire your intention to donate such a board to a charity auction. Please document that for the FOG as well.

Regarding using epoxy rather than string inlay, I think that has a lot of promise. I have used just regular big box store epoxy to fill voids in "rustic" wood and it works very well. On thin stringing, you would probably not even need to worry about finding the longer open time product. As to color, if black is acceptable, I have used the graphite powder that comes in tubes and is used for lubricating locks and such. You simply mix it in when you mix the epoxy until you like the color and then use it as you normally would.

 

[Frank Pellow]

Thanks for the compliments and advice folks.

I have asked to be more specific about the finish on the playing surface, so here goes:  There are four coats of polyurethane on the playing surface and I sanded with 220 between coats. After the last coat, I hand sanded very lightly with 320 grit paper. The resulting surface is very smooth.

Oh, and here is a peice of trivia for you:  9 different Festool tools were utilized in making these boards.

 

[Rob-GB]

Great project Frank [thumbs up]
For those of us not conversant with the game can you provide a brief summary?

The epoxy resin idea sounds good for the lines, West's epoxy (system) supply micro balloons etc to be fillers, that add color to the result, and I have seen the resin colored with clothing dye ("Dyelon") during my boat building sojurn. (it takes a few tester mixes to get it to required density,but that is part of the fun ;D)

Rob.

 

[Frank Pellow]

Great project Frank [thumbs up]
For those of us not conversant with the game can you provide a brief summary?

The epoxy resin idea sounds good for the lines, West's epoxy (system) supply micro balloons etc to be fillers, that add color to the result, and I have seen the resin colored with clothing dye ("Dyelon") during my boat building sojurn. (it takes a few tester mixes to get it to required density,but that is part of the fun ;D)

Rob.

Thanks Rob, both for the compliment and for the information about the epoxy.  I am going to experiment with it before making any more boards.  Actually for my third board (the one destined for a charity auction), I did not glue the birch playing surface to the walnut octagon and will wait awile before doing so.  If I find that I am able to make a better looking playing surface using a router and epoxy, I will use that surface instead.

About the game:  I "borrowed" the material below from Mr. Crocinole's web site:

BASIC CROKINOLE RULES
The game of crokinole appears to have developed in rural Canada in the 1860s. A unique blend of several older English, French, German and East Indian games, crokinole has been an enduring family favourite for close to 140 years. And while many rules and variant playing methods have developed throughout North America, it appears that one basic set or pattern of acceptable rules has emerged from it all. The following, then, is the distillation of what seems to be the most common, popularized, ‘settle-the-squabble’ rules for fair, enjoyable crokinole play. (For dozens of other regional variations, manufacturer’s specific rule choices, tournament rules and unique games to play on the crokinole board, please consult The Crokinole Book by Wayne Kelly) The object of the game is to position shooting discs on the playing surface in such manner that they remain within the highest scoring circles by the end of the round. A crokinole shot is accomplished by firmly holding the end of your index or middle finger against the thumb and then flicking or snapping it against the disc in order to propel the disc across the playing surface. Each player seeks to make a “20" (centre hole) score whenever possible. At the same time, each player - in turn - will attempt to make such scoring opportunities difficult for his opponent. The game is played to 50, 100, or more points, as determined by all players in advance.

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FOR 2 - 4 PLAYERS

When two players are playing, each player will have 12 discs (of the same colour) to shoot. They will oppose each other. When four players are playing, each player will have 6 discs to shoot. The players sitting opposite each other will constitute a team (shooting the same colour) and will oppose the other team.

