Giant Jenga

My first springtime woodworking project was a small one but one which will be very useful this summer. I decided to start my annual woodworking projects by making a Giant Jenga game for the backyard.

I cut up all the wood... 54 pieces in all... then cut some additional pieces to replace any pieces that weren't looking so good in the first batch. As I was cutting the initial batch of pieces, I noticed that some of them would not work well so I cut up an additional eight foot 2x4. After I cut all the pieces, I started working on cutting and assembling a leveling base.

This leveling base has leveling feet at each corner so we can have a level playing surface even on uneven ground.

The great thing about the leveling base is that it can be turned upside-down to store all the pieces (see the last photo, at bottom). I'm thinking I might need to make some handles for it too. It is exceptionally heavy with all of the pieces stored in it. Sheila and I did move it but quickly found that it would be easier with some hefty handles on each end.

Although I have not yet sanded the pieces, Sheila and I played a game to see how well it works. We also wanted to see how high the whole stack of pieces gets when it is ready to topple over. We found that it gets up to about four feet high when it starts to get a bit wobbly. This isn't a game for the under-10 crowd that is shorter than four feet high. Then again, the normal-sized Jenga game isn't a game for the under-10 crowd either due to a lack of fine motor skills. I wouldn't want these heavy wood pieces to fall on any small children anyway.

After I sand all the pieces so they are very smooth, I'll be applying a furniture wax to each piece. This will ensure a nice slick smooth surface on each of the sides of each piece. The rough pieces that I just cut made for a more difficult first game. Sanding and waxing the pieces should make a world of difference.

In the meantime, here are a few photos from our first Giant Jenga match...