“Annual Crawford Cribbage Championship”.......UPDATE

Just opened it, great work it looks awesome. The only minor flaw is that the slide on the back is really difficult to pull out and the metal is a little rough. I might have put a wood lip on the metal bar that followed the router edge so that you could pull on something without the sharp edge. Other than that I really like your work, the dark trim turned out wonderfully. The tournament starts tonight. You should definitely put this on your website.

Merry Christmas, Adam - Seattle, Wa

From Seattle, Washington comes this request to create a family heirloom. They wanted to start a tradition that could be carried on for years.

This is the sample layout they gave me to start out with, along with several other guidelines.
(select photos for enlarged size)

After considering all of their requests this is the layout that we ended up with.

It will be a three person board with their family crest in the center.
The dates will be lasered into the wood. and the names are placeholders for where engraved plates will be added each year with the name of that years winner.
There will be a slot routered on the back to hold the custom metal pegs, as well as a keyhole slot so it can be hung on the wall while not in use.
This family tradition will be a focal point of  family get togethers for many years to come.

The actual physical creation begins.. here is the board being glued up. The piece will be 14 inches wide and 20 inches long out of hard maple. Along each edge I have glued a 1 inch strip accent of dark walnut to add some class to it.

Here is how the boards looked coming out of glue up. The dark walnut stripes set off the maple board quite well.

The tracks have now been drilled using a Shopbot CNC routing system.and the lasering of the family crest and the tournament years are next.

Here is the board as it is being lasered. This Epilog lasering machine is amazing, turning blanks pieces of wood into stunning displays.....
 

Here is the board after lasering has been completed using the Epilog lasering maching.
The spaces below the years there will be a brass plate installed for each years winner.

This project is nearing the end.
The edges have been rounded over.
The key hole slot in the back to hang it on the wall for display has been routed, and the slot has been routered in the back to hold the custom metal pegs.
In the peg out hole I inserted a nice walnut circle to highlight the hole.

Now some hearty sanding and application of the finish.....

Poly coats has been applied....some fine sanding.....
then this nice board will be packed up and headed towards Portland, Oregon before December 22, 2009.
There it will become a part of this years family holiday tournament and others for years to come.

Best of luck to the players and the ultimate winners....I have greatly enjoyed working on this project.

For more information about ordering your own custom board go to:
http://www.splinterswoodworks.com/