The trip to the hardware store confirmed our suspicion that getting a nice piece of board the right size would be difficult (and expensive). So, plan B: got the guy at the hardware store to cut to size:
- one piece mahogany 1/8" doorskin 18"X18", for the top of the board. Obviously not a wood that would have been used historically, but it gives us a nice smooth surface to work on, and should look really nice as a finished game board.
- one piece 1/2" fir plywood 18"X18", for sturdiness.
Coated the back of the mahogany with Elmer's wood glue, using a brayer to make sure it's evenly spread, and pressed the two layers between larger sheets of plywood and applied weight, until dry.
For the game pieces, we decided to use soapstone. Walrus ivory was a common material, but kind of hard to come by for us... Soapstone is similar in some ways: can be carved easily, will polish up nicely, has weight and solidity that will give the game pieces a certain sense of value and importance. And, one of us happens to have a tub of various pieces of soapstone and alabaster, which is only slightly harder than soapstone. This way we can make the pieces for the two sides from different coloured stones. And, no extra expenses! The first step will be cutting out the pieces to the approximate size from the larger pieces of stone, using a hacksaw. Again, not exactly historically accurate, but likely some kind of saw would have been used for cutting the pieces to roughly the size and shape desired.
Here are some photos of the first steps in making our tafl board:
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The cut pieces of board - 18"X18" mahogany and plywood
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Various pieces of soapstone and alabaster
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The assembled raw materials
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Unpolished 'salmon' alabaster and black BC soapstone on the mahogany board
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Applying wood glue with a brayer to the back of the mahogany
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Pressing the two sheets of wood between larger sheets of plywood with the tub of stone and the Oxford English Dictionary (that ought to be weighty enough...)
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The 'raw' game board
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