How to Build a Cornhole Toss

You must learn how to build a cornhole toss! Especially one that you can customize with your favorite sports team logo or your favorite colors. Your cornhole toss set will be the center of attention and a huge conversation piece at your next cook-out or party. My husband and I recently made one for our annual 4th of July cook-out and loved how we customized it too. It turned out to be such a success. We also love playing it while it’s just the two of us on a Sunday afternoon to get out of the house in the beautiful sunshine. I am sure you will feel the same way too.

I have broken everything down into detailed and easy to understand instructions with lots of pictures. First I will show you how to make the actual cornhole toss boards and then after that how to make the bean bags you will need to toss. Also so that I don’t have to be so repetitive throughout, don’t forget that what you do for one board, you will need to repeat of course on a second board. If you do have any questions, please feel free to ask. Let’s not waste any time so you can get started playing and enjoying your set just as much as we have too.

Cornhole Toss Set Supplies:

Tools:

• Power Drill
• Mitre Saw
• Jig saw (optional)
• Compass (optional)
• Tape measure
• T-square/square
• Sander– You can also just use sand paper as I will list below as well.
• 6” Hole saw
• 3/8” Drill bit
• C-clamp

Other Supplies:

• Sand paper– If not using a sander, then you can also use sand paper with 200 grit.
• Painter’s tape
• Sponge
• Pencil
• Mod podge
• Decal or stencil for design
• Foam paintbrush
• Paint primer
• Paint- I used white, royal blue, and red but choose any colors that will coordinate with your    favorite team or design you have in mind.
• Polyurethane
• Painting supplies: brushes, plastic drape, paint tray, paint rollers, etc.
• Wood filler
• Putty knife

Wood/Material:

• 2” x 4” 8 foot long- Qty 4
• Plywood ½” thick and 2’ x 4’- Qty 2 (Be sure to match your boards up in the store before         purchasing. We got our plywood home and they were not exactly cut to the same measurements. If they are off slightly it is okay. Also be sure to pick plywood that is a better quality because when you apply the polyurethane at the very end, it will really show off the wood and look amazing.)

Hardware:

• 3/8” Carriage bolt– Qty 4
• 3/8” Washer– Qty 4
• 3/8” Wing nut– Qty 4
• 2 1/2” Wood screws
• 1 ½” or 1 5/8” Wood screws (Either size you can find will work fine.)

Bean Bag Supplies:

• Sewing machine
• Duck cloth– 2 different colors
• Thread– to coordinate with each color bean bag
• Dried corn or pinto beans– I used pinto beans personally and it worked great.
• Straight pins
• Kitchen scale
• Funnel– Use a canning funnel with a wide mouth in order for pinto beans or corn to fall through easily.
• Fabric scissors
• Ruler
• Fabric pencil

 

You can also buy the bean bags already made if you would like to.

Before we get started let me remind you again that anything mentioned below to do to build a board or to add to it, be sure to also do the same for the second board or you wouldn’t end up having too much fun.

Building your cornhole boards:

First measure your 2” x 4” x 8’ wood and mark it to know where to cut.

The following is a list of the measurements of the wood pieces and how many of each you will need.

2” x 4” x 48” long-Qty 4

 

2” x 4” x 21” long– Qty 4

2” x 4” x 12” long– Qty 4

Cut your wood into the correct lengths where you have measured and cut using a miter saw.

You will now start building the frame by using two of the 2” x 4” x 48” and two of the 2” x 4” x 21”. The shape of the frame is a rectangle so place the shorter boards on the top and bottom and the longer boards on each side. Drill the boards together in the corners using 2 ½ wood screws. Use 2 screws per corner. I suggest also predrilling your holes before drilling the actual screw to prevent any wood from splitting. It also just makes it easier to drill the screws anyways.

Continue by drilling the other 2” x 4” x 48” and the 2” x 4” x 21” together. Drill the two sections together to form the rectangle frame.

Attach your plywood to the top of the frame with 1 ½” or 1 5/8” wood screws around the outside of the plywood into the rectangle frame.

Again predrill your holes about 6” apart and then drill the screws in. Countersink the screws, or screw below the even level with the plywood. You will fill the holes with wood filler later and then sand to cover up the screws from showing.

Building and attaching the legs:

You will now work on the legs that will hold the game up. Using a 2” x 4” x 12” wood piece that you have already cut, measure 1 ¾” from the top of one end and mark with a dot.

Then measure 1 ¾” from the side and mark.

Secure your wood piece with a c-clamp to a table to secure in place. Drill a hole with a 3/8” drill bit on the center mark you just made above.

Use a compass to draw a half circle at the top of the wood piece above the hole.

With a jig saw, saw the end of the leg off along the curved line you just drew.

The curved end of the wood will allow the legs to bend under the frame for storage. Be sure to do the above steps for the other 3 legs as well.

Place one leg on the inside of the frame and plywood with the curved end in one top corner against the side wall. Put a pen through the hole on the leg to mark the outside wood frame to know where to drill the hole on the frame.

Drill a hole with a 3/8” drill bit through the frame where the pen mark is.

Place a 3/8” carriage bolt through the hole of the frame and leg by inserting from the outside of the frame.

Add a washer and then a wing nut onto the carriage bolt on the inside of the frame.

Once secure, the leg should be able to move and fold out. If difficult to move, remove the leg and use a sander to sand down the curved edge of the leg and reattach.

