Pitching Pennies

Right up front I'll warn you that this game can be considered gambling. I pitched pennies quite a bit while growing up, and yes, money exchanged hands, penny at a time. I trust that you're mature enough to deal with it if it offends you, and likewise bright enough to figure out how to change the rules to eliminate the stakes if you so desire.

The game is simple. You and your friends stand a set distance from a wall and each tosses, in turn, a penny. The object is to have your penny land closer to the wall than any other. If yours is the closest, you collect all the pennies. This is best played outside against a brick or concrete wall, indoors on tile. Carpeting changes the game significantly.

There are all kinds of "house rules" that can be agreed upon beforehand. Rather than list the one's we used, you can think of your own. As for disagreements, c'mon... it's pennies!

Box Hockey - Part 4 (Final)

Here's the final part of our series to build your own box hockey game. If you have any questions, feel free to leave 'em in the comments and I'll answer them as soon as I can.

Previous Box Hockey posts:

Box Hockey - Part 1
Box Hockey - Part 2
Box Hockey - Part 3

Finishing Touches
Ok, in the first three parts we built the main part of the box hockey table, and all that's left is a few little finishing details and some rules to play.

Using the leftover scrap hardboard, cut out two paddles and six triangles as shown in the diagram below. Sand the edges lightly to smooth them out.



The paddles are what you use to hit the checker puck with. The triangles are a later addition because sometimes the puck slid directly into a goal, often hitting the back wall and then popping back out. When the puck is moving fast enough, it's hard to tell if a goal was scored or not, so the triangles deflect the moving puck and prevent arguments. Use white glue or hot glue to fasten them into place against the back wall behind each goal slot.



Use a yardstick or tape measure to figure out the center line of the board, and mark it with a sharpie or other permanent marker.

That's it! If you want, you can flip the board over and mark or paint a checkerboard onto the bottom, we usually add a simple backgammon board too.

Box Hockey Rules
These are all suggestions based on what works for us. House rules are common, and on the playground it's not unusual for the winner to call special rules for the next game. The terms puck and checker are used interchangably.

The two side goals (bigger) are worth 1 point each, the middle, smaller goal is 3 points. The puck doesn't have to completely go through the slot for it to be a goal. We score the point if it breaks the plane of the back of the slot (slide the paddle along the back of the slot board, and if the checker moves, then scoooooore!

Game ends when one player scores 11 or 15 or 21 (decide at the start). Skunks are 7-0 or 11-1 scores.

Decide who goes first by flipping the checker (heads or tails) or by putting the puck on the center line and both players trying to hit it on the count of 3. Or just let the younger player have it first.

You can only hit the puck if it's on your side of the center line.

You can't touch the puck with anything but your paddle.

Have fun. No getting mad.

Easy Peasy!

I'd really love to hear if you make a box hockey for yourself, drop me a line if you do.

Box Hockey - Part 3

Click on these links for part 1 and for part 2 of the series.

Now we'll start constructing the frame. Cut out the end and side pieces - two of each - and square up the ends. Test fit the pieces together and do a measurement from one corner to the opposite corner on the other side. Each diagonal measurement should be the same or nearly so. If they are, then your frame will be squared up correctly.

Here's where a drill will come in handy and save you some blisters. You should drill pilot holes for the screws that hold these bits together. Countersink the holes too if you want, it will look neater and you can use a little wood putty to fill the holes once the screws are in place. You can google 'pilot hole' and 'countersink' for details if you don't know what those are. The picture shows what I mean, for those two light colored dots on the end are where the screws and putty are. In it we're looking up from below and can see where the bottom will be nailed into place.



When you drive the screws, put a thin smear of the glue on the wood where it joins together, then finish tightening the screws. Use a damp rag to wipe up any glue that squeezes out.

You can also (barely) see in the picture that I used finishing nails to attach the goal boards into place (right side, three light dots). The goal board is positioned 3 1/2 inches in front of the end boards. Countersink the nails and use a little wood putty again to fill the holes. Let the wood putty dry.

This is what the finished frame looks like, looking from one end to the other.



Lay the assembled frame on top of the hardboard and, using a pencil, trace along the outside of the frame to mark the cuts needed for the bottom of the box hockey game. Make sure you use the corner of the hardboard as one reference point, because that will ensure that you get two straight edges - one end and one side. Set the hardboard aside for now, we'll get to that in a little bit.

Cut a length of leftover wood about four inches long, wrap a piece of medium grit sandpaper around it, and use it to sand the frame smooth. Lightly round the edges and corners too. Always sand with the grain of the wood (long ways along the boards). Once everything is sanded, do it again with a piece of fine sandpaper. Sanding by hand is a pain in the butt, but it really makes the finished project look much nicer. I suggest getting zen with it, grasshopper.

Before you attach the bottom, go ahead and apply the finish of your choice to the frame. You can paint it, use varnish or tung oil, or for maximum protection use polyurethane. You can apply the polyurethane with those disposable foam brushes, just keep the coats thin to avoid big runs in the finish. If you want, you can sand the frame between dried coats with fine steel wool, that will really smooth out the finish. Follow the directions on the can for timing between coats and cleanup. Let everything dry thoroughly.

