How to Make a Washer Horseshoe Game
The game of washer horseshoes is a traditional American tossing game that has a little twist. Instead of using old horseshoes and throwing them at a stake in the ground, the washers game uses large washers that are thrown into a pit or a box. Each player throws his washers toward the pipe, trying to get the washers to loop over it. A player usually gets 5 points for getting their washer over the pipe and 1 point for having the washer closest to the pipe, if no one else makes it over. The first player or team to get to a specified point number wins. When making your own washers game, building a square box is the easiest method. An additional benefit of the box method is that the game is portable, and you can play wherever you go. Building your own washers game should take under two hours to complete
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Things You'll Need
- 4, 2 x 4 pieces of wood (12 inches long)
- Piece of plywood, 1 square foot
- Wood nails
- Hammer
- Piece of carpet, 1 square foot
- 4-inch long piece of tubing (wood, plastic or metal), < 1 inch in diameter
- Marker
- Scissors
- Strong glue
- 8 metal washers (2.5 inches in diameter with a 1-inch center hole)
Instructions
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1
Lay two of the 2 x 4s together at their ends to form the ninety degree angle that will make up one corner of a square. Nail these pieces together using two wood nails. Repeat this process with the other 2 x 4s.
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2
Lay your 2 x 4 structures together, forming a square. Nail the square together at the two unattached corners, using two wood nails for each corner.
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3
Place your piece of plywood flush on top of your square structure, matching all the corners. Nail it down with one nail at each corner, and turn it right-side-up when you're finished.
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4
Place your piece of pipe straight up and down in the center of your piece of carpet, perpendicular to the carpet. Using the marker, trace the diameter of the pipe onto the carpet, and the cut out the hole using your scissors. The diameter of the tubing should be less than 1 inch so that the washers can fit over it when they are tossed.
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5
Cover one end of the pipe with a thick circle of strong glue, and immediately press the wet end down onto the inside center of your box. Hold the pipe firmly in place for about 30 seconds, or for longer if your glue bottle specifies a longer drying time.
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6
Pour a few lines of glue around the inside-bottom of the box, making sure to cover the area, but not soak it. Think of this step as squeezing mustard onto a sandwich.
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7
Place the carpet into the bottom of the box, taking care to put the pipe through the hole, and press the carpet down firmly onto the glue.
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8
Wait about 1 hour for the entire structure to dry. You are now ready to play a game of horseshoes using the structure you just built along with your set of washers.
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Tips & Warnings
Washers need to be colored or marked to tell what player or team has thrown them.
Follow the directions on your glue bottle exactly
References
- Photo Credit washers image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
