Serial - N/A Full Size AT&T POPBox Board #3

Photo #1 of the third AT&T Board prior to sanding beginning

This is the third POPBox Hockey full sized board that we are making out of the 30+ year old AT&T Phone room wall mount wood donation we received.  Again, This game board wood is 3/4" thick and good thing as a lot of the wood is being removed to sand them smooth!

History: There were two boards that were pulled off the wall which we were able to cut up and get six total game boards out of.  The edges of the board had some water damage and some was just plain so old it was falling apart.  The CENTER of these boards were salvageable so we took them outside, turned on the old skill saw, and cut them to our specs.  The wood is now cut in to game boards and the wood actually looks FANTASTIC!

Photo #2 of the third AT&T Board showing half way through round 1 of sanding

This third AT&T board is the third POPBox Hockey board of 5 that are being made in this run, a first for us making more than one at a time.  The FRONT of the original AT&T board is going to be the game surface and therefore the glue had to be removed from the back BUT is still present to maintain this boards character! The back was not used as there were some cracks in the wood that would have taken TONS of poly to correct.  There were some old wood valley's but these all but came out during round one of sanding. After round three of sanding we expect the game surface to be mostly smooth but expect that extra layers of Polyurethane will need to be applied to make the play surface glass smooth. There are also two 1/8" screw holes that will be along the goal walls. These holes will be left in the game board as they will not affect game play as they are so close to the wall AND we really believe 30 year old character like this is important to maintain in each board!

Pictures will be posted here as the third AT&T POPBox Hockey board made from the AT&T boards build moves along so that you can see what is done to make these boards!   Eventually this board will receive its serial number and the title will change but for now it is titled as is

 Day 2:

Got the side boards and goal end boards picked for AT&T Board 3.  Next we get them measured and cut, the middle board isnt measured or cut until the entire board is squared up with corner clamps so that the exact size can be determined. The middle board becomes a REAL headache if its too long or too short during the assembly step.

AT&T Board 2 with its sides and goal ends!

Starting to resemble a game board, love it!


We always love the step were the first fit test is done. The boards FINALLY look like something!

Day 3:
We squared up the boards and determined if they need to be trimmed. This board needed no trimming. The goals are cut and the middle board is measured, cut and fitted.  Once its fitted the middle slots are cut. Finally we cut the corner banks and the goalies are now cut. 

All the pieces, waiting to be assmbled

Day 4:
We did a TON of sanding sanding sanding!  Then we did a final dry fit up.  This board lines up nicely but there is one of the long side boards that will need to be straightened during assembly.

Dry fit, Looking Good!





Serial - 201205008fs005mpjh Full Size Stained Full Hockey "AT&T Board #2"

This is the second POPBox Hockey full sized board that we are making out of the 30+ year old AT&T Phone room wall mount wood donation we received.  This game board wood is 3/4" thick, the thickest game boards we have used to date and had wall mount glue on it.

History: There were two boards that were pulled off the wall which we were able to cut up and get six total game boards out of.  The edges of the board had some water damage and some was just plain so old it was falling apart.  The CENTER of these boards were salvageable so we took them outside, turned on the old skill saw, and cut them to our specs.  The wood is now cut in to boards and the wood actually looks FANTASTIC!

Picture of AT&T Board 2 PRIOR to glue being made and any sanding is done.



This second AT&T board is our second POPBox Hockey board that is being sold.!  The back of the original board is going to be the game surface and therefore the glue, which was more than AT&T board #1, had to be completely removed.  After round one of sanding the game surface is SUPER smooth, the glue is gone but there are two 1/8" screw holes that will be along the goal walls. These holes will be left in the game board.  They will not affect game play as they are so close to the wall AND we really believe 30 year old character like this is important to maintain in each board!

