All SmylieBoards start with a 5 foot by 5 foot sheet of Baltic birch plywood. This hardwood, either 1" thick or 3/4" thick, is perfect for Scrabble boards as it minimizes the expansion and contraction of the wood seasonally, meaning the acrylic grid and vinyl board design are not going to get damaged or warped.
I (Jackson Smylie) rent a shared woodworking shop in Montreal called Atelier Bon Train. Every board is made using a series of jigs - custom templates made by hand that let me cut standardized wood designs. I made a jig to cut the 19.75" diameter circle for the premium board, a jig to route out the 3/16" inset to place the acrylic grid, a jig to carve out the shape of the hinges for the folding board; the list goes on. A bottom circular plate made from a thin sheet of Baltic birch is added to give the swivel plate room to spin.
Once the wooden board is cut and routed to the proper shape, I start the finishing process. Every board gets sanded to 150 grit, splashed with water to draw out the surface wood fibres, and re-sanded to 220 grit. The wood gets stained with a water-based polyurethane stain, let to dry on a 9-storey Scrabble board drying rack. In a shared woodworking shop, real estate is limited, so we build upwards. Finally, 3 coats of polyurethane finish are applied to protect and seal the wood.
The last step of the process turns these boards from 8lb frisbees to premium and tournament-standard Scrabble boards. I designed the Scrabble game board on Inkscape with slightly warmer colours than the typical Scrabble board, closer to the original Scrabble colours. This gets custom printed on a vinyl sticker by a company in Montreal. Using FreeCAD (and lots of help from Claude.ai), I developed a 3D grid design, which I get manufactured in acrylic by a company in China. I order 8" swivel plates from a separate company in China.
The vinyl sticker adheres nicely to the birch wood, with the help of a heat gun to smooth out any creases or bubbles. Next, I apply aquarium-grade silicone around the perimeter of the vinyl board, countersink a hole in the middle of the acrylic grid, and screw it into the centre of the board. A second layer of silicone is applied around the perimeter to ensure moisture protection. The swivel plate gets screwed into the bottom and - voila.
This summarizes the process of making a premium wooden Scrabble board. It does not include the months-long process of research, testing, learning, and failure. I learned how to make these boards through trial and error, and at every step of the way I was met with a failure or a challenge. Every screw, every corner of wood, and every component of the board has been chosen based on previously failed tests.
While I am very happy with the look and feel of the SmylieBoard, I am happy to receive feedback, both positive and negative. If you have any ideas, questions, or comments, please do not hesitate to reach out. Thank you.