Looking for new ways to bring the party outdoors? By special request, I was asked by a friend to whip together something in a few days for an outdoor party to keep guests entertained. Goal here is to make something that can be used as a golf cornhole board, but also dub as a potential beer pong table down the line.

This project really is quite simple, as there are a number of templates online for spacing of cups that you can simply print out use as a template for your pilot holes. One small ask changed all that. The need was for the cups to be flush to the board being held up only by the rim. To ensure there was enough structural integrity to not break the plywood in between each rim, I needed to add 3/8″ spacing between each row. Here’s how I did it.

Materials

• 3/4″ Plywood ripped down to 2ft x 4ft
• Side Rails 4ft x desired height
• 3/8″ dowels

Tools

• Power Drill
• 3 5/8″ Hole Saw
• 1 3/4″ Hole Saw
• Orbital Sander
• 12″ Speed Square
• Right Angle Ruler

Instructions

1. Measurements. Take your time here, as the spacing will determine 99% of the projects success. Since the project will consist of 3 rows, in an inverted triangle, the most logical place to start was with the first cup, which needs to be centered evenly across the width of the board. Simple. I outlined a square representing 3 7/8″ (the diameter of each cup).
2. Once complete, I used a mitre gauge (which happens to be 3/8″) to set the distance for the next row to start. To keep square, I pushed the gauge against a 12″ speed square. A framing ruler would work as well.

3. For the second row, I marked lines 3/16″ from center on each side, and created the boundaries for the next two cups. One trick to find center on a square is to draw an X from opposite corners. The point of intersection is your center.

4. Repeats step 2 and 3 to create your 3rd row. I also added smaller points 3 1/2″ from each corner for shot glasses. Sorry for the faint colour.
5. Notch each drill point with the head of a screw and pre-drill. This will make sure your larger hole follows the path and doesn’t slide as you apply force.

6. Clamp the boards together. Since I’m making 2 of these things, I lined up my two boards flush and clamped them together with what I had readily available. You absolutely do not want one of the boards running on you while you drill.

7. Given the diameter of a party cup is 3 7/8″, I grabbed a 3 5/8″ hole saw to make these holes. That should give me 1/4″ of total leverage, or 1/8″ around the rim to hold the cups from falling through.

8. Perfect. Once the holes were completed on the first board, I removed the clamps and used the pilot holes on the second board to complete the second board.
9. Next up, I used a 1 3/4″ hole saw to cut out the 2 shot glass holes using the same method above.

10. Sanding. Everyone’s favourite job… I used an orbital sander with 80 grit to get rid of all the splinters. My router happened to break on me during my decking project, so while that’s out in service – I just used an orbital sander to round out all the edges… on both sides of each board. I used a 120 grit on each ring hole and sanded the inside by hand, again rounding the edges on both sides.

11. For the side rails, I ripped 2 cuts through the table saw at 4.5″ wide, and then stood them up perpendicular to the board. I marked off the 10 inch point from each end to indicate where the dowels will go.

12. I got this cool little center drilling guide online that I placed over the markings and drilled a 3/8″ drill bit through. Since there are 2 boards, 2 rails and 2 holes on each side panel, this totaled 8 holes. I then drilled the same hole on the actual boards.
13. My holes were about 3 inches deep into the side rails, so I made 8 cut s at 5″ (leaving 2 inch overhang using 3/8″ dowels and inserted them with glue into the rails. Once dry, this meant I could remove the rails and reinsert them into the slots when required.
14. Now that the core was complete – I did a second pass of sanding for the rails and the cornhole board at 180 grit for a smoother finish. Now all you have to do is paint!

I had to complete this project in 2 days in time for the party, so as time became more of an issue, I forgot to take some last minute photos. I only got 1 coat of paint and no sealer on this project, but overall I do like the look of the natural wood on the single coat of black.

If my buddy decides to keep this, then I will likely have to take it back to complete the paint and finishing process at a later point.

Anyways, a few holes and some quick sanding can go a long way in making some ordinary plywood into something beautiful.

If you are looking for more weekend projects, hit up our weekend project category for more ideas. Hope you enjoyed this project!

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