Making your own backgammon table

Question: I'd like to turn a small table into a game table. I've seen checkerboard patterns done, but I'd like backgammon. Can you help me get started?

Answer: Absolutely. And this project is a lot easier than you might think.

Materials:

Small, unfinished wood table

Backgammon board

Sheet(s) of clear acetate

Tape

Medium-point permanent black marker

Small stylus or pencil

Dark green or black paint pen

Dark green or black wood stain pen

Light red wood stain pen

Yellow-gold wood stain pen

Copper metallic paint (optional)

Small decorative stamps (optional)

Large stamp with outlined design

Orange shellac

Stain brush

Our table, when finished, had a beautiful warm glow, which is achieved by finishing the piece with a product called orange shellac. But before you can put the finish on your table, you'll need to create the tabletop design. If you have a backgammon board on hand, you're a step ahead; if not, check with a few friends to see if you can borrow one that may be tucked away in the back of a closet.

To transfer the design from the board, purchase a sheet (or sheets, depending on the size) of clear acetate, available in art supply stores and craft centers.

Lay the acetate sheet over the game board and use a permanent black marker to trace the design of the gameboard onto the acetate. Once you've outlined the entire pattern, lay a sheet of graphite paper on the tabletop and place the acetate sheet on top, making sure it's centered on the surface.

Working carefully so as not to displace the pattern, trace over the design on the acetate with a small stylus or pencil. This will produce a copy of the pattern on the underlying tabletop.

With the design outline in place, you're ready to trace over it with a black paint pen. Unlike stain pens - which have a tendency to bleed - paint pens hold their original application, which makes them ideal for outlining. Once you've finished defining the pattern you're ready to fill in the solid areas of the original design.

To do this, you'll want to use a black wood stain pen with a beveled edge that will allow you to fill in small, hard-to-access areas. Using your original game board as a guide, fill in every other triangle. (Note: It's very important to fill in only the triangles that correspond with the solid triangles on the game board - otherwise your game will be affected.)

Now that your game board is complete, you can stop. But why not add decorative accents while you're at it? You can, for example, use the optional metallic copper paint and a small design stamp to add detail at the base of each open triangle. And, as a final detail, a large outlined design can be stamped outside each side of the game board at the center point. The outlines are then filled in with wood stain pens in yellow-gold and red

With the game board pattern and accents complete, all that's left is the orange shellac. Simply brush it on directly over the design using a stain brush.

After the stain has dried, simply add dice and game pieces and you're ready to play.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)