Build Your Own Cornhole Boards: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating cornhole boards at home is a fun and rather easy DIY hobby. The process of creating a cornhole board includes cutting wood, assembling the frame, joining the to, cutting the signature hole, and installing foldable legs. Creating cornhole boards at home is a fun and rather easy DIY hobby. The process of creating a cornhole board includes cutting wood, assembling the frame, joining the to, cutting the signature hole, and installing foldable legs.

In this article, we will cover all the necessary steps for creating your own personalized cornhole set for outdoor fun with just a few simple tools and materials that are easily accessible.

What Are Cornhole Boards?

The fundamental components of the well-liked outdoor game of cornhole are cornhole boards, which are used as the targets for bean bag tossing by participants. To guarantee a constant playing surface, these rectangular platforms are expertly designed. They are usually two feet wide and four feet long, and they are made of smooth plywood.

Each board is distinguished by a precisely round, six-inch-diameter hole that is placed twelve inches inward from both sides and positioned nine inches down from the top edge. Foldable legs are fastened to one end of the board to provide the required slope for games, raising the rear edge to about twelve inches off the ground while keeping the front edge closer to the ground.

The smooth surface (usually painted or stained) of the cornhole board allows bean bags to slide when they strike, adding to the game's strategic features.

Required Materials For Making A Cornhole Board

Here is the list of materials required for making your own cornhole board at home:

A) Wood Required

First thing you’ll require is a wood- 2 pieces of thick plywood with ½ inch thickness. Each playing surface will be of dimensions 24 inches by 48 inches. For frames and legs use four 2x4 boards each 8 feet long

Fasteners/ Attachments REQUIRED

• For fasteners or attachment, you’ll require the following things:
• For fastening the plywood to the frame, you’ll require approx. 20-28 1 ½ inch wood screws.
• For assembling the frame, you’ll need 2- ½ inch or 3 inch wood screws of approx. ½ lb. box
• For fastening the legs you’ll require 4 -3/8 inch and 4 inch carriage bolts
• Each bolt requires four 3/8-inch washers, for a total of 16.
• Each bolt requires four 3/8-inch nuts, for a total of 16.
• For simpler leg folding, four 3/8-inch wingnuts are optional.

B) Tools Required

Here is the list of tools you will need when making your cornhole board:

• Saw of your choice, whether its circular saw, miter saw or hand saw
• Drill and drill bits of various sizes like 3/8-inch bit and a 6-inch hole saw, or a smaller bit to begin a jigsaw cut.
• If you are not using a hole saw for cutting holes, then choose a jigsaw.
• Measuring tape
• Marker or pencil
• Carpenter's straightedge or square
• Clamps – 2 of 12 inch long
• Compass
• Sanding block/ sandpaper
• Wrench

C) Finishing

Here is the list of some items you’ll need for finishing job:

• Wood filler
• Primer
• Exterior grade paint or stain
• Exterior-grade polyurethane or varnish
• Rollers or paint brushes.

Steps To Build Your Cornhole Board

Let’s get started:

Step 1: Cut The Wood

The first step in making your cornhole board includes accurately cutting the required wooden parts.

A. Wood: If you didn't purchase pre-cut pieces for your playing surfaces, you will be required to carefully measure and cut your 4' x 8' sheet of 1/2-inch thick plywood in two equal rectangles that are 24 inches wide and 48 inches long. Ensure that the cuts are accurate, as these cuts are essential for the standard size and appearance of your board.

B. Frames: The next step in cutting the wood is to cut frames that provide support to each board. Take your 2x4 wood and cut them into –

• 2 pieces that are 48 inches long.
• 2 pieces that are 21 inches long. These are for the frame's shorter ends.

C. Legs: You will need to cut four pieces of 2x4 timber, each measuring 11 1/2 inches in length, for the folding legs that give the board its slant.

For a high-quality set of cornhole boards, it is an essential to ensure clean and straight cuts of all the wooden pieces.

Step 2: Assemble The Frames

After cutting all the essential parts of your cornhole boards, the next step is to assemble all these parts and make a supporting structure. Each board should be arranged in a way that creates a rectangular frame. For that, you'll take 2 x 48-inch long pieces and 2 x 21-inch short pieces. The 21-inch sections must be placed into the two 48-inch pieces at the ends to provide a flat outside border on which the plywood top will eventually lie.

To secure these frame parts together, it's strongly advised to use wood glue on all the surfaces where the wood will come into contact. This helps in enhancing the frame's strength and durability.

After applying the glue and ensuring that the corners are aligned and perfectly square, you will use 2 1/2 inch or 3-inch wood screws to join the parts together from each corner by using a carpenter's straightedge or square as a guide. Pre-drilling pilot holes and driving the screws straight can help keep the wood from breaking.

