DIY Cornhole
When we decided to start our blog we were overly ambitious and decided that our first project would be making two sets of cornhole boards to use during the summer. Kim had her masters graduation party coming up and we wanted them done by then so we could play them at the party.
WOW! What were we thinking?
This is definitely not a project for beginners or people who don't drink. We happen to be beginners who aren't afraid to drink some beer while using power tools, but don't worry, we did have a wood/ power tool expert with us. We did manage to finish the actual board in one day, with a ton of help from Kim's dad and we were able to bust them out at the party. It took us a second long day to finish the painting and sewing of the second set of bags, and although this project was overly ambitions as a first attempt, we are extremely happy we did them and we couldn't be prouder! We find a reason to bust them out at every gathering and they are always a hit! We even have people wanting to make their own.
*Before we do anything, this would be a good place for a reminder about safety, we are teachers after all. Safety glasses should be worn any time you’re working with a power tool. Make sure you know how to use any tool you pick up. We were lucky that we had an expert on hand to help us with this safety step. Also we learned the hard way that you shouldn't wear flip flops when working with wood. Okay, so only a few splinters and luckily nothing major, but still wear closed toed shoes!
Here is a complete list of all the supplies you should need for a basic cornhole set (this is enough to make 1 set of boards, we just doubled the recipe). We recommend you read through all the instructions first so it’s clear why you need each item before you go shopping just to make sure that you are up for the challenge.
- 1/2″ thick sheet of plywood – one 4’x4′
- 4 1/2″ long 3/8″ diameter carriage bolts (4)
- 2 1/2″ wood screws (1 box)
They’re not all necessary but certainly the more power tools you can round up the easier it will all be. And according to Kim, they are fun to use! Carly was too scared to use them.
- circular saw (alternative: table saw or hand saw)
- mitre saw (alternative: hand saw with a mitre box)
- clamps (optional but very handy)
- power drill and assorted bits (up to a 3/8” bit in size)
- File or sandpaper (coarse, medium, and fine grit or at least medium)
- Arch ruler (Not sure about the technical name, but you can see what we mean in the picture that comes later)
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| Here is a photo of our cut wood (and choice beverages) |
- 21 inches (4) (frame ends)
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| Here is the plywood with the 3x4 clamped on |
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| Drilling the smaller hole before adding the screw |
Tip: Drill your hole first with a drill bit slightly smaller in diameter than your screws. This makes it a little easier putting the screws in and ensures your wood doesn’t split as the screw goes in place. Also make sure to put the correct ends together if you don’t, your frame will have the wrong dimensions!
We used ten or twelve long screws. Your plywood should be a perfectly squared 3’ x 4’ piece of wood, but your frame might have a little distortion to it. You might need to tweak your frame just a little bit to fit the plywood’s shape. You can use your clamps again to make this part easier.
Use a compass or something of the sort to draw a circle six inches in diameter.
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| Kim using the compass |
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| Carly was afraid of the power tools so here is Kim using the saw |
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| Look, it's a circle! |
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| Filing the edges smooth |
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| Carly measuring the arch (with the "arch ruler") |
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| Drill press |
Next we marked the hole for our bolt. Transfer your leg’s midpoint line onto the frame (we laid the leg complete with hole onto the frame and marked where the hole should be). You can also measure the midpoint of the frame’s 3×4, which again should be around 1 ¾”. Do not include the plywood in this measurement, just the 3×4 of the frame! Where these two lines intersect is where you want the bolt to go, right through the center of the frame and leg. We used a 3/8" drill bit to make the hole in the frame.
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| The carriage bolt inserted |
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| Washer and Wing Nut (note the curved end) |
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| Note the angle at the bottom |
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| Here is one board finished! |
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| Test run #1 |
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| Carly V. Grant |
Here’s a list of all the tools we used as well.