Picture 1 of the AT&T Board 2 game surface AFTER the glue was removed

Pictures will be posted here as the second for sale POPBox Hockey board made from the AT&T boards build moves along so that you can see what is done to make these boards!   Eventually this board will receive its serial number and the title will change but for now it is titled as is



Picture 2 of the AT&T Board2 after glue and removed and awaiting the second round of sanding (using finer grit)

Day 2:

Got the side boards and goal end boards picked for AT&T Board 2.  Got them measured and cut to fit, the middle board isn't measured and cut until the board is squared up with corner clamps. The middle board becomes a REAL headache for assembly if its to long or to short.



Boards picked for AT&T Board 2!

We always LOVE this step, fit up makes it look like something!

Day 3:
We squared up the boards and determined if they need to be trimmed. This board had one 1/8 inch trim on one of the long boards AND we had to cut a one of the goal boards completely new!  The old one was cupped beyond use!  The goals are cut and the middle board is measured, cut and fitted.  Once its fitted the middle slots are cut. Finally we cut the corner banks and the goalies are now cut. 

All the pieces except the goalies are present and accounted for, ON TO SANDING!

Day 4:
We did a TON of sanding sanding sanding!  Then we did a final dry fit up.  This board lined up really nicely! We should only need to straighten, a little, one of the long side boards.

Good looking Dry Fit!



COMPLETE (with a couple days in there somewhere):

We decided to try a new stain on this board.  We bought "Pickled White Oak" with the intention of making the playing surface more white like hockey ice.  After first application we stepped back and had initial thoughts of, well flat out, YUK! :)  However, after the second coat of polyurethane it started looking really sharp!! It has made its way in to a solid option!

This boards construction went really well.  No modifications were needed upon gluing and screwing the boards together.  We did put 6 "screws" in to attach the four corners and in to the mid ice board to attach it to the sides AND WHAT A DIFFERENCE!  We have always, to date, used finishing nails and were struggling with obtaining a tight, straight fit using the finishing nails.  We would always get there during construction but it often to a little clamp work to get it done.  Using the screws, the boards sucked in real tight and real straight!  This process is now the new "norm" and we do still use finishing nails to secure the corner boards to the walls (they are also screwed in to the playing surface). 

All in all this board came out fantastic!! It really makes us ecstatic here at POPBox Hockey to see scrap 1x4's and 25+ year old plywood become a game that will hopefully be used, enjoyed, cause a little blood...just a little :) , and make people smile and have fun for another 25+ years!

Thanks to "Beth" for asking us to build this one for her for helping us to get the next donation board (POPBox Hockey Donation full sized board #2) paid for.  It should be delivered in July. 

Thanks again Beth!!

PICS of the final product:

Serial - 201205007fs004mpjh Full Size Stained Full Hockey "AT&T Board #1"

This is the first POPBox Hockey full sized board that we are making out of the 30+ year old AT&T Phone room wall mount wood donation we received.  This game board wood is 3/4" thick, the thickest game boards we have used to date!

History: There were two boards that were pulled off the wall which we were able to cut up and get six total game boards out of.  The edges of the board had some water damage and some was just plain so old it was falling apart.  The CENTER of these boards were salvageable so we took them outside, turned on the old skill saw, and cut them to our specs.  The wood is now cut in to boards and the wood actually looks FANTASTIC!

Pre final sand (The glue was removed previous to tonights work)

Post final first round sanding.  Two more rounds coming but this board, with the glue removed, is looking FANTASTIC!

This first AT&T board is our first POPBox Hockey board that is being sold.!  The back of the original board is going to be the game surface and therefore the glue had to be completely removed.  There are a couple dings in the game surface but they should not be a factor once the poly has set.  Lastly there are two 1/8" screw holes that will be along the goal walls that will be left in.  They will not affect game play as they are so close to the wall AND we really believe character like this is important to maintain in each board!

Pictures will be posted here as the POPBox Hockey board build moves along so that you can see what is done to make these boards!   Eventually these boards will receive their serial number and the title will change but for now they are titles above.

Day 2:

Got the side boards and goal end boards picked for AT&T Board 1.  Then got them measured and cut, the middle board is not measured or cut until the board is squared up with corner clamps so the exact size can be determined. The middle board becomes a REAL headache during assembly if its to long or short.

