DIY Yard Games Using Scrap Wood

This tutorial will show you how to make a Tic-Tac-Toe board and yard Yahtzee (or Yardzee) using the following:

-4x4 scrap works the best for this, but 2x2 pieces would also work well and would provide more compact games.

-buckets for storage, or if you would also like a board for tic-tac-toe, a spare bit of plywood and 1x2 pieces work well. (You will also need wood glue and nails if you make a board),

-paint and/or stain, and a large drill bit (optional)

Cut your cubes. Nine for tic-tac-toe, or five for Yardzee. 4x4s are actually around 3.5”, so cut them to match. Sand edges and corners.

*If you don’t have enough scrap pieces for this, you can make blocks for both games with about half of a 4x4 post (~$6).

To make a tic-tac-toe board, cut 1x2s to fit between the nine blocks and around the sides, and a piece of plywood for the bottom. My plywood ended up being about 13x13”, with 1x2s cut as follows: 2-13” and 6-around 11.25”.

Four of the shorter pieces are for in between the blocks and need half laps cut so they fit together. Two have half laps cut from the top, and the other two have them cut from the bottom.

*You can also leave out the 1x2s between blocks if you don’t want to cut half laps, but it will make it harder to pick up the blocks to turn them.

Put your blocks in place, then glue and nail the 1x2s together. Flip the whole thing over and attach the plywood from the bottom into the border pieces.

Paint or stain the board if desired.

Paint an “X” on one side of each block, then flip it over and paint an “O” on the other side. To play a game, place all the blocks with a blank side up, then rotate a block right or left to pick the X or O.

To make Yardzee dice, paint or stain your five blocks.

Doing one number at a time on all dice, use a large drill bit to make small divots. I believe I used a 3/8” bit. Because of the wood grain, it can be hard to keep the bit exactly where you want it. Use a drill press to help if you want.

Alternately, you can paint the dots (or pips) on the dice.

Put the dice in a bucket (Dollar Tree has several options). Print out Yardzee cards (found free online), and laminate or use a Dry Erase pouch (also found at Dollar Tree) as shown above. You could also print several and put them on a clipboard to use with a pencil.

Have fun with family and friends!