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Stephen Musial
08-13-2009, 12:05 PM
I'm finishing up the Louis Cube cribbage board and am going to start on a matched set of chess, cribbage and backgammon boards. However, I've never played backgammon and don't know anything about the game. Any hints for the sizes of the points, etc?

For the border, I'm going to do a lattice with ebony "shadows" to give it a 3d effect. Would putting the same shadows on the points be to distracting for the players?

TIA for any help.

Jim Rimmer
08-13-2009, 12:37 PM
My son is an avid player and I play with him some. I would suggest you determine the size of chips/tokens you are going to include (maybe make them, too) and go from there. The base of the tip needs to be equal to or jsut a smidge wider than the diameter of the chip. That size would also impact the overall size of the board. I think I would skip the shadows on the points. Just MHO.

Jim Rimmer
08-13-2009, 12:45 PM
Had another couple of thoughts after the last post. Are you going to make it a folding/closing board? A lot of them are felt lined to reduce noise when rolling the dice. Also, if it is folding, consider storage for chips and dice. Maybe look at a set somewhere. Not trying to be over advising - just if you don't play there are some little things you might not consider.

John Schreiber
08-13-2009, 12:50 PM
I've played a lot of backgammon, but usually I've used inexpensive sets like this (http://www.backgammonplus.com/backgammon-sets/standard-sets/brownwhitebackgammonset.cfm#tabs).

Some things which might not be obvious for a non player would be that the "bar" between the two sides needs to be flat enough and wide enough to balance some counters on. Or, if you will have a flat board, it should be wide enough that they won't get in the way of the pieces being played.

I prefer a soft surface to a hard wood surface. A leather, vinyl of fabric surface keeps the dice relatively quiet and makes it easy to move the counters quickly, but keeps them from sliding when you don't want them to.

The walls on the side of the briefcase style sets make it easier to roll the dice aggressively without them falling off the side of the table.

The points should be contrasting colors which match the counters.

Dice cups are frequently provided as part of the game, but I've never known anyone to actually use them in play.

Just some ideas.

Sean Hughto
08-13-2009, 1:02 PM
I'm getting ready to make a backgammon set myself. I agree with the suggestion from Jim that you determine the size of the pieces first, as they will determine the size of the points. You can buy pieces made from various materials on eBay and at backgammon/chess shops.

I thought about inlay, but, like the others have said, wanted a softer surface to mute the sound of the dice and facilitate the sliding of the pieces. It turns out that you can optain cork sheets that have points painted on them already (I think they are made by Chrisloid - I got mine form a nice woman in Michigan who runs some sort of backgammon club or organization there).

Sizes are easily determined by some google searches for sets. The shop's descriptions of the boards usually include measurements.

Here's a picture of the pieces and dice I collected to make mine:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3612/3527472522_d05d16a850.jpg

By the way, I think cups are necessary for serious players as they eliminate any concerns about manipulating the rolls.

Stephen Musial
08-14-2009, 9:55 AM
Thanks for all the tips everyone. I think I have a line on some brass and stainless steel discs. I'll put them in my daughter's rock tumbler and see if that softens the edges and how they end up looking.

When you throw the dice, do you roll them on the playing surface and risk bumping the pieces or would it be nicer to have a tray on each side to roll into? I'll also start experimenting with applying veneer to cork and see what the results are as far as sound dampening.

Tom Hargrove
08-14-2009, 11:11 AM
I have always used a soft playing surface, and rolled the dice down the middle of the board. I don't think a separate area for the dice to be played would be beneficial, and might even take something away from the game. (The game can move quite fast between serious competitors.) It is important that the board be designed so the dice don't disturb the game pieces when rolled. This can be accomplished by using a soft surface, or by using pieces that are heavy enough that they won't be disturbed by the dice. I really like your idea of using stainless and brass for the game pieces.

I think the center bar needs to be higher than the playing surface, not only as a place to hold blots (single pieces that are hit during play) and the doubling cube, but also to keep a player's dice in his home/inner board during "spirited" play.

A nice wooden backgammon board is on my list, but down a few places. Please share the finished project with us.

Jeff Bratt
08-15-2009, 1:52 AM
When you throw the dice, do you roll them on the playing surface and risk bumping the pieces or would it be nicer to have a tray on each side to roll into? I'll also start experimenting with applying veneer to cork and see what the results are as far as sound dampening.

Rolling the dice on (in) the playing surface is traditional with backgammon boards. I can re-emphasize that a soft surface is a good way to go - the all wood surface like I built (http://home.roadrunner.com/%7Ejeffnann/WoodWorking/Backgammon.jpg) - I think is too noisy. If you look at a traditional, fancy Arabic style board (http://orietals.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=6), I've seen them use tiny dice - around 2/10 to 3/10 of an inch square sides. The noise of these dice on a wooden surface is much more pleasant.