For my sister-in-law’s Lake Tahoe wedding last weekend, Keith was asked to make a DIY Jumbo Jenga. Sure, I’ve seen them around Pinterest a bit, and of course thought they looked super cool. The sweet thing is that now I have an awesome hubby who can make such cool things. Even cooler is that the man doesn’t need instructions, but you explain what you want/need and he can figure it out. So, I thought I’d let all of you benefit from his sweet skills, and share his tips and tricks with you. Soon you’ll be off having a blast with friends, family, and all who see you playing, because let’s face it – they will be jealous!
Traditional Jenga is made up of 54 pieces, so all we are going to do is make them bigger. Of course, you can add more pieces and have an even bigger set! We’re going to set you up so you can get enough smooth pieces from the wood you buy, and/or so you have a few extra pieces in case any get lost.
For jumbo jenga (aka lawn jenga), here is what you will need:
(6) 8 ft kiln dried 2x3s (approx. $2 each)
chopsaw
Each 2×3 will get cut into approximately 13 7″ pieces. If you decide to go bigger and use 2x4s, you will cut them to be 10.5″ long. The easiest way to measure each piece is to first mark the wood at 7″, and partially make the first cut using the chopsaw. Before cutting all the way through, look where the wood hits the chopsaw table, and mark the table with a pencil. This will be your guide for the remaining pieces. So much faster than marking the wood up.
You will be left with some extra pieces, but you may find bad spots in some, so it’s nice to have extra. This type of wood was smooth enough that we didn’t need to sand, but you can opt to do that if your wood is rough.
So, where will you take jumbo jenga? It’s perfect for any 4th of July parties you are throwing, or attending, this weekend!
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