Last summer/fall some Laurie, Jess and I started a project to build 4 sets of nested 1/2 weight corn hole boards. We were inspired by a cornhole board set we had seen recently and came up with a design that would take up less space and not weigh as much as a standard set built with 3/4″ plywood and 2x4s.
Using 1/2″ plywood and some 1×3 pieces of wood we built a set that contained 1 inner and 1 outer board that would nest together with a handle to carry them. The cornhole bags could then be stored in between the boards. The playing surface of the boards is the standard 24″x48″
The ‘outer’ board has the 1×3 border going all the way around the outside. On one side, a wide hole is cut in the middle of the 1×3 to pass a rope handle through. This hole weakens the board a bit, so we added another strip of 1×3 just inside the bag hole to provide some more strength seen below in the middle and right boards.
The inner board has the 1×3 offset inside the edge so that it can fit inside of the outer board. The top and bottom of the board have the 1×3 offset by just 3/4″. The sides of the board have the 1×3 offset with enough space for the legs of the boards to fit in between. When the boards are nested the holes & legs should be at opposite ends. That way there is just enough space for 1 width of legs between the inner and outer boards when nested.
Beyond the actual construction of the boards we had a lot of fun painting them with our own designs.
On top of the paint – we use a clear glossy polyurethane to give it a nice finish and protect it.
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