Do the above steps again for the other 3 legs until all 4 legs are attached and secured in place.

Finishing touches of the Cornhole Board:

Fill in the holes on the top of the plywood from the wood screws earlier with wood filler.

Once dry, sand down for a smooth finish.

You can’t have a cornhole toss without the hole in the plywood for the bean bags. Start by measuring 9” from the top of the board on the left side. *Be sure the top of the board where you are measuring is on the same end where you attached the legs.

Then measure 12” from the left side to the center of the board and mark. This mark will be the center of the circle that you will cut out.

Place a 6” hole saw directly centered over the mark you just made and then cut the circle out which will give you perfect smooth edges. If you do not have the 6” hole saw, use a compass to draw the circle with 6” diameter and then cut it out using a jig saw. Sand the edges of the hole if needed to have a smooth finish.

Your board is now ready to be decorated. Decorate however you choose but I will explain exactly how I decorated mine for a guide.

For the white border around the edges, place painter’s tape on the outside edge lining it up with the sides. Place another strip of tape directly beside the previous tape as pictured below on the left side. Remove the outside tape as pictured on the right below. This process gives you a guide to use for a straight line when painting. Continue taping the entire border as described above.

Using a T-square/square as a guide for a straight line, place in the bottom of the left corner up to the center of the bottom of the circle and place painter’s tape. Do the same for the other side of the triangle.

Once all your tape is placed for your specific design, you are ready for the fun part of painting to give it that touch that makes it so cute. Paint the outside border and the inside of the triangle with a primer to avoid the paint soaking into the plywood and then the plywood showing through. This will also help you to avoid having to paint so many layers of paint.

Once the primer has dried, paint the outside border white with a roller. The roller will give you a more smooth finish without the bristles of a regular paintbrush showing in the paint.

Place a piece of wood under the bottom end and prop up the legs for the board to be flat to help with painting the legs and sides of the board.Paint royal blue on the sides of the board and the legs with paintbrush to cover and fill any holes in the wood. Then use a roller to paint the top coat with a smooth finish.

Paint the inside of the triangle red with a roller and then paint again with 2^nd coat if needed. (The picture below shows a stencil I was going to use but later changed my mind.

Once all paint is dry, remove the painter’s tape to reveal nice crisp edges.

For my Atlanta Braves “A” or if you choose a logo, I had an 8” x 10” print of the “A” made. I cut it out and applied it to the board at the bottom of the triangle using mod podge. Paint a thin coat on the board where you want to place your image using a foam brush. Lay down the “A” and paint a coat of mod podge over the top. I repainted a 2^nd coat just to be sure it was glued down well.

*When you first apply the mod podge, it will appear that it is going to dry with a white coat on top but it will dry clear. I promise. Don’t be nervous or think you ruined the whole thing because you really didn’t.

You are now ready to seal the top of the board so all your painting isn’t ruined later after lots of play time. Before applying the polyurethane, use a sponge to wipe down the board lightly to remove any dust or dirt so it doesn’t become sealed to the board as well.

Using a new paint roller, coat the top with polyurethane to seal the top and give it a shine.

As soon as the polyurethane is applied, use a different sponge to gently wipe down the top of the board to give a smooth finish with no air bubbles. My roller apparently was making some air bubbles, and the sponge really gave it a smooth coat.

Once you have also decorated the other board, your cornhole boards are now complete.

The last thing you need before playing is bean bags.

Sewing the bean bags:

Measure 8 squares on each color of duck cloth to be 7” for a total of 16 squares. Each square should be 6” on each side once finished which will happen once the bean bags are turned inside out. Then cut out the squares.

Place 2 of the squares together and sew them together with a straight stitch with a ½” border on each side around 3 complete sides and part of the 4^th side. But be sure to leave enough room on the 4^th side to turn the bag inside out. Double stitch as well for better reinforcement.

In order to reinforce the bag and make it sturdier, stitch around the outside of the straight stitch with a zig-zag stitch.

Cut the corners off next to make it easier to give a pointed corner once turned inside out.

Turn the bag inside out with a hole left to still fill the bag.

Once all the bags are done, you will have a total of 4 in each color for a grand total of 8 bean bags.

Using a kitchen scale, weigh about 14-15.5 ounces of dried corn or pinto beans for a total bag weight no greater than 16 ounces.

Use paper as a funnel or an actual funnel to fill each bag.

Use straight pins to close the hole and keep the beans from falling out while sewing.

Use zig-zag stitch to sew and close the hole. Double stitch for enforced durability. Remove the straight pins once the hole is sewn up.

Follow the above steps for the rest of the bean bags. Once you are finished, you are now ready to play a competitive game of cornhole. Let the games begin!!!

This was so much fun for us and our friends and family at our recent 4^th of July cook-out. Mark and I have since played on numerous occasions and enjoy it so much. It’s a fun game to get the family out of the house and moving around.

I hope you choose to make your own. If you do so, please let me know and share your creation below. I love seeing other people’s creativity and what design you may have chosen for your board. Plus don’t say I didn’t warn you that this game becomes very addictive and competitive. Enjoy yourself and of course enjoy the little things in life too!

Also if you have not already, please join me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. I would love to hear from you with any comments, suggestions, or ideas you may have.

Plus check out the picture below of my yellow lab Bryant totally photo bombing me! You can throw just about anything if it resembles a ball or a stick and he thinks it belongs to him.