Easy DIY Tic-Tac-Toe

As you might have figured out, my grandpa has a wood shop and I love spending time with him there.  It's fun to take a slab of wood and create something fun along with lasting memories.  Each year I try and make a few gifts for family or friends with him.  A few years ago, I made these boards and they were the easiest thing I've made.  Seriously, a few cuts and some sanding and that's basically it.  And they are cheap too, so I thought I'd share.

What you need:

One (1) 1" x 8" x 8' board

Glass beads (or something to use for the "x"s and "o"s) & letters

[tools]

sander / sand paper

measuring tape

saw (we used a table saw)

1. Grab a 1" x 8" board from Home Depot like this, it's about $10 but you can get 12 boards out of it

2.  Now cut the whole thing down to 1" x 7" 

3.  Now cut 7" squares so they look like this:

4.  Alright now you're going to cut 4 grooves.  We practiced on a scrap piece of wood to get the depth right, 1/8".  We used a table saw, but you could use a hack saw.

These grooves are going to be cut at 2 3/8" & 4 5/8" (or simply 2 3/8" from the outer edges)

5.  Turn your board and make two more cuts/grooves.

6.  Don't forget to sand it, just to smooth it a bit, get all the sharp edges/slivers off

 

7.  Now for your "x"s and "o"s.  I bought these clear beads from The Dollar Tree and cut out the letters on my Cricut using black vinyl.  The options here are really endless...you could paint them, use marker, use something else completely. 

Now play a couple games ... just for fun:)

Wrap it up

Throw the "x"s and "o"s in a bag or something cute & fun

Then tie it all together with some festive string or ribbon

And there you have it!  Super easy gift, cute and fun for the whole family!  And... super cheap too!  Less than a buck for each one!  I love how these turned out!  And like I said, the possibilities are endless...you could stain the board, paint the board, make different "x"s and "o"s, whatever your little crafting heart desires!

Happy Crafting!

Total Time: 1 hour
Total Cost: $15 ($10 for board, $5 for 5 bags of beads)