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Kubb is a fun Swedish yard game for 2-12 players that is similar to horseshoes or bocce. It always attracts a crowd when we play the game on the beach, and I’ve yet to meet a player that doesn’t want a set of their own after a couple of rounds.
Warnings
The Kubb set that I am presenting here is not exactly standard, but the Kubb Governance Committee rarely travels all the way to a tiny beach town in Massachusetts to harass me about it. My king is 4″ taller than normal simply because I think it looks better. It makes no difference in game play. If someone is at the point that they’re knocking down the king, four inches of height is not going to matter much. Also, my throwing batons are 2″ longer than is generally accepted, but they have a little more weight and feel better than the standard ones. If you fear the rules committee, you can shorten the batons and king to the 12″ standard, but I’m telling you that the odds of getting caught in an international kubb scandal are pretty low.
Also, this requires a saw, so don’t cut your friggin’ fingers off.
Materials and Tools
All the materials can be found at your local lumber yard or home center for less than $20. You’ll need:
- 6′5″ of 4×4 non-pressure treated lumber (there are a lot of chemicals in pressure treated that I didn’t think would be as safe as using regular lumber.)
- 7′ of 1.5″ wooden closet pole
- masking tape (optional)
- a saw (preferably a table or chop saw)
- a table router (optional)
Building the Set
This shouldn’t take more than an hour.
- Create the King
Cut 16″ off of the 4×4. This is your king. Hail him. If you want, you can rout a line 4″ from the top to dress him up. If you really want to get fancy you can make the top look like a crown. I’m a minimalist. And lazy. And I love my fingers. So my monarch got a line routed all the way around, but no crown. - Make 10 Kubbs
Rip 1/2″ off of two adjacent sides of the remaining five feet of 4×4 to create a solid 3″ x 3″ beam. If you’re doing the math and this doesn’t add up, a 4×4 is really only 3.5″ x 3.5″.
Cut the beam you just made every 6 1/8 inches to create the kubbs. The extra 1/8″ is to account for the wood lost by a standard saw blade.
- Make 6 throwing batons
Cut the 7′ of closet pole every 13.9″ (you’ll lose 5/8″ to your cuts, and if you don’t account for it at the start, your last baton will be a 1/2″ short). Wrapping a piece of masking tape around the pole and cutting through it will minimize the number of splinters that break off the ends of the batons when you make your cuts.
And that’s it. Clean up all the sawdust, load the set into a strong bag, and head out to your next BBQ or beach party to spread the love.
Get a Copy of the Rules
Check my Illustrated Rules of Kubb for complete rules.
And that’s all there is to it. Now you can take your set, throw on your viking helmet, and go forth to conquer the yards of America this fall.
So what do you think? Are you going to make a set?
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September 10th, 2007 at 11:42 am
“similar to horseshoes” and “fun” do not belong in the same sentence. at least, not to my snobby self.
September 10th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Actually, the fact that it’s “similar” and not “exactly like” horseshoes means that the word “fun” probably does belong in that sentence, or at least the phrase “more fun”, cause honestly, horseshoes can be pretty fun depending on who you’re playing them with.
I’m gonna have to check this out and see if I can’t get a kubb set made.
Not sure where I’d play it, but it’d be nice to have.
September 11th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Oh it’s fun. Let me tell you. It’s huge, viking helmet wearing, village plundering fun. I wish one of the guys from work that made a set would drop a comment to prove it.
September 11th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
When will we see the DIY Jarts directions? Now that’s wholesome family fun.
I have to admit that while playing Kubb, I had to urge to sidearm one of the baton at the legs of one of the strangers walking by on the beach to see if I could knock them over a-la TJ Hooker.
September 12th, 2007 at 7:33 am
I laughed out loud at the TJ Hooker reference.
September 12th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
Id love to make one of these!
September 18th, 2007 at 4:34 am
Made a set over the weekend. Turned out great. Thanks for the good game. It’s perfect since I’m heading off to UC Davis (Lots and lots of fields) next week.
http://kennethfinnegan.blogspot.com/2007/09/kubb.html
September 19th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
I’m from the Kubb Governance Committee and you’re in big trouble matey
November 3rd, 2007 at 8:42 pm
Who can/wants to make one for me and how much would you charge? (I”m in Georgia and want to give it to my husband for Christmas).
November 20th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
never heard of this game. Looks interesting.
November 28th, 2007 at 8:41 am
Hey I just stumbled across your site while looking for a place to buy Kubb. I’ve already got a set that I bought in Denmark, but now my sister wants a set for Christmas because she had so much fun playing it at my other sister’s wedding this summer.
We didn’t actually play Kubb during the wedding, although that may have made the ceremony more enjoyable…
Anyway, nice site. I’m going to forward it on to my Dad.
November 28th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Thanks for easy instructions, my son is going to make and present the game for a scouting badge,he even suggested we paint medieval motifs on the kubbs and king…thaks again
February 17th, 2008 at 12:35 am
This is a great game I’ve played both in Sweden and here in the US. My husband is currently making a set for the coming summer. Try playing it with experienced players at first, and you’ll get the rules down (that they play with anyway), and you’ll want to teach someone else so you can play wherever you are.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
I’ve just bought a Kubb set but I want to make it slightly heavier and to prevent too many dents. Would you use wax or oil to treat the wood? This is a great game and addictive too. I’m praying for sunshine to get out and have a go!
June 20th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I think the only way you could reduce dents is to buy a hardwood like oak or fur (bamboo maybe?), but that might up the cost of your set quite a bit. Considering it’s a wooden version of a smash up derby, the less you spend on the set, the less you’ll be worry about it when it gets a little banged up.
I’ve had a set for years and it has a little bit of wear, but it’s really not as bad as you’d think, considering I usually play on sand and I’ve never treated a set with anything. If you treat the wood, remember that whatever is on the wood is probably going to end up on your hands and clothes by the time you’re finished…
June 21st, 2008 at 9:21 am
Thanks, Jon. Think I’ll just give it a good old hammering and see how it fairs! Way I see it, a few dents will give it character.