# Double Six Dominoes and Box



## darrink (Sep 7, 2009)

I always wanted to make a set of double six dominoes. I remember as a kid I used to play with my grandparents when I went to visit them in the summer.
I built this set using the template from Rocklers, but I laminated the wood myself. It's two layers of oak and the face is mesquite. The oak I purchased, but the mesquite I milled myself from some logs that came from a tree where my grandmother lived, and my dad grew up.

I built them to donate to my Knights of Columbus council for an auction at our pancake supper we have every year as a fund raiser.

I took them to work to ask a few people that play dominoes regularly what they thought. I already have two orders, and a third person offered me $134.00. That's all he had in his wallet. I politely declined his offer an invited him to the pancake supper to join in the fun of the auction, and enjoy some good food.


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## wbh1963 (Oct 11, 2011)

Hello Darrin,

Thanks for sharing your domino set with us! Your creation blends the elegance of simple function and superb craftsmanship together nicely.

I can remember playing dominoes when I was younger and always wanting a set bigger than double twelves. I feel challenged to create a set for my own use that I keep adding pieces to as time permits.

I am curious as to what dimensions the tiles turned out to have. I'm thinking about going with 1/2" thick, 1 inch wide and 2 inches long.


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## darrink (Sep 7, 2009)

wbh1963 said:


> Hello Darrin,
> 
> Thanks for sharing your domino set with us! Your creation blends the elegance of simple function and superb craftsmanship together nicely.
> 
> ...


Thanks Bill! Your close on you estimation of the finished size. Actually 1" x 2" x 5/16". The thickness turned out a little less than what I wanted, only because of my inexperience using the special drill bit that comes with the Rockler template set. I was shooting for 3/8" thick, as this is the thickest they can be and still fit in the box that I built for them using the plans I downloaded from Rockler.

I had originally wanted more thickness to the mesquite side, but found after I started drilling the dots, I had to take more off to make the dots larger. The special drill bit that comes with the template set will only go so deep.

All in all I am happy with the results, and have laminated more wood more my next set.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

The set turned out nice Darrin. I am sure they will see a lot of action; what finish did you use?


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## darrink (Sep 7, 2009)

Mike said:


> The set turned out nice Darrin. I am sure they will see a lot of action; what finish did you use?


Thanks Mike! I hope the winning bidder puts them to good use. There is no finish on any of it. I sanded them and the box by hand with 1500 grit and then used a cotton cloth to burnish them.

I was / am reluctant to put a finish on them, as I'm not sure how long it would hold up. I kind of like the nature look, and the patina it acquires over time. I am open to suggestions about a finish if anyone has some ideas. I had thought about using some paste wax, but truthfully, I never have liked staining a finishing. Not that I don't like the look, but the work itself just doesn't do much for me.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Darrin, a very simple solution to protect the wood is Watco Danish oil. Just follow the directions on the can and it will soak into the wood to seal the pores and protect it. This produces a nice hand rubbed finish that should look super on your set. Watco comes in different tints and clear.(What I would use to let the beauty of the wood come through!)


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## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Well done Darrin I trust the auction will go well for you and your cause. I used to live in Katy Tx, we now live in Dallas, Ga., My youngest son still lives in west Houston.


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## darrink (Sep 7, 2009)

Mike said:


> Darrin, a very simple solution to protect the wood is Watco Danish oil. Just follow the directions on the can and it will soak into the wood to seal the pores and protect it. This produces a nice hand rubbed finish that should look super on your set. Watco comes in different tints and clear.(What I would use to let the beauty of the wood come through!)


Mike,
Thanks for the idea about using the Watco. I mentioned I didn't really enjoy finishing, but I do enjoy refinishing gun stocks, and had thought about using some Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil. The down side to this I would only be able to do one side at a time. If I went with the Watco, could you give me some ideas on techniques for be able to do more than one side at a time. When I say side, I'm counting edges too.

Thanks!


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## wbh1963 (Oct 11, 2011)

Thanks for your reply Darrin. 1/2" is definitely the maximum thickness I am considering. Given that a double 25 set has 351 pieces and a double 36 has 703, I should probably be thinking more about 1/4".

I was surprised to learn that you didn't apply a chemical finish at all to them. Much like you, I prefer the natural look when it comes to appearance. Having played the game a lot, I also understand any chemical finish would get put to the test, especially the sides with the dots on them, which need to be 'shuffled' face down.

