How to Make a Dart Board

Do you have a burning desire to be a gracious host and want all your friends to hang out at your place and have lots of fun while doing so? Well then you need to provide them with an incentive... namely some great social game that is addictive, fun and is conducive for creating some bonhomie. A dart board is a perfect game that is fun and addictive with the right amount of skills required to foster competitiveness. If you go to any local sports shop you will quickly realize that any decent quality dart board costs quite a lot. Instead of investing so much money on an expensive dart board, why not make one of your own. Making a dart board is not a very difficult project, once you have gathered all the essential supplies. The most difficult part of this project is to find the right material for making the dart board. You want something that is not too hard nor too soft. A hardwood board would be too thick and the darts will not be able to pierce the wood and stick to it. On the other hand if you choose a very thin ply-board, the darts will not stick to the board at all. The best material is something that is sturdy yet pliable enough for the darts to stick, without ruining the wall underneath. Cork works well for making a dart board and the best thing about it is that unlike wooden boards they are not very expensive. Given below are step-by-step instructions on how to make a dartboard.

Making a Dart Board from Scratch

As mentioned earlier to make a good quality dart board you need the right supplies. Here we will list all the materials required for making a dartboard, followed by the procedure to make it.

Things Required

• Corkboard
• Utility knife
• Sandpaper
• Fine grit sandpaper
• Permanent markers
• Ruler

Procedure

Before you construct a dart board, you should be aware of dartboard measurements. Here we will give you the measurements as we construct the dart board.

Prepare and Mark the Corkboard
Mark the center of the corkboard. With the help of a ruler, mark a point to the left, that is 9 inches from the center point. Again mark a point that is 9 inches from the center, but this time to the right. In short we are making a dartboard with a radius of 9 inches. Make sure that the two points lie on a straight line. Join the points so that you have an 18 inch long line. This is the diameter of the dartboard. Mark a circle on the corkboard with 18 inch diameter.

Cut Out the Outer Circle
Next cut out the 18 inch circle with the utility knife, taking care to get a perfect round shape. Lightly sand the edges of the circular corkboard with a fine grit sandpaper. This will smoothen the edges and give the corkboard a nice finished appearance.

Mark the Inner and Outer Bull's Eye
Once you have the corkboard ready, it is time to mark the bull's eye. For this you need to draw a circle, keeping the center-point of the board as its center. The circle should have a diameter of ½ inch. Now, with the same center-point, mark another circle which is 1 ¼ inch in diameter. Color the inner circle (I.e the inner bull's eye) a black color with a black marker pen and the outer circle (the outer bull's eye) in red color.

Mark the Double Ring and the Triple Ring
Once you have marked the inner and the outer bull's eye, it is time to mark the inner and the outer rings on the dart board. With the same center point, draw a circle of radius 4.25 inches. Draw another circle with a width of 8mm inside this circle. This is the triple score ring. Draw another circle with a radius of 6.75 inches on the board, along with a 8mm band inside this circle. This is the double score ring.

Divide the Dart Board
Once you are done with the basic layout of the dart board, divide the circular dart board into 20 equal sections, with lines radiating out from the center-point. Divide the area which falls between the outer bull's eye and the double score ring. Assign each slice of the ring a number ranging from 1 to 20 by referring to a regular dart board.

Color the Dart Board
Finally color each section of the dart board in two alternating colors in colors of your choice. This will make it easier for the player to ascertain in which section the dart has landed. Now mount your dartboard on the wall, with the center of the dart board installed approximately 5 feet 8 inches from the floor.

This is how you make a dart board at home. As you can see, making a dart board is not difficult and it requires only some simple calculations. Now that you know how to make a dart board, you can easily make one at home.