Frank Pellow
Member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2007
- Messages
- 2,743
(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:
[attachimg=#11]
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:
[attachimg=#1]
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.
[attachimg=#2] [attachimg=#3]
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.
[attachimg=#4] [attachimg=#5]
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.
[attachimg=#6]
I then resawed the pieces down to a thickness of 8 mm.
[attachimg=#7]
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) .
[attachimg=#8]
The result was perfect, so I felt ready to tackle to walnut. First I cut accurate squares using a track saw:
[attachimg=#9]
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) :
[attachimg=#10]
Again, the results were perfect, 12 cuts and not one mistake.
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:
[attachimg=#11]
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:
[attachimg=#1]
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.
[attachimg=#2] [attachimg=#3]
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.
[attachimg=#4] [attachimg=#5]
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.
[attachimg=#6]
I then resawed the pieces down to a thickness of 8 mm.
[attachimg=#7]
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) .
[attachimg=#8]
The result was perfect, so I felt ready to tackle to walnut. First I cut accurate squares using a track saw:
[attachimg=#9]
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) :
[attachimg=#10]
Again, the results were perfect, 12 cuts and not one mistake.