Side boards and goal end boards. The middle board and corners are also cut from this wood

 Side and goal easy set together to quick check fit!

We always love the step were the first fit test is done. The boards FINALLY look like something!

Day 3:
We squared up the boards and determined if they need to be trimmed. This board had two 1/8 inch trims needed on each of the long boards.  The goals are cut and the middle board is measured, cut and fitted.  Once its fitted the middle slots are cut. Finally we cut the corner banks and the goalies are now cut. 

Day 4:
We did a TON of sanding sanding sanding!  Then we did a final dry fit up.  This board lined up really nicely!

Look at that Board 1 Dry Fit!

COMPLETE!

This board was completed just before Memroial Day Weekend 2012 and was ultimately purchased as a gift to a 6 year old Hockey Fanatic named "Jake"!  This board had its fair share of issues but in the end came out real smooth and real clean assembled.  The middle board did experience a crack when one of the mounting screws was driven in (First time this has happened) but we poly-ed it 8 times to cover it so not to affect gameplay.  You could say we kind of "Added" our own game imperfection... :).   This board had 7 layers of polyurethane put down on the playing surface, 3 more than normal but I wanted to make this board as smooth as possible as I knew the Hockey guru that was getting it would want SOLID, smooth ice! haha :)

We did our second message burning on the bottom and although it looked good, we know there is still practice / experience needed in this department!  Message burning always makes these boards more personal to us here at POPBox Hockey when we get them completed and that is something we love!!  "Happy 6th Birthday Jakers!"  :)

Letting this board and the other AT&T Popbox Hockey boards go has been tough because it is SO COOL to see scrap 1x4's and 25+ year old plywood constructed in to a new game and hopefully being used, played hard on, smiles all around for another 25+ years!  What an awesome way to help the planet stay a little greener AND provide a fun game for a great kid that will be mastering it for years to come!

Thanks to the two awesome people that thought this would be a good gift idea!!  We surely enjoyed making it!!

NOTE:  We did not get a chance to take pictures of the final product but I believe the two that bought it may have snapped some for us or perhaps the new owner could get a few and e-mail them in.  If I get them Ill put them up.

Serial - 201203006MS003PPJH: Mini Size Stained "Hockey Rink" DONATION

Serial: 201203006MS003PPJH  

This mini is a full hockey layout stained mini POPBox Hockey board.  It is the first mini board for sale and is the first board that we have "in stock" :)!  The hockey pattern is the now standard blue goal crease, two red face-off circles, a blue center ice circle, blue lines and a red center line.



This board was made from the remaining pine plywood piece from the first donation full sized board and from 1x3 contractor reject pine boards that we purchased from the local hardware store.  It was made in the same run as the first full sized donation board.  It came out really nice, no major flaws at all, the grain is nice and the game deck finished real glossy and smooth.  The puck really FLIES around on this mini!!   The large side pieces needed to be straightened a bit during assembly as the board had a length wise concave bend to it.  This was easily straightened by screwing down the middles and then pulling the boards out as we glued and screwed in the ends.

This board still has the flawed bottom stain (its the bottom though so we are OK with it! :)) as we determined that the bottom wood burning, serial number placement (Birth of the board!), titling, and staining needs to take place after assembly but before polyurethane begins on the top.  Should make for a cleaner bottom look, we will see with the forthcoming four board run.  This board also has high face-off circles (Red ones).  We may try moving these closer to the goal boards on the next mini board run.

Our proudest mini board to date! Its hard for the staff to give it up (we do still have mini board #1 in house BUT its quality is very sub par to this one)!

Serial - 201202004MS002PCJH: Mini Size Stained "Hockey Rink"

Serial: 201202004MS002PCJH

SECOND RIOT Games POPBox Hockey Donation board!  Wahoo! for our donation goal continuing to materialize!  The board is official tonight, 04/08/2012, as the serial number went on the bottom of the board and the bottom will be stained and poly'ed in the coming week.  This donation POPBox Hockey is the second donation board produced by RIOT Games and is going to the Richfield Public Schools 5th Annual Wellness Expo as a door prize!  This is very exciting for us because our primary goal as a company is to make these boards for donation to youth centers, events that benefit youth, etc!  Congratulations to Richfield on their 5th annual Wellness Expo. congratulations to the family, person, or persons that win the door prize, and if you need information on how to play, etc send me an e-mail and we would be happy to help out!

