How to Make Your Own Wooden Yard Dice for Less

A few weeks back I was browsing my local Crate & Barrel's extensive line of stylish outdoor furniture and summer entertaining accessories. I was scoping out their outdoor games when I spotted a set of five Wooden Yard Dice. I have many fond memories of playing Yahtzee with my grandparents, so I love the idea of introducing my kids to some fun dice games while playing in the yard this summer - but the $60 price tag of the Crate & Barrel dice made me do a double take! Hello DIY project inspiration!

DIY Yard Dice: Supply List

The dice from Crate & Barrel are 3.5 inch cubes, so I knew that a 4x4 piece of lumber from a hardware store would be perfect {because despite the name, a 4x4 is actually closer to 3.5x3.5 in dimension}. After looking at all of the 4x4 options, we selected a 10 foot length of Douglas Fir because the boards were in better shape than most of the others types of wood we looked at - with fewer cracks and large knot holes. From this one board, we were able to cut more than 30 3.5 inch cubes - enough for 6 sets of 5 dice.

• 4x4 Douglas Fir Lumber {10 ft length is enough for 6 sets of dice} - $12.84
• Chop Saw {I used my dad's} or have them cut at your hardware store for a small fee per cut
• Hand Held Electric Sander - already owned
• Sand Paper - Coarse Grit & Fine Grit - already owned
• Rust-Oleum Wood Stain {color: Summer Oak} - $5.48
• Foam Brush {for applying stain} - $.98
• Rag {for removing excess stain} - already owned
• Expressions Vinyl Black Outdoor Permanent Adhesive - $7.45
• Fiskars .6" Circle Punch - $5.99 {on sale at JoAnn}
• Black Canvas Drawstring Bag - $2.50/each from JoAnn {on sale}
• Iron-On Transfer Paper for Dark Fabric - $.70/sheet {1 sheet per bag} 

The total cost of all the supplies was just under $52. From these supplies, I created 6 sets of dice, complete with carry bag, bring the total per set to less than $9! Quite a steal compared to the $60 Crate & Barrel price tag! 

DIY Yard Dice: Tutorial

STEP 1: Cutting the Dice

I took the 10 foot long board over to my dad's house, and we used his chop saw to cut it into more than 30 3.5" cubes. Because we didn't have an appropriate jig, we clamped a 2x4 to the saw to serve as a guide for cutting each cube to exactly 3.5 inches.

We quickly discovered the chop saw, which has a 10 inch blade, is just slightly too small to cut all the way through the 4x4. With each cube we cut, we were left with one uncut corner.

We were able remedy this situation by simply using a hand saw to cut through the final corner of each cube, but if you are able to use a chop saw with a 12 inch blade, rather than a 10 inch blade, you could avoid this extra step and speed up the process.

We were able to cut a total of 32 cubes from the 10 foot long board, but two of them we discarded because of knot holes. This left us with 30 good cubes, perfect for 6 sets of 5 dice.

STEP 2: Sanding the Dice

Once all the cubes were cut, I sanded all six sides of each die with a hand-held electric sander. I began with a coarse grit sandpaper, then repeated the process with a fine grit sandpaper to achieve a nice, smooth finish on each die.

The 4x4 had slightly rounded edges, but the cuts we made with the chop saw created, crisp 90 degree cuts. As a result, each die had 4 rounded edges and eight square edges. I wanted each edge of the dice to look the same, so I used the sander to round the square edges, which turned out to be much easier than I expected.

As you can see in the side by side comparison, the wood grain on the cut sides of the dice was pretty rough when I started, but, after a little sanding, each die was a nice smooth cube, ready for stain.

STEP 3: Staining the Dice

I typically prefer darker stain colors, but when choosing a stain color for my DIY yard dice, I decided to stick with a fairly light color to ensure that the black dots would easily show up, even from a distance. I chose Rust-Oleum's wood stain in Summer Oak.

I applied the stain with a foam brush...

...then used a white rag to wipe off the excess stain.

STEP 4: Adding Pips to the Dice

I love DIY projects because you always learn something new in the process, and in this project, I learned that the dots on dice are called "PIPS." Rather than trying to paint the pips on the dice, I decided to take the easier route by creating stickers from an outdoor rated, permanent adhesive vinyl.

I had used this same adhesive vinyl for several past projects, including my LOVE scrabble tile coasters, so I knew it would hold up well even if exposed to moisture in the grass.

To cut the pips, I purchased a .6" inch circle punch at JoAnn. After testing the punch on the vinyl, I determine that in order to get a nice, smooth cut I needed the punch to cut through the vinyl first, and then the backing {punching from the backside of the vinyl first resulted in chewed up edges rather than a nice, smooth circle}.

Each die requires 21 pips, for a total of 105 pips per set of 5 dice. Fortunately, cutting the pips is super quick and easy using the punch. I just punched all the circles into a small kitchen bowl to

Before applying the pips, I did a quick Google search to determine the correct placement of the numbers of each side of a die. I learned that the 1 and 6 are on opposite sides, the 2 and 5 on opposite sides, and the 3 and 4 on opposite sides.

To apply each pip, I simply peeled the backing off of the vinyl {which comes off really easily} and stuck the dots on to the dice. In order to get the spacing of the pips right, I used the removed backing from prior pips to layout a 3x3 grid on each side - then removed them one by one and replaced them with the black vinyl stickers in the appropriate places.

After sticking on each pip, I pressed it down to make sure there was a good seal around the edges.

STEP 5: Creating a Carry Bag for the Dice

The Crate & Barrel dice come in a nice, drawstring carry bag, so I decide to create the same for my dice. I picked up some black, canvas drawstring bags from JoAnn {on sale for half price}. I designed a simple label for the bags which I printed onto dark color iron-on transfer paper, and then I ironed the labels onto the bags.

Want to make your own? Download this free printable version of my Yard Dice iron-on carry bag label! 

One of my favorite dice games is Yahtzee {download the rules here; and printable score sheets here}, but there are endless games you can play with up to five dice. Here are a few more five dice games to get you started: Snake-Eyes, Beat That, Run for It, Dice-1000 and Stuck in the Mud.

I can't get over the fact that I was able to make six sets of dice for less than the cost of one set at Crate & Barrel. I gave one set to my husband and one to my dad for Father's Day, and the other sets I am going to hang on to as future gifts. 

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