Wood-Burned Catan Board

Would you like to create a handcrafted board for your Settlers of Catan game? You can easily make this keepsake for yourself, or give it as a unique gift. Included here are thorough instructions, and wood-burning templates.

Supplies

• 1/4 inch sheet of pine plywood
• Bandsaw
• Computer
• Copy machine
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Wood file
• Palm sander
• 220 grit sandpaper
• 10d nail
• Wood burner
• Various colors of stain
• Chip brushes
• Stain rags

Step 1: Cutting the Tiles

Scale the provided hexagon template down, until the sides are 3 inches apart. Print it off, and trace nineteen hexagons onto a sheet of 1/4 inch pine plywood. Cut them out on a bandsaw, and sand them down with 220 grit sandpaper. Arrange them in a large hexagon shape, to insure that the sides are even, and well-fitting.

Step 2: Cutting the Border

Scale the provided border template, to fit around the nineteen hexagons. Trace six of them onto a sheet of 1/4 inch pine plywood. Cut them out on the bandsaw, and use a wood file to create the puzzle piece shape at each end. Sand them with 220 grit sandpaper.

Step 3: Transferring Designs to Tiles

Scale the five templates, to fit the hexagon tiles. Print them off. Place the design on a tile, and using a 10d nail, press the nail along the lines of the design, so that when the paper is removed, there is a faint indent in the soft pine. Trace over the lines with a pencil, to make them more visible.

Here is a list of how many to do of each design:

1 Desert

3 Mountains

3 Clay Bricks

4 Logs

4 Sheep

4 Wheat

Step 4: Transferring Design to Border Pieces

Using the same technique, as in the last step, transfer the ship design to the border pieces. I provided pictures of each border piece, so you would know what designs went on each ship.

Step 5: Wood Burning and Staining

Using a universal point, wood burn all of the tiles and border pieces. For stain, I used Varathane Summer Oak Wood Stain for the Border, and American Chestnut for the tiles.

Step 6: Finished Catan Board

Step 7: How to Play

Below, I provided a PDF file of the rulebook, for those who do not know how to play.