The first step to building your cornhole table is to cut your wood. The 3x4s will be cut for our frames and legs. We went to Lowe's to get our wood and they cut it for us! Rocky at Lowe's was awesome and really helped us at this step. Thank you Rocky! For one set (2 cornhole tables) you’ll need boards with the following lengths:
Construct your cornhole table’s wood frame with the 3×4′s and screws. We recommend 2 ½ inch wood screws. We also used a couple of clamps to hold the frame together nice and flush. You’ll want all of your corners and edges to be flush with the other board. Keep in mind that even an apparently straight 3×4 can have a slight bend to it. You may need to torque your boards just a bit to get the last corner together properly. Don’t worry, a little distortion will work itself out.
Now put your plywood surface on the frame and screw it down (pre-drill the holes again).
What kind of cornhole table doesn’t have a hole? Mark the center of the hole – 9″ from the top end of the board and 12″ from either side.
Use the largest drill bit you have to make a good pilot hole for the starting point of your saw just inside the circle.
Now insert the blade of your jig saw into the pilot hole you just made. Cut out the hole as carefully as you can. If you really take your time you can get a pretty decent looking hole. It may not be perfect, but this is a straight-forward way of doing things. You can also cut a hole in your board with a hole saw or a router. Any minor discrepancies can be cleaned up with a file. File in one direction or else you will split your wood.
Next comes the legs of your cornhole board. We agree that this was the trickiest part in the whole process. Kim's dad was invaluable during these steps! The leg has several requirements. It must raise the end of the cornhole table 12 inches off the ground. It must also be sturdy enough to withstand an onslaught of cornhole bags. Your cornhole party will be a big flop if the legs break or fold in every time a bag hits it. To make the legs incredibly stable, we’re going to make sure they extend past the frame a proper amount and make full contact with the ground.
First we’re going to make a few markings on our legs. Estimate where our bolt will pass through the leg by drawing a line halfway from the side of your leg. (Remember, this midpoint will not be at the 2 inch mark since a 2×4 is not actually 2 inches by 4 inches – it will be more like 1 ¾”.) Make another line the same distance from the end of the leg and perpendicular to the first line. These two lines intersect at the point where you will want to pivot your compass (we used the arc ruler instead of a compass). Use a compass to draw a half circle extending out to the edges of the board like shown. Then we used the jig saw to cut the curve of the leg and sanded it down a bit. We ended up having to make some adjustments to our original circle, we aren't sure what went wrong here. We used a drill press to make the hole in the leg.
Once your legs are properly trimmed, assemble your bolts, washers, and wing nuts.
Sliding the carriage bolt through the hole in the frame (you might need to twist it through the hole) you’ll find the square shoulder of the bolt keeps things from becoming nice and flush. Take a hammer and gently tap the carriage bolt into the wood frame until it and the washer are flush with the wood surface.
You can see I’ve created a square hole that the bolt’s shoulder will now fit. The bolt can now sit flush with the board and this also keeps your carriage bolt from turning when you tighten the nut.
Put the bolt, washer, and nut in place but don’t tighten things down quite yet because you may have to do some adjustments when you cut the angles.
Make sure your leg is freely moveable from the playing position to the folded position.
Now angle your mitre saw until it is perfectly in line with the line on your board. If you follow these directions just as they are, you should end up with a cut that is close to 45 degrees. After one quick cut you should be holding the perfect leg! Now do the same for the other leg.
You should probably double check that you’ve cut your legs to the correct length at this point. Put your newly cut legs in place and confirm the height of your boards with a measuring tape. Remember you’ll want the raised end of your cornhole board to measure 12″ off the ground at every point along the back edge. You may have to do some playing around to get the legs to stand evenly, i.e. additional cuts or sanding.
Tada! You’ve done it! Now set up your tables, take a step back and admire your handiwork. You finally have your own set that is guaranteed to withstand hours and hours of flying sacks of corn! Next we’ll talk about painting the cornhole tables and then making the bags.
Until then, Cheers!
The Girls of Gallifrey
