There are many different types of wood you could buy to make a giant jenga set. The cheapest though would be just standard 2x4's from your local hardware store, probably come in lengths of 8 feet.
You need 54 pieces to probably stack the blocks. If each block is a foot long, then you would need 7 - 2"x4"'s that are 8' long. The easist way to cut would be to use a miter saw, so you can set the exact length each time. If using a manual saw, then your edges might not be even, but it would still work.
After you have all your pieces, it would help to sand them down to make the smooth to slide in and out. Once sanded remember to wipe them down or else the sawdust will cuase friction and make it harder to slide them out.
Each 2×4 should be roughly 10 1/2″ long.
ReplyDeleteThanks John, your right the length of the 2x4's should be 10.5-inches. That length will allow the tower to be even on both sides, since the 2x4's are more accurately, 1.5 x 3.5 inches.
ReplyDeleteHave made several sets in the past few months. I use 2x4's from Lowe's and they'll cut them for you into 10.5" pieces. Can use the cheap white pine but better off using the Whitewood stud (non-pressure treated)...in my opinion it's MUCH easier than the white pine...so much less sanding, etc...definitely worth the extra $1 per board.
ReplyDeleteOnce I have the pieces I use a Finishing Sander (palm sized) with some 80 grade sanding sheets. 85-90% of the sanding will be done by the Finishing Sander. For the rest of the sanding I buy a couple small sanding blocks...a few medium grade and a few extra fine grade for the very end. Once I have each piece done with the Finishing Sander I run my hands over every one quickly looking for any small spots I might have missed and hit them with one of the medium blocks. After that I will take the extra fine block and go thoroughly over each piece to make sure they're as smooth as possible...at this stage I manhandle them alot to make sure I haven't missed any spots.
*IMPORTANT point on sanding that I didn't do with the first set...initially I was very concerned about the ends of the pieces being smooth so they were easy to grab, looked good and didn't give anybody splinters but the reality of the game is that the ends are basically the LEAST important part of the pieces. It's all about making sure the top/bottom and sides are as smooth as possible because that's the surface area that will rubbing against the blocks above, below and to the sides! ALSO I've found it's good to have a small wood chisel around too in case there's a run in the wood that you can sand out (remember that the set is going to drop pretty hard when it's falls during the game so those little points sticking up will peel up eventually)...I just pop that run out with the chisel and sand the whole area down extra well.
Once I'm done with the sanding I use a small shop vac to vacuum each piece (find this easier than sponging them off plus they stay dry and you can start spraying them right away). I use Cort Wood Finishing Spray from Lowe's...it's the cheapest they have and works fine...just follow directions on the cans...2-3 coats...key is to let them dry after each stage...not worth rushing it.
That's it.
I did my first set today and got pressure treated wood because of possible exposure to moisture will this wood work ok?
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ReplyDeleteThe secreat is the sanding. A little elbow grease goes a long way.
ReplyDeleteIt is also fun to mark the jenga boards with bombs. Can be dares or drinks :) Full instructions to make it can be found at www.squidoo.com/giant-life-size-jenga
Can I use pressure treated or will that mess up the friction too much for the game? We’ll be using them at parties, and I’m sure someone will leave them out in the rain...
ReplyDeleteThank you for this interesting post! I have recently started playing with some big jenga sets with my kids, and we are having so, so much fun. It’s such an exciting and great game!
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