Well, I finally did it. I joined the ranks of Catan boards, made on a Glowforge. For the Thanksgiving holiday, my daughter and her boyfriend came to visit. Of course they were here for 2 weeks so they could properly quarantine. And of course we weren’t really going anywhere, so I suggested we pick something to make on the Glowforge. They picked a Catan board. We started with the Glowforge design and added some of the admins found on Etsy for the edges and pieces. Next we picked out some wood that would be fun. We started with proof grade walnut, maple and red oak and added woods like Padauk, Wenge, Mahogany and Purple Heart. Note, none of the wood is dyed or stained, we did put a clear lacquer on it to help protect it, but that is all. I tested the designs and then we began printing, and printing…and printing. In the course of the week we finished the board and only added color to to waves on the edges and the game pieces. And what started out as a way to pass some time quickly became the most elaborate and expensive print I have ever done. Now, don’t think I am complaining, because it was a great way to spend time with the kids and the result, well I think they speak for themselves…
Of course, once we finished the board, we realized there was no good way to store it or take it home with them. All we had were paper plates holding the pieces, so we had to make a box! Unfortunately I didn’t start designing it till 11:00pm the night before they left and didn’t finish printing it till 3:00am. So it has a bit of tape holding it together, (Too late to properly glue it. So when they get home they can do that), but still for a last minute plan, and surprise for the kids when they woke up…
We even has some stuffing for the box to make sure everything survives the ride home.
Anyway, I wanted to share it everyone. Love to hear what you think of the woods and how it came out. Also, for those of you thinking about making one of these, just know it is a lot of work, but we thought it was worth it. Every time we thought of taking a short cut, we just kept saying, “well, it is a nice catan board…”
Happy Holidays everyone, I hope you are finding ways to combat the crazy world out there with many of your own projects and here’s hoping you get the chance to share them with others. It was truly a wonderful gift.
