Drag an orange dot to resize; a dashed line shows when it snaps to a common size. Click a dot, then use the arrow keys to nudge 1/8″ (hold Shift for 1″). Every size can also be typed in the panel.
Checks
- Cedar: use stainless screws. Plain steel reacts with cedar and leaves black streaks around every screw.
- Regulation play: boards 27′ apart front edge to front edge (21′ for younger or casual players), bags 6″ × 6″, about 1 lb each.
- Each board weighs about 19 lb.
- Tailgate boards are a travel size, not regulation. The hole stays 6″, 9″ from the top edge.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2×4 cedar, 10′ (board) | $32.00 |
| 1 | 2×4 cedar, 8′ (board) | $12.80 |
| 1 | 1/2″ exterior plywood (sanded, BC), 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $48.00 |
| 4 | 3/8″ × 4″ galvanized carriage bolt, nylon lock nut and 3 washers (pivot) (each) | $8.00 |
| 1 | #10 × 3″ stainless steel deck screws (box of 100) | $22.00 |
| 1 | #8 × 1 1/4″ stainless steel deck screws (box of 100) | $13.00 |
| 1 | Waterproof wood glue (Type I, e.g. Titebond III) (bottle) | $10.00 |
| 1 | Exterior acrylic paint and primer in one (quart) | $22.00 |
| 1 | Water-based exterior clear coat, satin (quart) | $24.00 |
| 1 | Regulation cornhole bags, 2 colours (set of 8) (set) | $30.00 |
About $222 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Top Rip the sheet down the middle. 6″ hole: centre 9″ from the top edge, 12″ from each side. | 2 | 36″ | 23 15/16″ | 1/2″ exterior plywood (sanded, BC) |
| B | Side rail | 4 | 36″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 cedar |
| C | End rail | 4 | 21″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 cedar |
| D | Middle brace | 2 | 21″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 cedar |
| E | Leg Round the top end on a 1 3/4″ radius. | 4 | 10 7/8″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 cedar |
Cut list
1/2″ exterior plywood (sanded, BC), sheet 1 of 1
2×4 cedar, 120″ → B 36″ · B 36″ · B 36″ · E 10 7/8″
2×4 cedar, 120″ → B 36″ · C 21″ · C 21″ · C 21″ · E 10 7/8″
2×4 cedar, 96″ → C 21″ · D 21″ · D 21″ · E 10 7/8″ · E 10 7/8″
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Have the store cut it
Most home centers rip sheets on their panel saw. Show them this; do the short crosscuts at home.
- 1/2″ exterior plywood (sanded, BC): rip into strips 23 15/16″, keep the rest.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw and a straight edge (or have the store cut the sheets)
- Table saw or track saw for ripping
- Jigsaw
- Compass or string and nail
- Drill bit, 3/8″
- Straightedge for ripping plywood
- Sander, 120 and 180 grit
1Before you start
Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.
Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.
Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.
- Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
- Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.
2Cut and label the parts
Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.
To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.
Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part. Cut sheets with the good face down when using a circular saw: the blade splinters the top face.
Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.
Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.
✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.
STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.3Cut the plywood tops
Have the store rip the 4×8 sheet of 1/2″ exterior plywood lengthwise down the middle, or do it yourself with a circular saw and a straightedge clamped as a fence. Each half is 23 15/16″ wide.
Crosscut two 36″ tops from one half; the other half is spare.
Mark the good face (smoothest, fewest patches) on each: it goes up.
✓ Each top measures 36″ × 23 15/16″ and the corners are square (diagonals match).
4Build the frame
For each board, stand two side rails (B) on edge, 23 15/16″ apart outside to outside. Fit an end rail (C) between them at each end, flush with the ends and tops.
Glue and drive 2 3″ stainless screws through the side rail into each end of the end rails, predrilled.
Fit the middle brace (D) between the side rails, 12″ from the front end to its centre, clear of where the hole goes. 2 screws at each end.
- Tip Do this on a flat floor so the frame is not twisted; a twisted board rocks and bags bounce oddly.
✓ Measure the frame corner to corner both ways: within 1/16″. A square frame makes the top line up without trimming.
5Glue and screw on the top
Run a bead of waterproof glue along the top edges of the frame.
Lay the top (A) on, good face up, edges flush all round. Drive 1 1/4″ stainless screws every 6″, 3/8″ in from the edge, into the frame, heads just below the surface.
Fill the screw holes with exterior wood filler; sand flush when dry.
✓ Run a hand round the edges: the top is flush with the frame everywhere, with no step to catch a bag.
6Cut the 6″ hole
Mark the centre of the hole 9″ down from the top (back) edge and 12″ in from each side.
Draw a 6″ circle: a compass set to 3″, or a string and pencil from a nail at the centre.
Drill a 1/2″ starter hole just inside the line, then cut the circle with a jigsaw, staying just inside the line. Sand to the line and round the edge of the hole so bags slide in cleanly.
✓ The hole measures 6″ across in both directions, with its centre 9″ from the top edge.
STOP. Keep your free hand behind the jigsaw, never in front of the blade, and let the blade stop before lifting it out.7Hang the folding legs
Cut each leg (E) 10 7/8″ long and round one end: trace a 3 1/2″ circle (a can works) and cut and sand to it, so the leg can swing.
Inside the frame, drill a 3/8″ hole through each side rail 3 1/2″ from the back end, centred top to bottom, and a matching hole through each leg 1 3/4″ from its rounded end.
Fit the leg inside the rail with a washer between them. Push a 3/8″ × 4″ carriage bolt through from outside, add a washer and a nylon lock nut, and tighten until the leg swings stiffly.
Prop the back of the board 12″ high and swing the leg straight down. If it does not stay plumb, glue a small block to the back rail where the leg touches, so it stops plumb.
✓ With the legs down, the top back edge is 12″ above the ground and the front edge 3 7/8″.
8Paint and seal the playing surface
Sand the top with 120 then 220 grit. Prime and paint with exterior acrylic paint; tape off any stripes or logos.
Seal the top with 3 thin coats of water-based exterior clear coat, sanding lightly with 320 grit between coats. The clear coat gives the right slide and keeps rain out of the plywood edges.
Paint the frame and legs too, and give the plywood edges and the cut edge of the hole two coats: those soak up water first.
Store the boards dry, standing up or under cover. Plywood left lying in wet grass delaminates.
- Tip Oil-based polyurethane turns yellow in sun; water-based clear coats stay clear on painted graphics.
✓ Slide a bag across the top: it slides and slows down evenly, without sticking or skating off.
9Finish
Ease every sharp edge and corner with 120-grit sandpaper so nobody gets a splinter.
Sand all over with 180 grit, always along the grain (the direction the wood fibres run). Scratches across the grain show through stain.
Wipe off the dust with a barely damp rag and let it dry.
Outdoors, use an exterior finish: a penetrating deck oil or exterior stain, or primer and exterior paint. Leave cedar bare to weather silver if you like. If it holds soil for food plants, leave the inside unfinished.
Let it dry for the time on the can before using it.
- Tip Try your finish on a scrap of the same wood first: stain looks different on every board.
Conceptual layout, material estimate and assembly guide from the sizes you entered. Not engineering, not a building plan, not stamped or approved. Confirm measurements on site; follow local codes and product instructions; anchor tall pieces before use. Using this plan means you accept the Terms of Use.