How to Make a DIY Cornhole Game Board

For this project you will need five pieces of 2”x4”x8’ pinewood and two pieces of 2x4-inch plywood. Take two of the 2”x4”x8’ boards and start by measuring out the halfway point at 48 inches and make a straight cut to get four pieces of boards measuring 2x48 inches. These will be your side pieces for the frame. With your remaining 2”x4”x8’ boards, measure four pieces at 2x21 inches, then make straight cuts along the marked area. These will be your top pieces. With the remaining wood, measure and cut four legs out to 2x13 inches.

Now that you have all your pieces ready, you can start to assemble. Take your two 2x48-inch side pieces and your two 2x21-inch top pieces and create a frame laid out on a flat surface. Take two extendable clamps and clamp everything together to ensure there is no movement when drilling.

Using 3-inch flat head wood screws, drill all four pieces together. Now that you have a frame, you can take your 2x4-foot plywood piece and lay it flat on top. Drill 1 ⅝-inch wood screws in each of the four corners of the frame. Add in extra screws along the sides to ensure the top stays secure.

With your board secure on the frame, you can start to drill the main hole for the bean bags to fall into. First measure 12 inches in from the edge of your board and 9 inches down from the top of the board. This will act as the centre point for the hole. Attach a 6-inch drill saw onto your cordless drill and safely drill a hole using the marked area as your centre point. If you do not have a drill saw you can also do this by carefully using a reciprocating saw to cut the outline and sanding to create a smooth edge.

The final step in assembly is to create legs so that the board can stand up. Using your 2x13-inch wood pieces, cut corners off one side of each piece, creating a rounded edge so that each leg piece can fold in or out along the board. Measure in about 4 inches from where your top and side frame pieces connect and drill a 1-inch hole through the frame.

Put your leg pieces in place and create a marker with the end of the drill bit (to where you want the hole to come through). Drill through each leg piece and align it with the hole in the frame. Place a 4-inch bolt through both pieces and secure it with a nut to the point that it is secure but can still fold in or out.

Repeat steps 1 through 4 in the building process with the remaining pieces.

For the final step of this process, it is completely up to you on how to customize your board. We suggest drawing out your design beforehand in pencil and then using wood paint on the board for the best results. For weatherproofing, applying a layer of weather sealant is recommended.