Considering my 'ongoing' quest to find useful applications for 'hardwood flooring samples' and a long time desire for a 'double 24 or bigger' domino set, this thread is a slam dunk win in two different categories!

Thanks again!


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## darrink (Sep 7, 2009)

xplorx4 said:


> Well done Darrin I trust the auction will go well for you and your cause. I used to live in Katy Tx, we now live in Dallas, Ga., My youngest son still lives in west Houston.


Thanks Jerry! I hope your right about the auction, I always enjoy raising money for a good cause.
Does your son do wood working also. I grew up in west Houston some years ago, but then it was way on the out skirts of town, almost country. It was in an area called Spring Branch.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Get some 1/4" plywood and hammer some brads through it in a grid pattern close enough so when you turn it over the points will support the domino's. Dunk the domino's in the Watco oil and let the excess run off and place them on the points. Wait an hour and dunk them again and wipe off the excess and return them to the points. Let them dry and buff with a soft cloth.


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## Kao3133 (Jan 30, 2012)

Looks great! I've been looking into making a set as well, but the the template is kind of expensive. I was going to try and do it without a template. What do you think?


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## wbh1963 (Oct 11, 2011)

Kao3133 said:


> Looks great! I've been looking into making a set as well, but the the template is kind of expensive. I was going to try and do it without a template. What do you think?


I don't have the template either and don't feel inclined to buy one

I am certain that I will have to put some energy into making jigs, and it will probably take more time than buying a template. In my case I know that I want to go to double 21's at a minimum, so the average template probably wouldn't work for me.

Odds are that I will end up having to build a drill press table to pull this off. I am thinking of a two piece construction with one piece drilled entirely through before lamination so that I can 'stack' blanks to do multiple pips per boring action.


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## darrink (Sep 7, 2009)

Kao3133 said:


> Looks great! I've been looking into making a set as well, but the the template is kind of expensive. I was going to try and do it without a template. What do you think?


Thanks Kim! I was not going to get the template either, but I had a 20% off coupon, so I went ahead and got it. I has two templates, screws and a special bit.

As Bill stated, I too was going to use a drill press, but I do not have a table and fence for my drill press yet. I am going to build one, and I may try and make a set of dominoes on it without using the template. My thought was to set the fence and a stop on the fence to make the dot, and do every domino that had a dot in that spot and then adjust the fence for the next dot and repeat the same procedure for every domino that needed that dot and so on.

There is one thing I should mention. Rockler sells the bit for the template separate, and the neat thing about it that I did not realize is the bit is rounded on the end, not pointed, so it leaves a nice rounded but dot. I will get a picture tomorrow if I remember.

Here are some pictures of the making of the box for my next set.

Thanks again for the kind words, and let us know how your set turns out.


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## darrink (Sep 7, 2009)

Mike said:


> Get some 1/4" plywood and hammer some brads through it in a grid pattern close enough so when you turn it over the points will support the domino's. Dunk the domino's in the Watco oil and let the excess run off and place them on the points. Wait an hour and dunk them again and wipe off the excess and return them to the points. Let them dry and buff with a soft cloth.


Mike,
I have to say, I thought of that, but that's a lot of brads. 84 if I use three per domino to be able to do the whole set at one time. I guess if I plan on making more, it would be worth it.

I wonder if the oil would fill in the dots. If I had to wipe each dot that would take awhile also.

I'll let you know how it goes if I do it on my next set. This set is going to auction Monday evening.


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## wbh1963 (Oct 11, 2011)

darrink said:


> ....but I had a 20% off coupon, so I went ahead and got it.


Coupons have that affect on me to!



darrink said:


> As Bill stated, I too was going to use a drill press, but I do not have a table and fence for my drill press yet.


I am still using a very crude, but somewhat functional table/fence for my drill press that is nothing more than a 2x4 nailed to a 4' x 1' piece of 'previously used' particle board shelving. C-Clamp it to the press table, and clamp stops where I want them along the 2x4 that serves as the fence.

One good thing about the 'Domino Quest' is it will motivate me to craft up a much nicer press table that is capable of supporting the precision required to put a 36 holes in one square inch of work piece.



darrink said:


> My thought was to set the fence and a stop on the fence to make the dot, and do every domino that had a dot in that spot and then adjust the fence for the next dot and repeat the same procedure for every domino that needed that dot and so on.