This board was the second mini POPBox Hockey board made by RIOT Games AND the second donation board!   It was made with a pine game board leftover from the second full size POPBox Hockey board and contractor cast away Cedar 1x3s bought at a local hardware store. Mini POPBox Hockey boards are intended to be the board that can be brought easy to friends houses, trips, campgrounds, you name it! One use the the owner has made of the mini is to keep it at his work desk.  Additionally, they are easier to store than the full sized boards.

This mini  board is stained with the early, no blue line, "Hockey Rink" standard pattern which is a goal crease, a red line on the top of the center board and the blue center ice and red face off circles.  This mini board did not have the blue line yet as this was added to the "Hockey Rink" pattern after its production.  The goal crease and center ice circle were the first water stained colors and the red face off circles were still stained with oil based stain. There is NO goalie options for the mini, there is no need for them! There were/are some imperfections with this board as the build guidelines were still rough and exact locations were not yet determined for the pattern PLUS this was the second mini board made!

The play is fast on the mini boards as the checker piece or puck bounces around A LOT with the smaller board and smaller goal AND the goals come quick with all the bouncing.  That being said, a direct shot needs to be exact with so little give between the pipes!

Serial - 201203005FS003PPJH-D: Full Size Stained "Hockey Rink" DONATION

Serial: 201203005FS003PPJH-D

First RIOT Games POPBox Hockey Donation board!  YES! for our donation goal taking off!!  The board is official tonight, 04/08/2012, as the serial number went on the bottom of the board and the bottom will be stained and poly'ed tomorrow and Monday.  This donation POPBox Hockey is the first EVER donation board produced by RIOT Games!!  This is beyond thrilling for us because our primary goal as a company is to make these boards for donation to youth centers, silent auctions benefiting youth, etc! This boards donation destination has not yet been determined but some leading candidates are on the short list!

This board was the fifth board made by RIOT Games and labeled as a "POPBox Hockey" Board.   It was made with a pine gameboard and contractor cast away Pine 1x4s bought at a local hardware store. These boards all had quality grain in them but they were not very straight.  Much work was put in to straightening them upon construction.  Thankfully, turned out really nice!

This board is the first fully complete board stained with the "Hockey Rink" standard pattern which is a goal crease, a red line on the top of the center board, blue lines, the blue center ice circle, and red face off circles.  This board was the first with the blue lines included as no previous board had them.  The goal crease, the center ice circle, the blue lines, the red face off circles and the center red line are all water stain applied.  This change is now standard (previously we used oil stain for the red circles and lines) as the water stains make much improved lines and circles.  This board was meant to be a board that can be and should be played hard while withstanding young children abuse! There was one imperfection on one of the goal end boards where it was cracked slightly.  This imperfection was kept and is now just part of the boards personality and does not affect gameplay.

This board will be pictured  on the donation full size boards product page as well as a couple shots on  the www.popboxhockey.com main page in the coming week.   Pictures of the board will also be posted here on Monday when the board is complete.

Yeah!!

Serial - 201202003MS001PCJH: Mini Size Stained "Hockey Rink"

Serial: 201202003MS001PCJH

This board was the first mini POPBox Hockey board made by RIOT Games.   It was made with a pine gameboard leftover from the first POPBox Hockey full size board and contractor cast away Pine 1x3s bought at a local hardware store. This was the first mini that was made because the owner wondered what to do with the left over pine plywood from the first board.   It was only after this board was made that RIOT Games decided to make mini POPBox Hockey boards. Now the mini POPBox Hockey boards are intended to be the board that can be brought easy to friends houses, trips, campgrounds, you name it! One use the the owner has made of the mini is to keep it at his work desk.  Additionally, they are easier to store than the full sized boards.

