Learning how to make cornhole boards is easy. The whole project comes together with plywood and 2x4s, so it will be relatively inexpensive. The official cornhole board dimensions are 2-feet x 4-feet with a hole 6-inches wide, centered 9-inches from the top of the board. Predrilled cornhole boards are available online at Home Depot. They will help make putting this game board together a cinch.

If you prefer to build your own plywood tops, purchase 1/2-inch thick plywood in 2-ft x4-ft project panels or a 4-ft x 8-ft sheet of plywood online from The Home Depot. The hole can be cut with a 6-inch hole saw and an electric drill but be very careful, a hole saw of this size is prone to grab in the wood and twist the drill out of your hands. Alternatively, you can draw the 6-inch circle with a compass and cut it out with a jigsaw.

Smooth plywood is the best choice and will save quite a bit of time when it comes to finishing your game boards.

You’ll need two types of wood and various fasteners to complete the project:

• Two sheets of 2-feet x 4-feet x 1/2-inch plywood (or two pre-cut cornhole board tops) 
• Four 2-inch x 4-inch x 8-foot framing studs 
• Four 3/8-inch x 4-inch carriage bolts 
• Sixteen 3/8-inch washers 
• Sixteen 3/8-inch nuts 
• Sixteen 3-inch wood screws 
• Twenty-eight 1 1/2-inch wood screws 

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. 

• 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 front and back, mark and cut four 21-inch lengths.
• For the sides, mark and cut four 48-inch lengths.

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

Attach a pre-cut cornhole plywood top to each frame using 1 1/2-inch wood screws.

• 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 form 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, rounded edge the end with the hole 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” tall.
• Repeat on the other cornhole board.

• Sand and paint your cornhole board with exterior paint or use exterior stain. This will make sure your cornhole board is protected from the elements when outdoors. 
• Official cornhole boards will have a semi-gloss finish. This can be obtained with semi-gloss paint or with semi-gloss polyurethane.
• Allows the boards to dry, according to the directions.

Playing a game with our DIY cornhole boards is fun and easy! The game can be played with two or four people. 

• Place the two boards 27 ft apart from front edge to front edge.
• Players start the game at board 1.
• Alternate pitching cornhole bags until each player/team has pitched all 4 bags.
• Players then walk to board 2 and tally the score.
• Play resumes from board 2 in the same manner, pitching back toward board 1.
• The player/team that scored in the frame before pitches first in the next frame. If neither side has scored, the first pitch is retained by the player/team who pitched first in the preceding frame.

Additional rules:

• Bags must be pitched underhand.
• Feet must be behind the line of the front of the board when the bag is released.
• The team/player must stay in their lane (left or right) of the board for the whole game, Changing sides is not permitted.

Understanding scoring is how to make a cornhole game competitive and more fun:

• Any pitch that lands and remains on the wood surface of the cornhole board is worth 1 point.
• Any pitch that passes through the hole in the board is worth 3 points.
• A bag that comes to rest touching the board and the ground does not count.
• The first team to 21 points wins the game.