Editors note: With the holidays upon us, were looking through the magazines and books we own for fun handmade gifts things that you can build in not too much shop time, but that will help to create a lifetime of memories for the recipients. Holiday Project Post five is for the Pint-sized Pickup. Click here for a Craftsman style Wall Shelf. Click here for a Heirloom Photo Album. Click here for two turned Spindle & Glove Wooden Ornaments.
The January 1989 issue of American Woodworker
Heres an action game that you and your kids will enjoy for many years to come. It’s easy to play. Simply launch a wooden top from one end of the field. The gyrating top roams from room to room, knocking over wooden pins known as skittles. The object of the game is to knock down as many skittles as possible to get the most points.
The playing field is a box made from
Before you start cutting, read the instructions once or twice and study the drawings so youll know how things go together.
Cut all the plywood parts to the dimensions shown in the drawing. Cut the dados with a dado head table saw or with a
Next, you will need to cut out the top and door openings at one end of your box. Mark centerpoints as shown in the drawing and drill on these centers to form the radiused comers of the openings. It is possible to stack four small dividers, drill and then cut them all at once. After drilling the holes, cut out the openings with a coping saw, handsaw or saber saw. Sand all the plywood parts before assembly.
Assemble the box, except for the bottom and the strips that secure the bottom in place, with glue and small finishing nails. Be sure to keep everything square.
Place the bottom board in the rabbet at the bottom of your box. Once the bottom is in place, mark where all the walls will be located. Drill pilot holes to attach flathead wood screws to the bottom of the wall by counter-sinking the holes.
Paint or stain the walls of your game board. Then paint the bottom board white. Apply two coats of white paint, sanding lightly between coats. Rub the final coat lightly with #0000 steel wool and paint the pin markers and score numbers on the bottom. Black enamel could also be used. I used an ink-based drawing pen. The numbers are all placed so that they can be read from either the playing or end of the board.
Once you have painted the numbers and circles, apply varnish to the bottom board. When dry, rub the surface lightly with #0000 steel wool. Apply a coat of paste wax and screw the bottom to the box. Glue in the strips that secure the bottom in its rabbet.
The top, 15 pins and the top string handle between the centers of the lathe can be turned from a hardwood like maple, cherry, or poplar. You can paint the pins or top it up. Attach a 38 cm-long string to the handle and you are ready to go.
The Game
Place the game on a flat surface and set the skittles on their spots. Wind the string around the top and insert the top in the slot at the end of the board. The string should be supported with one hand in the box. With the other hand, give it a steady pull. The top will spin, knocking down any skittles it comes across. You can speed up the game by raising the end of your game board
The game can be played in one of two ways. One player may reach a certain number of points (e.g. 100), while the other player may take a predetermined amount of turns with top. In the latter, the player with the highest number of points at the last turn is the winner.
Try flattening the top with a file or piece of sandpaper if it tends to stay put and not move around. This makes the top less stable and more inclined to wander.
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