8" Scrabble Tiles

[Keith Outten]

This is a simple job that has merit for some applications. Something I would have never thought of I guess but a customer brought this job to me.

These are 8" by 7 and 3/8" by 13/16" thick poplar scrabble tiles that will be hung on a wall, I expect in a children's play area. There are 16 tiles that will combine to make a four word puzzle with the words play, laugh, dream and games. Machining was done with a 1/8" diameter end mill.

These could be laser cut from acrylic and would be stunning with raised letters, also very inexpensive to make.

My customer will be doing the painting.

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[John Schreiber]

That looks great. A friend of mine did that with a hand-held router. She has all her family names arranged in a crossword on their family room wall.

[Art Mulder]

The idea is great, and creative.

But I don't understand why the tiles aren't square? :confused:
They sure are square in the game.

[Steven Triggs]

very cool...

[Keith Outten]

The idea is great, and creative.

But I don't understand why the tiles aren't square? :confused:
They sure are square in the game.

Art,

I measured the scrabble tiles from our family game with a dial caliper and they were not square. I drew the tiles to scale in Corel Draw and then resized them to get the 8" dimension that my customer wanted. I think the scrabble boards that have the ribs to keep the tiles in place use tiles that are not square.

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[Keith Outten]

I think you can get some miles out of this idea, being a bit creative this could be used in a number of applications and they look really nice. Surprisingly everyone instantly recognizes a scrabble tile and a scrabble puzzle.

Toy Stores, Schools, Game Rooms, and any facility that caters to a young crowd or children of all ages for that matter would be possible candidates for this kind of sign.

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[Art Mulder]

Art,
I measured the scrabble tiles from our family game with a dial caliper and they were not square. I drew the tiles to scale in Corel Draw and then resized them to get the 8" dimension that my customer wanted. I think the scrabble boards that have the ribs to keep the tiles in place use tiles that are not square.


Guess I have some measuring to do tonight. We have an old set - just a plane flat game board, no ribs.

[Keith Outten]

Art,

I just checked another tile. It is 0.732" by 0.800".

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[Art Mulder]

Right.. mine are roughly 19mm X 21mm

weird

[Mike Null]

Here's a laser engraved version used as a seat for a bar stool.

[Keith Outten]

Mike,

The bar stool idea is a unique application.

Anyone else have ideas for scabble tiles?

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[Craig Hogarth]

Mike,

The bar stool idea is a unique application.

Anyone else have ideas for scabble tiles?

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http://www.samtimer.com/st-rug-close1.html

[Steven Triggs]

I think they would make cool doors on a "cubby" type of cabinet, it would be a cool place to store family games and such.

[Mike Hood]

Mike,

The bar stool idea is a unique application.

Anyone else have ideas for scabble tiles?

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I thought they'd be fun on the deck with friends. Giant scrabble!

[Keith Outten]

How about vinyl vehicle graphics. You could get a fairly large puzzle on the side of a van.

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[Kevin Baker]

Keith -

Do you remember the font you used for these?

Thanks,
Kevin

[Keith Outten]

Kevin,

The font was Ariel and I have attached my working Corel X3 Drawing which is actual scale. The drawing has a few construction lines and you can scale it up to any size you prefer. I machined the letters with a 1/8" bit to make the corners as close to 90 degrees as possible without v-carving them.

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[Kevin Baker]

Keith -

Thanks for the help and the file. I think I'll do one for my granddaugher. :)

Kevin

[Andy Tripp]

I have recently cut a few of these out of 1/2" baltic birch and want to finish the letters black like the original tiles. Is there an easy technique anyone can recommend as my wife has now requested several of them for gifts for the upcoming Christmas Season. I have tried using spray shellac to cover the entire piece. After drying, coming back with a black spray paint in the letter and number, and after drying, sanding to remove the black overspray and then one more coat of spray shellac. Just about did what I wanted but some of the black paint got down in the grain of the wood and could not get it sanded out.

Thanks for any advice.
Andy

[Keith Outten]

Andy,

If it was me I would spray the finish on and then paint the interior of the letters with a brush. Since the tiles are large it would be easy to brush paint the letters and clean up any paint that gets on the top surface. The finish coat should eliminate any bleed from the black paint.
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[Andy Tripp]

Keith,
Thanks for the suggestion. I figured it would come down to the brush. I'll give that a try and I'm sure by the time I get to the 4th or 5th one I will have it perfected.

By the way, I was in Columbia at Jim's shop and appreciated your presentation. My business is making CNC component parts and am always looking for new ideas on things I can do. One of my best friends is in the sign business (very successful I should say). He has a couple of lasers and one of those large format digital color printers but no router. He has giving me some work but I can't wait to do a few sample corian pieces for him to look at to help expand his offering.

Look forward to spending time on your forum.

Andy

[Keith Outten]

Welcome to The Creek Andy. We are currently hosting over 95,000 pictures and file attachments, you will no doubt find much to do here and lots of information that some very generous people have been sharing with their friends :)
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[Mike Null]

I think I would clear coat the wood, mask, engrave, then spray paint.

It may be necessary to clear coat again before spray painting.

[Liesl Dexheimer]

What a neat idea and it came out beautifully! I love Scrabble too! :D

[Anthony Scira]

Can you be sued for making large "scrabble" tiles ?


Just curious......

[Martin Boekers]

Mike,

The bar stool idea is a unique application.

Anyone else have ideas for scabble tiles?

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I haven't had a chance to do this yet, but I want to make a Scrabble Board Sign at the entrance to my shop.

The words would be related to engraving and awards, such as trophy, plaques,
gifts, awards etc.

There is crossword layout software available free on line that you feed it the words and it does the layout for you.

I think this would be a cool sign and spark some interest in creativity factors.


Marty

[Keith Outten]

Anthony,

I doubt that there would be a legal issue if you just made a few tiles, if you duplicated the entire game with the board you might receive a letter from a lawyer :)

If you are worried about the legal possibilities you could leave off the small number that depicts the score, that way it isn't a scrabble tile it's a crossword puzzle and I doubt that they are copy protected.
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[Keith Outten]

Martin,

For an exterior sign I would suggest either Corian or PVC to cut your tiles. I also would consider not cutting them out, leave them connected in groups so you don't have individual tiles to mount.
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[Martin Boekers]

Keith, I would have it in the foyer as you walk in Maybe 4x4 foot.

The one key would be I wouldn't be selling them, just display piece.

I guess your right if someone complained I may get a letter.
I may do a bit of research if I do end up making it and ask permission for a display.

Who knows they may like the idea and I may sell the a large one for the corporate office:p


Marty

[Alexander Stein]

Stumbled across this recently,

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2152

enjoy!