With everyone cooped up inside during the summer of 2020, I decided an outdoor activity was needed. Anything that involved running or heavy lifting was not going to fly. Something simple, relaxing and easy to set up and take down. Cornhole seemed to be the answer.
When I decided to build these, my shop was far from functional and so I started with 2′ x 4′ x 3/4″ plywood boards that were pre-cut at the big box store. This saved me from trying to maneuver a full or even half sheet of plywood on my old contractor saw. Something that made me uncomfortable at that time. I also did not own a circular saw, so pre-cut lumber saved me all those headaches.
Most plans called for 2×4 frame construction, but I went with a 1″x6″ FJ pine for the frame and pocket screwed it together. This time my daughters got to try their hand at pocket screws as each of them had a cornhole board to focus on. It is pretty quick to assemble. We added some additional stretchers on the underside, from side to side, to stiffen up the board, and make up for the smaller dimension lumber of the frame, while still keeping the weight down. The hole was cut with a jig saw after making a small starter hole with a drill. In hindsight I should have used a router and a circle jig but I didn’t really even think of it at the time. In the end, with some sanding, it worked out fine.
We made the legs from the same FJ pine, adjusting the length to get the proper height for the back end of the boards. Then it was time for paint. A two-tone paint scheme was agreed upon and after much discussion (and the only choices of paint already in the house) a combination of light purple and soft yellow won out. I ordered the actual bags online, I was not prepared to start sewing them up myself. After the paint dried, they got a sprayed-on coat of clear finish and then it was time to play.
Sawdusting 