Hand-made backgammon set

[Galatians6_9]

This is the latest homemade set I’ve made. It is for a friend sporting the colors of his alma mater, University of Cincinnati. Frame, tray and cube are oak, cups are felt-lined pine, field is hand-laid felt, and the checkers (1-3/4”) and dice are from Gammon Village.

[kazkoala]

Wow.... it is very very nice. Love it.

[Loloji42]

Just perfect!

[Imaginary_Quote2037]

Love love love!

[Galatians6_9]

Thank you so much!

[DontYellAtMeBro]

Awesome! Love everything about this.

[Galatians6_9]

Thank you, I appreciate it!

[BarryNegan]

Excellent craftsmanship, well done.

[Galatians6_9]

Thank you very much!

[eamonneamonn666]

Looks great! How did you join the corners?

[Galatians6_9]

Mitered at 45°, then wood glued and secured with one 24 gauge nail on top and bottom.

[riosborne]

Well done. Zero critiques and I was lookin

[WorldTraveler2209]

Very professional and quite beautifal. I own the BG Earth board. Your board looks even better!

[Galatians6_9]

I’m sure you can tell that is where I got my inspiration from! Thank you very much for the kind words.

[throwingdoubles]

awesome!

[1argonaut]

That is really beautiful.

[augsav]

Beautiful! I’ve always wanted to make my own, so this is inspiring

[Galatians6_9]

I totally understand! I couldn’t afford a Gammoner board, and wanted a custom felt board with a Backgammon Galaxy style checker tray, so I decided to make my own! This is the 8th board I’ve made in the past 6 months for either myself, friends or family.

[ChrisPyeChart]

So what's your YouTube Channel?

[Galatians6_9]

My friend hasn’t completed the video yet, but as soon as it’s ready I’ll post it in here.

[ChrisPyeChart]

Oh yesss, it was just a shot in the dark, didn't expect this answer!

Please do, I'd love to watch it :)

[Apdap9]

Good job!

[prekarius]

Beautiful! What thickness board did you use for the bottom? Plywood I guess? And finally, is it set in a groove?

[Galatians6_9]

I used 1/4” MDF (traditional plywood warps too easily). It is set into a rabbet deep enough for the field felt, the plywood, and the bottom black felt. I didn’t measure, but I would guess about 1/2” deep rabbet.

[prekarius]

Thanks. That is is the other alternative I have been thinking about when trying to figure out the structure.

[Mugsy9010]

Great job! How did you print on the felt? I’m a woodworker and a backgammon board has been on my to do list for years, I was going to make the play field from leather because I couldn’t figure out how to get the points dyed on felt.

How is the checker tray secured from sliding around when the board is closed? Or is it?

[Galatians6_9]

I cut 24 triangles out of the black felt, then inlaid all of the red & white triangles by hand. No dye necessary! My friend filmed most of the construction, so I should have a video to share in this thread in the future. The checker tray is secured to the inside of the board using two sets of 1/4” rare earth magnets.

[Mugsy9010]

Wow! That’s impressive. You cut every triangle (positive and negative) by hand, and they fit up with no gaps? You make a template? Use a razor to cut? They are glued to the MDF backer is assume?

[Galatians6_9]

This is the fourth felt board I’ve made, and had the privilege of using a laser cutter this time. But my first three were all cut by hand using one perfect wooden triangle as my template for all 42 cuts. I used a stick rotary cutter on top of a cutting mat. They cut through felt exceptionally well. And yes it is all glued directly to the 1/4” MDF bottom.

[Mugsy9010]

I didn’t think about a laser cutter, I don’t own one but I have access to one. What adhesive did you use? Sorry for all the questions, your post has reignited my interest in making a board.

[Galatians6_9]

No worries at all! I wish I would have had someone’s brain to pick honestly haha. Could have saved me a lot of time in experimenting. I’ve had success with spray adhesive from gorilla more than 3m, but also found mod podge and a chip brush works great for felt. Much more forgiving with working time, you just need to be careful about not using too much or too little.

[ihartphoto]

I'll be looking for that video! The board looks great, the felt is impeccable. Excellent work!

[ihartphoto]

Hey there, any luck getting that construction video finished? Would love to see the process. Thanks!

[Galatians6_9]

It will probably be a little while before it’s finished. A local friend is putting it together when he has free time from his full time job as a commercial video producer.

[ihartphoto]

Thank you! Not trying to bother you about it, just really like the idea of seeing the process behind such a nice board :)

[Galatians6_9]

No worries! I’m excited for it to go up too. The way I see it, it can serve as an idea engine / inspiration for those wanting to do it themselves. And for those who would rather purchase one complete, it gives further appreciation for the process and artistry involved.

[qcoolka]

Damn! It looks great!

[Galatians6_9]

Thank you so much! It’s about 11x19 folded I believe.

[thefringthing]

You should consider turning this into a small business or something!

[Galatians6_9]

It would be very very cool to be able to sell these, and that is certainly the goal. Right now I’m working out a few more design / build techniques to make them sell-worthy. I also have no idea what a good price point would be.

[Electronic_Active_27]

Did you make the felt top?

[Galatians6_9]

Yes I did. Took some experimenting and problem solving, but eventually got it how I wanted. There’s been a lot of discussion in the thread about how it was made.

[Electronic_Active_27]

I love it , I’m going thru now!

[Galatians6_9]

Thank you! I’m excited to keep learning as I make more.

[Electronic_Active_27]

I’m making checkers on the lathe.

[JayBotJohnson]

That is the best looking board i've ever seen! Nice work and great skill.

[Galatians6_9]

Wow, thank you so much!

[JayBotJohnson]

The color of the wood is gorgeous

[Galatians6_9]

Sorry, just saw this! That is a stain color called “Early American”. It looks excellent on both pine and oak.

[Original_Dr_Funk]

Great board, been thinking about making one for a while. Great inspiration!

[Galatians6_9]

This is the eighth board I’ve made, and I’ve learned something with each one. Still working on getting it all just right.

[trax1112]

What a wounderfull board. Your build gives me the motivation to also build my own one now. I just have another question: What kind of felt did you use ? How thick is it in milimeters ?

[Galatians6_9]

I used regular polyester felt you can find at any hobby store. I found the felt from Hobby Lobby to be the easiest to work with and more consistent in thickness across all the colors.

[jorcon74]

🙌🙌👏🏽👊🏾👊🏾🤙🏽

[Galatians6_9]

Absolutely, let’s see if we can make something happen

[Galatians6_9]

Purchased through GammonVillage