Setting up a cornhole game is labor-intensive if you make everything from scratch. This DIY guide will break down the process into easy-to-follow steps and help you make the perfect game board according to cornhole rules.
To build a DIY cornhole set, you must make a cornhole board, cornhole bags, and pitcher’s boxes. This article will give you detailed step-by-step instructions for each. So keep reading!
#1: DIY Cornhole Boards
First, we’ll look at how to make DIY cornhole boards. They’re the most labor-intensive DIY, so you should do them at the beginning.
To make a cornhole board at home, you need to be familiar with the basics of woodworking and must know your way around some tools. Beyond that, the process is quite simple.
Materials
When buying wooden materials, especially plywood, keep the thickness uniform. This will make it a lot easier to construct the built form. Ideally, you should be using 2-inch thick wood.
This width will allow you to create a sturdy but lightweight cornhole board. You’ll be able to move it around as necessary without it being flimsy and falling apart.
Here is all the wood you need to buy:
- Two 24-inch x 48-inch pieces of plywood
- Four 48-inch x 4-inch plywood boards
- Four 21-inch x 4-inch plywood boards
- Four 12-inch x 4-inch long plywood sticks
Other materials you’ll need include:
- Desk screws
- Wing nuts
- Washers
- Carriage bolts
- Wood putty
- Wood glue
- Exterior grade paint
- Primer
The tools you’ll need include:
- Jigsaw
- Circular saw
- Compass
- Drill bit with Phillips-head screw bit
- Clamps
- Marker
- Measuring tape
- Paint roller
The Process
You need two opposite cornhole boxes so repeat every step twice.
Step 1: Make the main cornhole box
Use the two 24-inch long and the two 48-inch long pieces of plywood to make the main frame. Join them using screws, and then place your big 24 x 48 plywood plank on top of it. Secure it using more screws.
Attach two legs (12-inch x 4-inch sticks) to one side of the box to elevate it. Use the appropriate tools to do this.
Repeat the entire step to make the second cornhole board.
Make cornhole board plans if that will help you with this step.
Step 2: Cut out holes in the game boards
The second step is making the holes in your cornhole board.
Use a marker to mark 9 inches from the top of one board (the side with the legs). Then use your compass to make a 6-inch diameter circle.
Drill a hole, and then cut the wood using your jigsaw blade. Then sand out the edges of the hole to make it nice and smooth.
Do the same for the second board as well.
Step 3: Make your board neat
Next, make your boards neat. Use sandpaper and go over each side of your board. Putty all the screw holes and sand them over too.
It’s super important that your playing surface is completely smooth.
Even the slightest unevenness can interfere with a game of cornhole. If a cornhole bag hits a loose screw, it can tear and get damaged.
Step 4: Add 5 to 10 coats of finishing
Choose between polycrylic or polyurethane finishing and apply 5 to 10 coats of it on every side of your cornhole boards. Don’t forget to coat the legs and sides.
Start this step early in the day so you can get through it quickly. If not, you’ll have to split the task over two days or stay up late to finish it.
Each coat of finishing needs a few hours of drying time. You can only use ventilation like fans after 20 minutes; otherwise, you’ll create air bubbles.
Remember to sand down the boards before applying the last coat of finishing.
Step 5: Decorate your custom cornhole board
Once the last coat of finishing dries, you can paint over it in whatever shape, color, and design you want.
According to ACO rules, you must use a varnish or high gloss latex paint. The surface must be smooth enough to allow bags to slide when tossed on it. However, it can’t be too slippery because the bags will keep sliding down the platform whenever they land.
Just keep that in mind.
#2: DIY cornhole bags
The second component of a cornhole set is the bags.
Materials
Here’s what you need to make cornhole bags:
- Duck cloth
- Filling (corn or resin)
- Pen
- Polyester thread (V46 or V69)
- Scissors
- Sewing needle
The Process
Step 1: Cut out cloth pieces
Take your duck cloth and mark out four 13.5-inch x 7-inch rectangles with a pen. Together, they’ll make a 27-inch x 14-inch rectangle. Cut up these shapes to get four pieces of cloth.
Step 2: Attach the cloth pieces
Take two rectangles and draw lines .5 inches from the edges of each. Place them on top of each other and stitch along three lines using your thread and needle. Partially stitch the last fourth side. Leave a little pocket in the middle.
Step 3: Fill your bag
Invert your bag and fill it with corn or resin pellets through the little pocket. Once you’re done, fold the fabric in by the seam and stitch it up.
Your end product should be 6 inches x 6 inches.
#3: Pitcher’s Boxes
The last component in a cornhole set is the cornhole teams’ pitcher’s boxes. These can only be set up in the actual cornhole field.
You need chalk or some other marker that will be visible on the ground you’re playing on.
Mark out two 4 ft x 3 ft boxes along the length of the cornhole boards on either side.
Each cornhole team stands in these boxes.
