Marble Game Board
I’ve been wanting to create a game board for a while but wasn’t sure where to begin. After making a fun little puzzler—a cube in a cube—a while back, I decided to try something different that I could enjoy with my kids. So, I landed on the idea of a marble game board. Why marbles? Well, because it’s classic and fun for all ages!
For this project, I used an old marble game board as a template. To carve out the holes, I grabbed my plunge router with a guide bushing and a 3/8″ Core Box router bit. Sure, a large drill press would have worked too, but the router gave me precision and control. This simple but rewarding project is not only a great woodworking challenge but also a fantastic way to bring family together around the table for a bit of friendly competition.
Also check out “my attempt” at putting a video together on how to make this. If you make one of these be sure to post it over on the WoodLogger Facebook Page. I’d love to see how yours turns out.
Materials
Not a lot for this one. I actually had a scrap board that was edge glued up. If I was making one from scratch I would have used simple pine and cut it to length and edge glue it up.
- (1) 3/4″ x 6″ x 6′ Pine Board (cut down and edge glued to width)
Milling & Assembly
 | For the board I used a plunge router with a 3/8″ core box router bit. I used a guide bushing attached to my router base plate. |
 | For the lumber I was able to use a scrap piece of edge glued board. I used 3/4″ thick board as that is what I had. I think 1/2″ would have been a good fit for this as well. |
 | I used my plunge router with my template and make quick work of all the holes needed for my game board. I set my depth to approx. 1/4″ in-depth |
 | After all of my holes were completed on my board, I sanded my game board using a 100 and 150 grit sand paper. |
 | Here is the completed board. The whole project took only about 1-2 hours to complete. |
Finishing
To finish this, I sanded the board down using 100, and 150 grit paper. Then I sprayed it with a basic lacquer. I’ll also paint this with some basic colors that match up to the marble colors. This should give the board more character and add to the enjoyment of the game.
Where can we purchase the game template.
I actually used an old Aggravation board game we had. It worked great as a template.
WHERE CAN WE PURCHASE THE TEMPLATE THAT GOES WITH THE MARBLE GAME BOARD. THANKS
KIMMY KUHN
This template was an old aggravation game that I flipped over. I think you can probably find one at Amazon.
What size was the guide you used?
i have a marble i bet you can make this Linda Jones on facebook
The el cheapo cardboard game like Daris used makes a great template. Most are about 15″ by 15″. Also do the same for chinese checkers – just by a cheap cardboard one for your template.To make a 4-player version of Wahoo, a very simple method is to draw a 1″ by 1″ grid on the board and just make your holes at the correct intersections of the grid.
I have seen a few things I would like to try my hand at. My dad and his dad were wood workers, along with many of his brothers and sisters. There are 5 scribblings in our immediate family, With 3 of us liking to do this, I will give them your address and let them check you out for projects. Thanks. Dr. Hope Nd, ;Lmt, and Rpm1.
I would like to know where I could purchase on of these boards, we have played this game since I was very young and our cardboard board is wearing thin. Any information would be much appreciated, Live in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
I have actually seen quite a few of these on amazon. Here is one that is similar: https://amzn.to/2tz3W08
What size guide bushing did you use as the bit is 3/8 the same size as the holes in the aggravation board but the bushing has to be bigger than the bit so how did you get the guide to fit the holes
My wife likes the looks of this marble game board that we have friends with whom we could play. But I need to know the rules and how to play the game on this board.
Where can I purchase a template from I see a lot of other people are asking but there was no answer
For this I used an old aggravation board as a template. You can find them anywhere. Here is a link to amazon where you can pick one up. https://amzn.to/3DzHZSh