The Mayday Games Blog

If you're out of ideas for your family gathering — or if you're stuck in your home due to weather, boredom, or illness — play a game of crokinole! A high-quality crokinole board may cost over $100, but the good news is that crokinole board DIY is relatively easy.

Crokinole Board DIY Basics

To build a crokinole board correctly, you need to understand how the game is played and have a good working knowledge of the purpose of each piece involved. Consider the mini-guide below as a refresher course:

The Basics of the Game

Crokinole is considered a "flicking" game in which you flick smooth discs across a waxed, low-friction circular board. You won't be able to move out of your seat during the game. Here are a few more guidelines you'll need to remember for your crokinole board DIY project:

• There are three concentric circles and a center hole on the round board that's surrounded by eight pegs.
• Each segment between the circle boundary lines is given a number of points: 5 for the outer segment, 10 for the next, and 15 for the innermost one. The hole is worth 20 points. 
• The player who accumulates 100 points first wins.

The Pieces and the Board

The discs are also referred to as "biscuits" or "crokinole men". To make discs you can play the game with, remember that there should be at least two different colors. This is to help you differentiate between your discs and the opposing player's.

It's possible to find a cheap board online, but if you're truly committed to the game, you'll want a handmade, solid-wood item to help the discs slide across the board during play. DIY is a great option here. High-quality handmade boards can be quite expensive.

Gather Your Materials

You know that the game of crokinole depends on the discs sliding over a surface that's as friction-free as possible — but how can you replicate this at home? Learn more about the best wood, the correct dimensions, and a few design tips to create the best homemade crokinole board possible.

The Best Wood for Crokinole Board DIY Sets

Building a crokinole board depends on the quality of the wood you choose. While wood itself won't create a frictionless surface, you'll be able to polish it and apply a coat of spray carnauba wax (like the type you use on cars) to ensure high quality.

The Best Options for Discs

To play the game of crokinole correctly, you'll need to buy or create 24 small, coin-shaped wooden discs. Feel free to choose whichever colors are your favorites (or purchase a multicolored set)! It's best to choose wood and resist the urge to use small pieces of plastic or balls.

Crokinole discs are typically made from hardwood like maple. Remember, you'll be flicking these discs into other discs and sometimes into the "ditch", or the gutter area, on the sides of the board. These little pieces of wood need to be able to stand strong, and not splinter or dent, under pressure. Make sure you sand down each new biscuit and coat it with a special glossy spray to ensure that they slide across the board with ease.

Create Your Board

In general, your board should measure around 30 inches, or 76.2 centimeters, in diameter. The playing surface for this size of this board is slightly smaller than this at around 66 centimeters. Follow these easy steps to start your crokinole board DIY project:

1. Use a solid, octagonal piece of wood to create the base of your board.
2. Create a circular play area of the dimensions of your choosing (see the advice below for tournament boards vs traditional boards).
3. Drill the center hole carefully.
4. Draw concentric circles to create each point zone.
5. Set up the pegs around the center hole.
6. Coat the board with high-gloss polyurethane and wax it until it's smooth.
7. Create or buy your crokinole discs.

The design varies from maker to maker, but the crokinole board layout is standard across all games. There are a few crokinole board specifications you should follow if you want your gameplay to go smoothly. Specifically, you should pay close attention to your pegs, discs, and the center hole.

Crokinole Peg Dimensions

Place your eight pegs in a circle around the center hole. They should sit on the first concentric circle. There should be enough space between each peg to allow the disc to pass through and land in the center hole.

Crokinole Disc Dimensions

Crokinole board DIY discs should be small enough to fit in the hole in the middle of the board. Typically, "tournament" discs are around 3.2 centimeters (32 millimeters) in diameter and 0.9 centimeters (9 millimeters) in thickness. You'll get different answers depending on the source you use. Traditional discs are a millimeter or two smaller than tournament-sized discs, while miniature discs are slightly smaller than traditional discs.

There's a debate in the Canadian National Crokinole Association as to whether discs should be completely flat, concave, or convex. Most experts (and champions) don't think this matters. The World Crokinole Champion Brian Cook usually plays with flat discs.

Crokinole Center Hole Size

You don't want to create a gigantic center hole in your crokinole board design, but you do want each disc to be able to fit comfortably in it when flicked across the board. A large enough size will ensure easy removal of the disc as well. Ideally, your center hole will measure around 3.5 centimeters across.

Snag Some More Crokinole Board DIY Products

Creating your own crokinole board can be a fun adventure for those who enjoy woodworking — and saving money! This option also allows you to create an heirloom that you can pass down through generations.

If you have questions about the game of crokinole or you need help sourcing products such as a set of rubber screws, a can of premium gliss powder, or a crokinole board carrying case, we've got you covered! Take a look at our products to complement your crokinole board DIY and expand your traditional gaming journey today.