Game board WIP

[CitizenKate]

I've got an order for a Parcheesi board, which I haven't done too many of (but would like to do more). Thought I'd take some photos while I'm working on it to give you guys an idea how I build my game boards.

To begin the process, I cut a piece of leather to exactly the dimensions of the board, in this case 22"x22".

The leather is permanently mounted on a piece of MDF that is slightly larger (about 24"x24") with contact cement.

Before wetting the leather, I use a poster board template and a scratch awl to mark all the intersection points of the board's layout. There are a couple of reasons I do this while the leather is dry. One is that the template is paper, and it will wilt if it comes into contact with wet leather. I can make a plastic template, but the poster board is much easier to come by in large sheets.

Once all the points are marked, I wet the leather to get it ready for tooling.

The first thing I do once the leather has the right moisture content (I'll let you choose your own method for that - everyone has their own), is to cut the layout lines of the board. And that is the point I am at so far:

This board is going to have strictly stamped borders around all the the playing areas and around the outside border, no "carved" designs, per se. So this will be pretty straight-forward.

More progress tomorrow!

Kate

[dustin29]

Thanks for sharing Kate, That is very cool!

[David]

Nice kate,

I'm going to enjoy this

Dave

[pete]

do you cut your circles freehand after tracing or do you cut around the template as you hold it there?

this is going to be neat to watch!

thanks

pete

[CitizenKate]

Pete, the circles are cut free-hand. My template marks two points on the circle's edges, then I mark the circle on the leather using a pair of dividers. To keep the dividers from making a mark on the leather in the center of the circle, I lay a small piece of scrap leather there for the pivot point to rest on while marking.

Kate

[CitizenKate]

So far, just a lot of beveling and shaping parts with a modeling tool...

Now the border stamping begins...

Kate

[pete]

the circles are great.Did you cut them, bevel and then draw another line from the center(again) or use the beveled line and dividers or single creaser?

pete

[CitizenKate]

Once you cut the line, it's pretty easy to use that as a guide for your dividers to make concentric lines.

This is a little different from most of my designs. I've been trying to explore more things I can do with just stamps. All the stamping is done now, but I'm thinking there needs to be more in the center. Not sure yet what I'm going to do with that, but here's what I've got so far:

Kate

[ClayB]

WOW Kate!! This is going to be gorgeous!!!!! Thanks for letting us follow along.

[particle]

Beautiful work!! Indeed, thanks for allowing us to see your progress on this one! If I may, how to you make sure you stamping starts and stops seamlessly once you've worked your way all the way around the circle? Do you just eyeball it as you approach the 360 degree mark, or do you actually work it out on paper first?