This mini  board is stained with the early, no blue line, "Hockey Rink" standard pattern which is a goal crease, a red line on the top of the center board and the blue center ice and red face off circles.  This mini board did not have the blue line yet as this was added to the "Hockey Rink" pattern after its production.  The goal crease and center ice circle were the first water stained colors and the red face off circles were still stained with oil based stain. There is NO goalie options for the mini, there is no need for them! There were/are some imperfections with this board as the build guidelines were still rough and exact locations were not yet determined for the pattern PLUS this was the first mini made!

This board is pictured on the home page and mini POPBox Hockey boards section on  the www.popboxhockey.com main and product page.  This board has quickly become a favorite of the owners oldest son.  The play is fast as the checker or puck bounces around a lot with the smaller board and smaller goal AND the goals come quick with all the bouncing.  That being said, a direct shot needs to be exact with so little give at the goal.

Serial - 201201002FS002PPJH-G: Full Sized Stained "Hockey rink"

Serial Number: 201201002FS002PPJH-G

This board was the second board made by RIOT Games and labeled as a "POPBox Hockey" Board.   It was made with a pine gameboard and contractor cast away Pine 1x4s bought at a local hardware store. These boards were all purchased the same time as the last board.  It was only after this board that the determination to use reclaimed or recycled wood was written in to the RIOT games company goals!  It was made as a gift to one of the owners very good friends sons for his birthday!  We thought it would be a good use for the second board ever made AND this friend was often at the same REC center back in the 1980's were this wooden game was originally played / discovered.

This board is the first to be stained with the "Hockey Rink" standard pattern which is a goal crease, a red line on the top of the center board and the blue center ice and red face off circles.  This board did not have the blue line yet as this was added to the "Hockey Rink" pattern after its production.  The goal crease and center ice circle were the first water stained colors and the red face off circles were still stained with oil based stain.  This board was meant to be a board that can be and should be played hard while withstanding young children abuse! There were some imperfections with this board as some of the build guidelines were still rough and exact locations were not yet determined for the pattern.

This board is also pictured  on the stained full size boards product page on  the www.popboxhockey.com main page.  The owner and his friend have played on this board once and the record stands as the friend has 1 victory, the owner 0.

Serial - 201201001FS001PPJH: Full Size Stained "Elegant"

Serial Number: 201201001FS001PPJH

This board was the VERY first board made by RIOT Games and labeled as a "POPBox Hockey" Board.  Remember the VERY first table top box hockey played with Popsicle sticks and checkers was made by one of the owners and his grandfather for personal play and did not yet have a name nor company behind it. It was made with a pine gameboard and contractor cast away Pine 1x4s bought at a local hardware store.  It was made to build out the specifications of the POPBox Hockey board and play with gameboard design.

This board is stained with the "Elegant" standard pattern which is just a goal crease, no other Hockey lines or circles, and stained with oil stain versus water stain.  This board is meant to be a show pieces but do not mistake it as ONLY a show piece, this pattern can be and should be played hard!  Its just that the adults do not have to put it away when company comes over.

This board is and will always remain as part of the companies in house boards.  You just cannot give up serial number 1 and it has its "learning curve" special features (Mistakes is another word for it).  This board is currently most of the wooden pictures on the www.popboxhockey.com main page.  The owner and his sons due play on this board regularly and as far as can be recalled, the son is about even with Dad on wins versus losses! :)

Serial Number Journals Anouncement

We have got the serial numbering system worked out so that you can identify your board on multiple facets! These include; which number overall your board was, which number of the exact model it was (ie: Full Sized Stained is one model), the month and year it was crafted, species of wood used (Oak, Pine, etc), and who the crafter (in the off chance there are ever other crafting persons working for RIOT Games).

We are going back and putting serial numbers on all in stock boards and will have them posted here by Thursday, March 29 2012.  Boards receive a serial number the day the side boards are screwed to the base as this is when the board becomes official.  The only thing that happens after this is polyurethane application (Painted models are already painted), waxing, and labeling.  None of these would cause us to not release a board for sale.