Making a Bean Bag Toss Game
Bean bag toss is a fun outdoor activity. It appeals to people of every age group and can basically be played anywhere outdoors. The game of bean bag toss has many different names, but is played relatively the same everywhere in the United States. The wooden playing boards and cloth bean bags are somewhat easy to make and are inexpensive as well. Much of the material used to make the game can be found in your home or work shed.
Things You'll Need
- 4-foot by 8-foot piece of 1/4-inch plywood
- Yardstick
- Pencil
- Circular saw
- 7-foot piece of 1-inch by 1-inch board
- Compass
- Reciprocating saw
- Wood glue
- C clamps
- Drill
- 1-inch wood screws
- 6-inch fabric squares
- Needle
- Thread
- Funnel
- Beans
Instructions
-
Making Bean Bag Toss Boards
-
1
Measure the piece of plywood with the yardstick and mark the middle of the piece of wood using the pencil. Draw a line down the center of the plywood, dividing the piece into 4-foot by 4-foot halves.
-
2
Cut the plywood in half, using the line as an indicator, with a circular saw.
-
-
3
Draw a line on the now 4-foot by 4-foot pieces of plywood, dividing them in half diagonally. Use the yardstick to measure. Cut along the lines using the circular saw.
-
4
Measure and find the middle of the 1-inch by 1-inch board. Mark with a pencil and cut in half with the circular saw.
-
5
Find the midpoint of the halves of the 1-inch by 1-inch board. Measure 12 inches down from the top of the half using the yardstick, then draw in pencil a circle that is 6 inches in diameter.
-
6
Cut out the circles using the reciprocating saw.
-
7
Make marks 1 inch apart and 1 inch away from the side edge of the pieces of plywood. Start marks 3 inches from the bottom and 3 inches from the top of each board.
-
8
Place the piece of plywood face down on the work surface. Place the pieces of the 1-inch by 1-inch board a 1/2 inch away from the edge of the plywood. Glue them in place using wood glue, then attach the C clamps at the end of each piece to hold them in place.
-
9
Flip the game board over so that it is right side up. Drill in 1-inch wood screws into the marks you made on the side edges as an indicator where to place the screws. Remove the C clamps.
-
10
Turn the game board face down, and place one piece of the diagonally cut wood upright, resting on the top of the game board and the 1-inch by 1-inch board.
-
11
Place the plywood so the longest end is facing the bottom of the game board. One 4-foot edge should lie evenly along the game board, and the other should face the top of the game board.
-
12
Lay the diagonally cut piece flat. Make screw placement marks on the outside of the 4-foot edge beginning 3 inches from the bottom and ending 3 inches from the top of the 4-foot piece. Draw marks 1 inch apart.
-
13
Glue the diagonal piece into place and hold it there by using C clamps at each end.
-
14
Drill 1-inch wood screws into the wood at each screw placement mark. Remove the C clamps. Turn the game board right side up.
Making Bean Bags
-
15
Turn 6-inch squares of fabric face down. Using needle and thread, sew two squares together facing each other so that the bag is inside out. Leave a 2-inch hole to be able to turn the bag right side out after sewn.
-
16
Turn the bags right side out.
-
17
Fill the bean bags with the beans by placing the end of the funnel in the 2-inch opening left while sewing the bags. Fill each bag with 8 to 16 oz. of beans.
-
18
Sew the 2-inch hole closed and double stitch it for durability.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
After constructing the boards, paint or design them to meet your tastes.
Cut different shaped holes, as long as the bean bags can pass through them.
Four inch squares may be used for the bean bags instead of six inch squares.
Wear safety goggles and gloves while operating saws.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
