Merry Christmas for 2019

My Christmas gift projects.  Making Cribbage boards.

Like every guy that getting up there, you have to make a few DIY Christmas gifts.

This wasn't my first attempt at cribbage board making. I made one back in 2013 using a downed birch tree limb, a graph paper template and a 1/8" twist drill with a tape flag drill stop in a hand drill. I will call that one Prototype No. 001 although it was probably better suited to be used as firewood.

Buying the Rockler Small Cribbage Board Templates, 3-Player, Curved Track
 with self-centering drill bit allowed me to use a few hand tools. No drill press required! 

To keep costs down while learning to make a usable cribbage board I bought common 1x6 pine board from the local lumber supply. (16 feet of pine at <$14 was more wallet friendly than hardwood) So I'll either get inexpensive cribbage boards for Christmas gifts or expensive kindling for the woodstove.

I then travelled down the path of the Old Fogey. Retiring into the man cave with the sign on the door "Do Not Open 'Til Xmas!" 

My first attempt (Prototype No. 002) was the ambitious swing-away cribbage board with the pegs and cards stored in a second board underneath. Rockler kindly provides a downloadable instructions in a PDF. ( I did not using ANY of the recommended hardwood$ listed in the instructions!)

I made this a two person game board by only drilling two of the three tracks on the template.  The pegs and cards storage space was drilled out of the second board with a small Forstner bit, then using a jig saw to cut between the holes until the waste material drops out,  I then glued a 15" x 5.5" piece of thin plywood to the underside of the storage board. Cut pieces of green felt to fit into the storage space. Final assembly was to drill a pilot hole for a 1.5" flat head screw in the two boards and fasten to allow the top board to pivot.

My second and third attempts (No. 003 & No. 004) were both single boards of 18" x 5.5" x 0.75" dimensions.  

( In the fore ground second board is completed, while the third board is still being worked on.)

Peg storage is in a 5/8" wide by 1/2" deep slot cut in the top of the board.

Magnets glued into the slot holds the pegs made from heads of  finishing nails, painted in three colors using dollar store nail polish. Youtuber Crafted by Christoper shows you how.

I applied oil based polyurethane 3 times to the wood, wipe, let dry and buff between each coat. 

Add four self stick felt pads to the underside, scrawl the date and my signature. Done!

Add a new deck of cards and my DIY Christmas gifts are ready to be wrapped and put under the tree (or in the wood stove...)