Cut out the rectangular hardboard bottom. Save the leftover hardboard, we'll be using it for the rest of the pieces. Flip the frame upside down, then place the hardboard with the smoothest side down on top of the frame. Starting in one corner, fasten the hardboard bottom to the frame using the small nails (panelling nails work well for this), spacing them every four inches or so.

Next time, we'll finish up the game board, cut out the paddles, and I'll talk about the rules we used to use.

Box Hockey posts:

Box Hockey - Part 1
Box Hockey - Part 2
Box Hockey - Part 4

Box Hockey - Part 2

See Part 1 here.

Building a Box Hockey game is about as simple as it gets. As I said in the original post, the woodworking skills are basic and power tools are helpful but not necessary.

Here's what you'll need from the hardware store:
(3) 1"x4"x6' pine -or- (2) 1"x4"x8' pine
(1) 2'x4' hardboard (1 smooth side)
(16) 1.5"x#6 flathead wood screws
(1) pkg mixed grit sandpaper (we'll use medium and fine)
(1) box small flathead brads (~5/8" long)
(1) small can of polyurethane
(1) 1" paintbrush

Tools and supplies needed:
Saw
Screwdriver
Drill and 1/16" or 3/32" bit (this will make things so much easier)
Elmers white or yellow glue or equivalent (optional but recommended)
Hammer
Straightedge
Ruler, yardstick or measuring tape
Pencil

Buying wood
Look for straight pieces without splits or chewed up edges. A few knots are ok, as long as they're tight and won't readily fall out. It's ok to pick through the rack of lumber to find just the right pieces, so be picky.

When you're looking at a piece, rest one end on the ground and sight down the length of it as if you were aiming a rifle. This will make obvious any warping, bowing, or twisting in the wood. You don't want that, get the straightest pieces possible. Look at it on edge, then swap the board end-for-end and look again. It may be necessary to buy an extra piece or two in order to get enough straight wood, since some boards might be perfect for half or two-thirds their length and then get funky. Since the boards should only be a few bucks each, it's worth the money to get good wood right up front.

Measurements - Frame
The frame of the Box Hockey game is made of 1"x4" pine. You'll need to cut 2 sides (42.5" long), 2 ends (22" long), and 2 goal boards (20.5" long). Cutting rabbets and dados will make the frame stronger, and if you know what that means then you can adjust the measurements on your own.



The goal boards have three goal openings cut into them. The outer two are 3" wide and start 3" from the ends, the middle one is 2.5" wide and sits 3" from the side goals. Make them tall enough to let a checker slide through (at least 1/2"), ours are 1" tall. You can see what I'm talking about on the diagram above (it's not to scale).

Next up, part 3 - pictures and finishing.

Box Hockey posts:

Box Hockey - Part 1
Box Hockey - Part 3
Box Hockey - Part 4

Box Hockey - Part 1

When I was a youngster, one way we filled our summer days was by going to the local elementary school for "Rec". Rec was shortspeak for "Recreation Services" and it was a program sponsored by our school district. Basically, for a few hours a day, someone (usually a college kid earning some pocket money) would sign out kickballs and jump ropes and games. There would be organized activities like bike races and weenie roasts and marble tournaments. I fondly recall heading up to the school to find out who was there and what was going on. It was one of the 'mixing bowls' of the area, because otherwise groups of kids mostly hung around together based on what street they lived on.

Some days it was just too darn hot to do anything. Even marbles sucked, because the best dirt beds for that were in full sun, and nobody felt like frying their brains.

That's when the board games would come out. Alongside the playgrougd were several fixed benches, shaded by the buildings and close to the cool bricks of the school wall. Looking like birds lined up on a telephone wire, we were grouped up in various ways as we played the games. Parcheesi (ick), Sorry and Chinese Checkers, Mandala (we called it something else though), and my personal favorite: Box Hockey*.

Box Hockey was the low-tech version of Air Hockey. In fact, to that point we had never heard of Air Hockey. Play is similar, and so is the speed of it, if only because the 'rink' is smaller.

The puck was a regular ol' checker, and the paddles were wedge-shaped pieces of hardboard. Each end had three goals, larger ones on each side worth one point, and a smaller one smack in the middle worth three points. Games went to 11 or 15 or 21, and there was usually someone hovering nearby with dibs on the next game.

When my kids were that age, I built our own Box Hockey game. It proved to be a hit, and I built several more over the years to give away as gifts. On the underside we put a checkerboard and backgammon board, and just flipped the hockey rink to play those. We'd usually include a set of checkers, some dice, and if the child was old enough a set of chess pieces.

So that's what we're going to do this go-round of "Build It", we're going to build a Box Hockey set. It makes a great birthday gift, or save it as a surprise for those heat-wave days coming up. It's also a great family project, simple enough to have the little ones pitch in. It makes it more special when they help.

If you've never done any woodworking, no worries. The skills are basic, and power tools will speed things along but aren't at all necessary. The materials are readily available and inexpensive. I estimate the cost as around $40.00, which isn't bad for a from-the-heart gift that will last for years.

Next up, a detailed parts and measurement list.

*There are other versions of Box Hockey out there, including one that sits on the floor and the players stand on either side and use sticks to move the puck or ball into the opponent's goal. That variation may become a future "Build It" project.

Box Hockey posts:

Box Hockey - Part 2
Box Hockey - Part 3
Box Hockey - Part 4