I know a quick way to get it done is just to get a solid 90 stop point positioned where the first hole goes, and then add 'spacer' pieces in between the workpiece and the stop for successive holes in the same row. Trying to use spacers to step both axis directions at the same time would get a little clumsy. So I figure set the stop, do six holes by inserting different sized spacers, and then move the stop for the next row.



darrink said:


> Here are some pictures of the making of the box for my next set.


Great pictures! I like your approach to the 'box point jig' challenge. I have seen a lot of different ones. Yours has a 'Texas sized' push block for certain.

As for insuring the bottoms of the holes get rounded out, not quite sure I am going to handle that. I'm might end up cutting a dimple into the lower layer through the upper hole after lamination, probably just by hand with a couple twists of the right sized cove bit.


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## darrink (Sep 7, 2009)

wbh1963 said:


> Great pictures! I like your approach to the 'box point jig' challenge. I have seen a lot of different ones. Yours has a 'Texas sized' push block for certain.


This box joint jig design is just like the Oak Park box joint jigs, I just made it myself. I actually built it last night just before I built the box. This is the very first time I've made box joints on my router table, I have always used my table saw and a dado blade. There has been so much positive talk on the forum about the Oak Park jigs, I thought I would build one and try it out. The forum doesn't lie, this was a breeze use, and it didn't take long to build.

I have to admit, the first cuts on test pieces were disappointing, probably because I was using the first 1/4" two flute straight got bit I ever bought, and I do me the first, which dates it about 18 years old. I broke down and pulled out my brand new one year old never used solid carbide spiral upcut bit, and all I can say is WOW!! What a difference, in finish fit and noise level. The push, as you can tell, is nothing fancy.



wbh1963 said:


> As for insuring the bottoms of the holes get rounded out, not quite sure I am going to handle that. I'm might end up cutting a dimple into the lower layer through the upper hole after lamination, probably just by hand with a couple twists of the right sized cove bit.


I'm not sure I follow you on this? It sounds like there will be holes all the way through?


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## Scottey66 (Feb 1, 2012)

Great job Darrin, would love a set of them, maybe one day I'll have a go

Cheers
Mike


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## wbh1963 (Oct 11, 2011)

darrink said:


> This box joint jig design is just like the Oak Park box joint jigs, I just made it myself.
> 
> I have to admit, the first cuts on test pieces were disappointing, probably because I was using the first 1/4" two flute straight got bit I ever bought, and I do me the first, which dates it about 18 years old.


Of the myriad of designs I considered, my first (and only) attempt for a router table specific one was based on the simple Oak Park approach of moving the workpiece across a key for each cut.

Also like you, this is something I have been doing for a while using a dado equipped TS, and in my case a RAS as well. I did get the jig to the point it
was working well enough to be 'usable', then I boxed it up and went back to work programming ( I seem to get paid a lot more for that than I do for 'playing woodshop'.....

Once again our stories cross. I was using a Harbor Freight, 2 flute 1/4" straight bit. I also have a Skil 1/4 straight from their $20.00 3 bit straight bit set. I just felt like trying out the HF bit, since a 15 bit set was tossed in with the router when I bought it. The cheap bit did end up doing ok with the fir, but was tearing the hell out of the western red cedar.



darrink said:


> I broke down and pulled out my brand new one year old never used solid carbide spiral upcut bit, and all I can say is WOW!! What a difference, in finish fit and noise level. The push, as you can tell, is nothing fancy.


Now that is something I really needed/like the chance to have read on this topic. I have been considering trying out the spiral-up-cut bits, and your comment suggests that I should make it more of a priority.



darrink said:


> I'm not sure I follow you on this? It sounds like there will be holes all the way through?


I am thinking about two layers. A base layer that is 2x as thick as the face layer.
Right now I am thinking more about 1/4 and 1/8 for a total of 3/8. 1/4 & 1/4 is also an option. Three sets of layers that are 1/8 is possible, but would double the glue, so I am not likely to do that for my personal set, but would do it in a heart beat for a custom order set.

The face layer will be drilled through entirely so the pips can be spaced with higher precision and speed.

A few twists of a tiny cove bit, the same diameter of the pip hole, by hand, should cut a shallow dimple into the base layer, rounding out the bottom of the pip.


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## Psyrco (Feb 5, 2012)

Nice! enjoy it!


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## darrink (Sep 7, 2009)

I will have to consider the auction a success. The dominoes went for $225.00. However, my wife's homemade peanut brittle went for $325.00, so I'm a little confused on that. Supply and demand I guess.

Thanks for a great comments and suggestions!


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