Then repeat this whole process to make another similar frame and make sure that both are square and strong enough to hold the playing surface.

Step 3: Attach The Plywood Tops

Now that all the frameworks are completed and it offer a strong and stable rectangular base, the next important step is to attach the plywood playing surfaces. Take one of the neatly cut 24-inch by 48-inch plywood pieces and securely place it on top of one of the wooden frames that was assembled earlier. Ensure to align the plywood edges similarly to the frame's outer edge.

Once the frames are aligned perfectly, start securing the plywood to the frame by applying 1 1/2 inch wood screws. To keep the plywood in place, place screws into each of the 4 corners. Then, to guarantee a stable and precise attachment, keep driving screws in approximately. every 6 to 8 inches around the frame's whole perimeter

Repeat this process for the second plywood part and the second frame, which gives two solid and flat playing surfaces that are properly attached to their respective supports.

Step 4: Cut The Corhole

After carefully attaching the plywood tops to the frames, the next crucial step is to construct the signature cornhole. To find the center of the 6-inch diameter hole on one of the plywood-coated boards, measure 9 inches down from the top edge. Then, find the horizontal midpoint of the 24-inch-wide board, which will be 12 inches from either side edge. Mark this intersection clearly, as it will be the exact center of your hole.

Now, draw a full circle of radius 3 inches with the help of a compass at the center of the mark you just made. Then drill a hole in this drawn circle close to its edge. This opening will enable you to insert your jigsaw blade.

After cutting the hole, smooth the inner edges of the hole using sandpaper or a sanding block. This helps in eliminating any splinters or rough spots.

Repeat the whole process on the second cornhole board and make sure the hole is positioned precisely in the same spot for uniformity.

Step 5: Shape and Attach The Legs

After cutting your cornhole board, the next step involves shaping and attaching the legs. You'll need to prepare four 11 1/2-inch leg pieces so they can pivot smoothly. To allow for free rotation, round one end of each leg; a common method is to mark a point approximately 1 3/4 inches from both the end and one side edge, then use a compass to draw a curve connecting the side to the end, passing through or near this mark.

Once all four leg ends are rounded, drill a 3/8-inch hole for the carriage bolt at a point about 1 3/4 inches from the rounded end and 1 3/4 inches from the side. For attaching the legs, turn one of your finished cornhole boards upside down.

Place a shaped leg in one of the corners near the board's hole end, ensuring the rounded end faces inward towards the center of the board. Insert a 3/8-inch x 4-inch carriage bolt with a washer through the pre-drilled hole in the leg and into the side of the wooden frame. For easy folding, add another washer and secure it with a 3/8-inch nut on the interior of the frame, then slightly tighten the nut so the leg is held securely but can still swing freely up and down.

Repeat the same process for the next three legs, placing one in each of the other three corners close to the hole end of the board. Lastly, ensure that the top surface of the board, close to the hole, is about 12 inches from the ground when the legs are folded out, which is the standard height for games.

Step 6: Finishing

Finishing is the final step in creating your cornhole boards, which is greatly recommended to increase the appearance, durability, and playability of a board. This process includes different factors like:

• FILL HOLES: To remove any gaps, imperfections, or any visible screw holes, apply wood filler on the plywood surface and the frame. Based on the manufacturer's instructions, let the filler dry completely before sanding the filled areas to get a smooth surface that matches the rest of the wood.
• SAND: Properly sand the tops, frames, and legs of the cornhole boards. For a smooth finish, begin using a coarser grit sandpaper and then increase to finer grits. If there is any dust, wipe away using a clean cloth.
• PRIMER: After sanding or cleaning the surface, apply one or two coats of exterior-grade primers to the board's wooden surfaces. Let the coating dry completely before applying the next layer of primer.
• PAINT OR STAIN: Apply as many layers of exterior-grade paint or stain to the boards. You can do multiple things to enhance the beauty of a board, including selecting solid colors, creating your own patterns or design, or you may simply staining the wood.
• VARNISH/POLYURETHANE: Once the paint or stain is completely dry, apply multiple coats of exterior-grade semi-gloss varnish or polyurethane to the frame and the surface. This semi-gloss finish helps the bags slide properly. For a smoother and longer-lasting surface, gently sand with extremely fine-grit sandpaper in between varnish or polyurethane layers. This helps in protecting the wood from harsh weather and corrosion.

You can build a sturdy, standard-sized set of cornhole boards for exciting games by simply following the steps mentioned above. Make sure to stress precise measurements and careful assembly, and don't rush anything.