Introduction: How to Make Wooden Dominoes
Hey dudes and dudetes! Since I live in a tropical island that loves to spend time in family in which the adults talk about funny moments of the week while they enjoy a beer together, it's kind of a tradition to learn how to play dominoes and Father's Day is coming soon. One way to kill two birds with one stone is to make wooden dominoes. In this instructable I'll show you how to make dominoes out of wood using a few tools that you can find anywhere.
Tools needed
- Saw (any that gives you as accurate saw)
- drill
- utility knife
- sand paper
- square (any kind)
- hammer
- chisel
- sander (optional)
- block plane (optional)
- any marking tool (awl or hole punch)
Materials
- wood (any kind)
- nails ( thinner the better)
- finish (any kind)
- paint ( water based or acrylic)
Tools needed
- Saw (any that gives you as accurate saw)
- drill
- utility knife
- sand paper
- square (any kind)
- hammer
- chisel
- sander (optional)
- block plane (optional)
- any marking tool (awl or hole punch)
Materials
- wood (any kind)
- nails ( thinner the better)
- finish (any kind)
- paint ( water based or acrylic)
Step 1: Choosing Your Wood
The lumber is the most important part of the project since it will give the character to the dominoes. The lumber I'll be using is mahogany that my uncle gave me. He found a door that was completely hardwood and carved the owners were moving so he asked them if they were going to dispose of the wood. They said yes and he immediately said to them that he could take it instead. The mahogany I'll be using is fifty years old. You can use cedar, walnut, oak, pine, or any kind of drift or lumber you can find.
Step 2: Find Reference
You can find reference on stores, online, or a local artesian. Based on your reference you will look what size do you want for it and thickness. Depending on the size and thickness is the portability and entertainment your gonna receive.
Step 3: Start Rough Cutting
I'm only using a mitre box saw and a square for now. Since my pieces are gonna be actual size I'm making them 1"x2" and 1/4 in thickness. Since the game consists of 28 pieces I'll cut 30 in case one of them gets lost.
Before doing anything with a huge backfire, see if your wood is more than 1 1/2" wide. If it is, re-saw to the thickness you prefer, to avoid excessive waste of wood. Using your square and your marking knife make a straight line that is one inch away from the end of your board and cut it square. Then if needed
re-saw wood to one inch in with so that you may begin making the pieces. The pieces are two inches long, to make the most accurate cut by hand use the square to make straight line with a pencil or the knife. Then place the square over the line that you marked tow inches apart from the end and cut it with the saw of your choice, repeat the process for each piece if using a handsaw.
Before doing anything with a huge backfire, see if your wood is more than 1 1/2" wide. If it is, re-saw to the thickness you prefer, to avoid excessive waste of wood. Using your square and your marking knife make a straight line that is one inch away from the end of your board and cut it square. Then if needed
re-saw wood to one inch in with so that you may begin making the pieces. The pieces are two inches long, to make the most accurate cut by hand use the square to make straight line with a pencil or the knife. Then place the square over the line that you marked tow inches apart from the end and cut it with the saw of your choice, repeat the process for each piece if using a handsaw.
Step 4: Sanding
Sand each piece until you think it's all right. If your using oak you can go directly to 120 grid if you have a sander. If you have hand tools use a file or just sand by hand. If you want you can take down those pointy edges and make them smooth to touch and sight.
Step 5: Make Details
If you have a square, on each piece search for the exact center and draw a straight line across the center making two perfect squares. Using your chisel carve out the line. After carving out the lines, if you looked for reference you found out that each piece has dots that represent numbers on both sides like a dice, using your starter punch make all the holes and after that get your center punch. Place it above the holes you made with the starter punch, lightly hammer them and after finishing you will end up with your perfectly crafted dominoes or you can go further.
After making the holes color them with a paint that contrasts with your wood. After this wait for them to dry and sand off any imperfections of paint on the wood.
After painting drill the hole exactly in the center of the center line of each piece. Depending on the diameter of your nail is the diameter of your hole.
After making the holes color them with a paint that contrasts with your wood. After this wait for them to dry and sand off any imperfections of paint on the wood.
After painting drill the hole exactly in the center of the center line of each piece. Depending on the diameter of your nail is the diameter of your hole.
Step 6: Finishing
For the finish I will be using polyurethane and if I can I'll use mineral oil. You can use any type of finish you like: varnish, Danish oil, mineral oil, polyurethane... Any finish you like.
Step 7: Enjoying
Go play with them and be a total show off of what you did! Anyways thanks for looking at my first instructable, hope I can make more in the future so that you guys can enjoy. Oh and the real reason I made it was that I live in Puerto Rico and it's kind of a ritual to becoming a man if your family lives in the country.