Hey there people. Just in need of a little help from your bounteous store of modding knowledge, this time, about wood. I am building one of these: Its a little sport, very popular back in the Indian subcontinent called Carroms. Essentially just pool, but played with discs and all the power in your fingers, Carroms is just a bit of family fun, and my mum claims to be an expert I was going to buy a board until I found that the local arts and crafts store (Ruddocks) charged £77 - an insane amount, especially since I could build one using the wood around the house for free. And now my predicament: I'm not sure how to put the right finish on the playing surface. What I need is a very smooth plywood sheet surface to be able to slide little plastic discs along. The lubricant of choice in this sport is talcum powder. So how should I go about getting a finish like the board above? Is there a particular type of varnish? Remember, it can't be sticky, and needs to be as smooth as fresh cut ice... Any suggestions? Thanks in advance, MGT
There is a similar type of game here called "knock hockey" or penny hockey. My uncle made boards all the time, and we made similar boards in the wood shop at day camp as well. In all those cases, shellac was the chosen finish. Have you considered something like Delrin or UHMW plastic? That would provide a super SUPER slick playing surface. It wouldn't look good and couldn't be easily painted, which is why I suggested shellac first.
Thanks Shellac looks to be just about right... though from what I have heard, the finish can potentially get damaged, and shellac might be susceptible to wear. I suppose I could paint it first and then go for something like UHMW plastic on top of it... Left to my own devices, I would go for something crazy, like an electric blue board with lights and street-style artwork on the playing surface... but since this is 'family fun' we're looking at, it'll go in the living room, where everything is made of oak and leather... so I think I'll be looking at a similar finish. I suppose some oak varnish, and a bit of chocolate leather for the edges might also be worth looking at... MGT
