How to Make a Cornhole Board

The official dimensions for cornhole boards are 24 inches x 48 inches.

• The back legs are 12 inches high.
• Each board has a cornhole that is 6 inches wide, centered 9 inches from the board’s top.
• There are 8 cornhole bags with 4 bags of each color. You can use 6-inch x 6-inch premade bean bags or make your own. Each bag holds one pound of corn or plastic pellets.

To build your own entire cornhole board game from scratch, you’ll need:

• (2) 2x4 sheets of 1/2-inch plywood
• (4) 2x4x8 framing studs
• (4) 3/8-inch carriage bolts
• (16) washers
• (8) nuts
• 3/8-inch galvanized washers and nuts
• 3-inch wood screws
• 1 1/2-inch wood screws
• Exterior paint or stain
• Drill
• Circular saw
• Rafter square
• Sanding sponge
• Paint supplies
• 6-inch hole saw
• 9/16-inch wrench
• 1/2-inch foam insulation board (optional)

Tip: You can also get readymade 1/2-inch x 2-foot x 4-foot cornhole playing tops or make your own.

Below are the pieces you will need to measure out and cut for your DIY cornhole board game:

• Use a carpenter square to mark a 25-degree angle at the end of a 2x4. Cut along the angled line.
• Measure 12 1/4 inches from the long side of the angle and mark a straight line. Cut the board on this line.
• This creates one leg. Repeat the process until you have four legs.

If you don’t have a carpenter square, cut four legs to 12 1/4 inches long. Place a mark at 10 5/8 inches on one narrow side and use a straightedge to draw a diagonal line from this mark to the end of the leg. This line will be approximately 25 degrees.

Cut the other 2x4s as follows:

• For the top and bottom, mark and cut four 21-inch lengths.
• For the sides, mark and cut four 48-inch lengths.

Tip: Lay a piece of 1/2-inch foam insulation board on top of your workspace for a cutting pad. Carefully set the depth of cut so that the blade will only cut partially into the foam as it extends below the lower surface of your workpiece. A piece of 1/2-inch foam board will last for many cuts and makes the operation of a saw easier and safer.

To assemble the bases, position two 21-inch boards between two 48-inch boards in the shape of a rectangle.

• Get the edges of the first corner flush and clamp them to your work surface before driving in the screws.
• Follow this procedure for the rest of the corners.
• Use self-drilling screws. Or pre-drill pilot holes to use regular wood screws.

Follow the instructions below for your particular type of top:

• Attach a pre-made, pre-cut cornhole top to your frame using 1 1/2-inch wood screws.
• Sand and attach a plywood board to your base using 1 1/2-inch wood screws.

Use a 6-inch hole saw attached to an electric drill to carefully cut out a hole 9 inches from the op of the board and 12 inches from the side. Or draw a 6-inch circle with a compass and cut it out with a jigsaw.

Safety Tip: Use caution when using a 6-inch or larger hole saw. It can grab the wood and twist the drill out of your hands.

• On the square end of each leg, mark a point 1 3/4 inches from the end and 1 3/4 inches from the side. Drill a 3/8-inch hole at this point.
• On the square end of each leg, make a mark one inch in from each side, then mark one inch down each side from the end. Connect the marks with a line to make a 45-degree cut line. Clamp each leg to the edge of your workspace and cut along these lines.
• Use sandpaper to round off the corners.

• Flip the cornhole board facedown.
• Place a leg in each of the corners on the end with the cornhole. The rounded end with the hole for the carriage bolt should be toward the corner.
• Place a piece of cardboard below the leg. Leave a 1/2-inch gap between the end of the leg and the end board of the base. Clamp the leg to the side of the frame.
• Use the 3/8-inch hole on the leg as a guide to drill through the frame. Make sure there is enough clearance for the leg to rotate.
• Attach each leg to the frame using 3/8-inch carriage bolts, adding two washers on each side of the leg bolt and nuts. Thread a nut onto the bolt and tighten it, then thread on another nut and tighten it, using it as a “jam nut.”
• Test leg to make sure it will rotate freely.
• Flip the board upright and measure to ensure that the top corner stands 12 inches tall.
• Repeat on the other cornhole board.

• Sand and and paint your cornhole board with exterior paint or use exterior stain. Official cornhole boards have a semi-gloss finish so use a semi-gloss paint or cover with semi-gloss polyurethane.
• Allow the boards to dry completely.

Tip: Place cardboard under the cornhole boards to catch any paint drips.

Here’s how to make a cornhole board game competitive and more fun:

Setup:

• Place board one and two 27 feet apart from front edge to front edge.
• 2-4 players will choose a right or left side to play on.
• Start the game at board 1 and alternate pitching until each player/team has pitched all 4 bags.
• Players then walk to board 2, tally the score and play board 2.

Scoring:

• 3 points: Bag passes through the hole.
• 1 point: Bag lands and remains on the wood surface.
• 1 point: Bag hangs on the hole.
• 1 point: Bag is hanging off the edge.
• 0 points: Bag is on the playing surface but touches the ground or another cornhole bag on ground.

Basic Rules:

• The first to get to 21 points wins.
• Bags must be pitched underhand.
• Keep feet behind the line at the front of the board until pitch.
• Teams or players must stay on the same side (left or right) of the board for the entire game.
• A coin flip starts the game.
• If a player goes out of turn or their foot goes past the foul line, they lose the throw and any resulting points.