RULES

- To start the game, one player will take two discs (one of each colour) in his hands, shake them, leaving one disc in each hand, and then hold closed fists out to a member of the opposing team. That player will choose one of the hands. The colour in that hand will indicate which team begins the play.
- Play proceeds in a clockwise fashion. The player to the left of the previous shooter always plays next.
- Neither the board, nor the seats of the players may be moved during the game.
- All players must keep their fingers, hands, and discs off the board unless it is their turn to shoot.
- To shoot, place the disc on the board with any portion of it touching the “starting line.” (See diagram) Each player will shoot discs only from within his particular quadrant of the board. A disc placed on a “quadrant line” must not be more than half way over that line.
- The first player will try to shoot his disc into the centre “20" hole. If it successfully lands completely within the hole the disc is removed and set aside to count as 20 points at the end of the round. If it does not land in the “20" hole, and yet is still on the playing surface, the next player must shoot at that opposing disc in an effort to knock it into the “ditch.” If she misses or does not in any way touch that opposing disc, her disc must come off the playing surface and be put in the ditch. Caroms - bouncing off a post or other disc - or combination shots are allowed. In a caroms shot, if the opponents disc is not touched, both the played disc and any of the shooter’s same colour discs that have been moved, will be place in the ditch. A shot that goes off the playing surface and bounces back on is considered out of play. It is removed to the ditch. Any other discs it may have touched will remain where they are.
- A disc that touches the “shooting line” (after it is played, or has been hit) does not count and will be removed to the “ditch.”
- When that particular round is finished (all discs having been played), the person sitting to the left of the player who started the previous round will begin the new round, and so on with each round.

COUNT

At the end of each round, each player (or team) will take count of their discs within each circle. Inner (or pin) circle counts 15 points for each disc. Middle circle counts 10 points for each disc. Outer circle counts 5 points for each disc. Discs that are touching the lines separating each circle will be counted at the value of the lesser circle. Discs touching the “starting line” will not count. Add the “twenties” that may have been made during the game and which were set aside. The difference of the count between the players or teams, is the score for that round. (Example: The team or player with the black discs has a total score of 65. The team or player with the tan discs has a score of 25. Subtract the lesser from the greater. Therefore the black team has 40 points for that round.) Begin the next round.

 

[CharlesWilson]

I was so inspired by this post that just had to make a few of these Crokinole boards. I finally got around to making my first game board, and I integrated a few of the best features I found on the Internet into my design:

It is seen here hanging on a wall, with a reasonably large and inexpensive clock sitting on the posts in the middle. (The clock wasn't my idea. Mayday games has been advertising an add-on option for their Crokinole board that has a clock in the middle.) The black lines are actually epoxy clay pushed into routed grooves in the Baltic Birch plywood game surface. The routing of the grooves was made using a 1/16 bit in my OF1400 router with the MFS template to guide it. I used 6-32 brass inserts to hold the bumper posts in place, and have been using interchangeable bumpers in brass, rubber and vinyl. I like the sound of the brass bumpers, but the action seems to be a bit livelier with rubber bumpers installed.

Although most US citizens are unaware of the world that is Crokinole, it turns out that all three of my children were familiar with it as they are avid board gamers, and Crokinole shows up stateside at gaming conventions.

I made the frame in the form of a 7-inch wide ring in 12 segments, and used the router to make a round rail on the outside. It hangs on the wall using a French cleat mounted on the back of the game surface.

I will be using inlay for the next couple of game boards that I make. Working with the epoxy clay wasn't as simple as I had hoped. A local Festoolian has a commercial CNC machine, and I will be using it to speed up the production of my future game surfaces. I can get five 26" boards out of a single 4x8 sheet of plywood, and the CNC should be able to produce them in less than a half hour.

My CNC toting Festoolian neighbor has suggested making the whole board (playing board, ditch and game surface with grooves and holes) out of a single sheet of 1-inch thick Baltic Birch plywood on the CNC. If you look real hard, and dig real deep into your wallet, you can find Baltic Birch in that thickness in 4x8 foot sheets. Three complete Crokinole boards can be machined out of a single 4x8 sheet!

I'll report back on how my next few boards are fabricated.

Thank you Frank! This wouldn't have happened without your inspiration.

Charles

 

[Frank Pellow]

Great job Charles!

I have never seen a crokinole board handing with a clock on the pegs.  My daughter has a crokinole board that I made hanging over a fireplace mantel that I made when the game board is not in use.  Now you have me thinking about making her a clock to hang on the pegs.