3D Settlers of Catan Board

This is my first project on instructables. Hopefully some people will like it :). I based this on another project I found here on instructables. I drew these plans in inkscape so that they are now available for a laser printer. 

What you need:
   -  Laser Printer
   -  4mm thick MDF board (I used six boards of 60cm by 30cm as this was the biggest dimension the laser printer could handle). I   couldn't afford it, but a nicer looking wood will ofcourse give nicer results.
   - Optional: 9mm thick MDF board for the cities, villages and pieces to keep the board together
   -  Glue for wood, preferably a strong one.
   - The .svg files for the laser printer. I will provide the files for the corresponding tile in each step. 
   -  A lot of patience :)

Cost:
About ten euros/ dollars worth of wood. If you use scraps and leftovers, it's for free!

Where credit is due:
As I mentioned before, I based this project on a wonderful wood working project I saw on instructables right here: https://www.instructables.com/id/Custom-3D-Settlers-of-Catan-board-from-scrap-plywo/ . You can see his version in the second picture.

Now, let's get started! 


Update 19-7-12:  I'm having trouble uploading the .svg-files but I will make them available as soon as possible! Until then you guys can use the .PDF-files
Update 27-7-12: I uploaded the .svg-files in a .rar file since I didn't manage to upload the unzipped files. Just unrar them and you're good to go!

Step 1: Step 1: Cutting All of the Parts

I've made the version for five or six players. If you prefer the smaller version, you won't need to cut out as many tiles. 

Step 2: Tile I - Clay

For the six player version you'll need five clay tiles, for the four player version you'll need three clay tiles.

First, cut out all the pieces with the laser printer and glue the two hexagons to eachother such that the word 'Clay' is still visible. When the glue has dried up, put a small drop of glue at the bottom of the crains (not too much or the glue will flow over the holes!). Normally, they should fit snuggly in the two holes which are meant to hold them.

If you are using board which isn't 4mm thick, you will need to resize the holes so that they will fit the board.

Repeat this step for every tile of clay you need.

Step 3: Tile II - Grain

For the six player version you'll need six grain tiles, for the four player version you'll need four grain tiles.

The only thing you have to do is cut out all the pieces with the laser printer and glue the two hexagons to eachother.

Repeat this step for every tile of grain you need.

Step 4: Tile III - Wood

For the six player version you'll need six wood tiles, for the four player version you'll need four wood tiles.

First, cut out all the pieces with the laser printer and glue the two hexagons to eachother. When the glue has dried up, put a small drop of glue at the bottom of the trees. Normally, they should fit snuggly in the two holes which are meant to hold them. Do this until there are no holes left in the hexagon.

If you are using board which isn't 4mm thick, you will need to resize the holes so that they will fit the board.

Repeat this step for every tile of wood you need.

Step 5: Tile IV - Whool

For the six player version you'll need six whool tiles, for the four player version you'll need four whool tiles.

First, cut out all the pieces with the laser printer and glue the two hexagons to eachother. Then glue the third piece of wood (the remaining piece which doesn't have whool written on top of it) onto the hexagon with the engravings on it. Glue the last piece of wood (which has written whool on it) on top of this piece. You have now made a hill where your sheep will graze! :)

Oh yeah, the sheep. Just glue them to the tile like you did with the trees for the wood tile. Mine failed a little bit, so I didn't have the opportunity to finish these tiles yet. Hopefully you'll do better!

If you are using board which isn't 4mm thick, you will need to resize the holes for the sheep so that they will fit the board.

Repeat this step for every tile of whool you need.

Step 6: Tile V - Iron

For the six player version you'll need five iron tiles, for the four player version you'll need three iron tiles.

First, cut out all the pieces with the laser printer and glue the two hexagons to eachother. Afterwards, sort the pieces which will be the mountain and glue them together (as seen in the pictures). I didn't put much effort in designing the mountains. Maybe you guys can make me a nicer looking mountain? :)

be sure to attach the last piece on top which will hold the circle with the number of the tile. 

If you are using board which isn't 4mm thick, you will need to resize the holes so that they will fit the board

Repeat this step for every tile of iron you need. 

PS: I accidentally covered the word 'Iron' with the mountain. If you think this is absolutely important, you should place the word 'Iron' somewhere else on the hexagon in the .svg file or make the mountain a little smaller. 

Step 7: Other Tiles

Finally you need to make tiles for the sea surrounding the island of Catan and the harbors. Just cut them out and engrave them with the laserprinter. I chose to give these tiles just one layer of board so that the 'Island of Catan' is a little bit above the sea.

For the six player version you'll need:
   - eleven sea tiles
   - five 3:1 harbor tiles
   - one of each specific harbors (except for the whool harbor, you'll need two of that tile)

For the four player version you'll need:
   - nine sea tiles
   - four 3:1 harbor tiles
   - one of each specific harbors

All done! (Well, the tiles at least..)

Step 8: To Hold Everything Together...

Depending on what version you are making (for six players or four players) you'll need a different board to keep all of the tiles together. I've made these pieces from 9mm MDF, but that is optional. 4mm MDF Board will do just fine.

For the four player version:

The board will be completely hexagonally, so you'll need six of the same pieces. It's the one you see in the second pictures on the bottom (the smallest one).

For the six player version:

The board will be like in the first picture. You need four long pieces and two short pieces. 

Step 9: Final Attributes

Just cut out as many roads, cities and villages as you need. You ofcourse need to paint these to distinguish the different players. Be sure to engrave them in reliëf so that the windows are still visible when you paint the pieces. 

I've made these pieces from 9 mm MDF to give them some depth. This is optional.

Step 10: The Numbers

We're almost done! We just need to make some circles with numbers on them. On the picture you'll see how you need to arrange them (the letters). This is important to guarantee that there won't be three sixes or three eights next to eachother (otherwise one player will have a big advantage over the others).

Just let the laser cutter do all the work ;-).

Step 11:

You'll need the cards to play the game. You can buy these here http://www.mayfairgames.com/game.php?stock=MFG3110 or design them yourselves!

I do not have the files for any cards of my own design because I already have the cards. If you do want to design your own resource cards I suggest that you laser cut them on some hard cardboard (or art print paper). They should be a nice addition to your homemade catan board =).

Step 12: Enjoy the Game!

Now that you have finished your board game, enjoy it! 

I however still have some remarks where I could have done a better job:
   - The tiles of the harbor are not good since they don't show which two places are the harbor and which aren't (in case a sea tile touches three land corners, only two of them are harbors).
   - The whole board is kind of monotone in colour. If I would make another one, I would probably engrave everything in reliëf and then paint everything first before gluing it down like MAKENDO did.

Hope you enjoy the game!