<![CDATA[The Garden Gate - Real Pai Sho Sets]]> https://forum.skudpaisho.com/ Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:45:27 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[Making A Cheap DIY Pai Sho Board]]> https://forum.skudpaisho.com/showthread.php?tid=104 Tue, 15 Sep 2020 04:23:15 +0000 Skud]]> https://forum.skudpaisho.com/showthread.php?tid=104
Homemade Pai Sho boards are fun and unique. Making your own will give you a special board to play on that you’ll always be proud of and it will be a great conversation piece.

Here's my DIY board:
[Image: IMG_20200910_074833.jpg]

Here’s my suggestions on how to make a Pai Sho board cheaply without the need for any tools.


Here’s what I bought to use. I will list recommendations for cheaper options later.

Sample size paint - red $3.48
Sample size paint - white $3.48
Paint pen - black $3.98
24” Pine round $11.25
Yardstick $1
Paint brush $5

Tip: Look for a set of kids paints instead to reduce the cost. Since you don't need much paint, you might find something that has enough paint and also a brush or two to use already. But by getting the sample size paints I was able to choose my colors more closely.

For finishing:
Spray Shellac: $7.98
Super fine sanding sponge: $7.38

Any kind of lacquer or fine sandpaper will work, but I had these items already.

Things I assume you have:
- Pencils
- Scrap cardboard
- Scissors or a knife

You could also use an 18” pine round, which will cost about $4 less.

When using a Pine Round for making a board, I recommend going into the store so you can choose one that looks good and lays flat. Some warp more than others or have slight cracks or nicks in the surface or edges, or simply aren’t as good looking due to knots in the wood.


# Step 1 - Find the center of the board

I was surprised when I sat down to mark the center of the board that I had no idea how to find it! Here is one way - https://www.manmadediy.com/m/how-to-find-center-circle - and I will describe another way, which is what I did.

Using paper to find the center:
I figured my pine round was not going to be a perfect circle. Here’s how I used paper to find the center of my board:

- Tape some regular paper together to have a big sheet of paper that can cover the board. You could use newspaper, scrap paper, etc. Put it over the board and mark the edges so you could line it up on there again after taking it off.
- Take off paper and fold it in half, matching up the marks of opposite sides of the board. Unfold, fold in half matching up the other corners.
- Poke a hole in the paper at the intersection of the creases from your folds. This is the center of the board.
- Put the paper back onto the board, and make a mark on the board through the hole in the center.


# Step 2 - Measure and mark the important points of the board

You’ll want to either lightly draw the grid lines now in pencil, or simply mark the important points on the board. Start with the important points.

Remember that a Pai Sho board is an 18x18 square grid that’s cut into a circle. The edge of the base grid marks the outermost edge of the board, so most of that outer edge of the grid is cut off. After being cut to a circle, all the intersections visible inside the circle are playable. See SkudPaiSho.com to take a look at the playable points that are close to the edges to see which are playable. Note that on a coordinate plane with the center of the board being (0,0), the Gates are at (0,8), (8,0), etc. being 8 points away from the center. The diagonal Garden Lines of the board go through the points just before the Gate points, (0,7), (7,0), etc. Note there is a point that is 4 points to either side of a Gate point that is just barely inside the circle, and it is a playable point. You can draw the circle of your board slightly bigger to make those points more visible.

The numbers here will be for a large size board, with 1.25” squares. For a small size board, the math is easier since the squares are 1”.

- Use a straight edge to mark the leftmost and rightmost points of the board. Mark the points that are 8.75” (7 points away) and 10” (8 points away, the Gate points) away from the center. Lightly draw a line through all of these points, through the center of the board.
- Use something that’s a right angle to draw a perpendicular line across the board from top to bottom.
- Mark the points the same distances away from the center on the new line so you have marked all four corners of the board.
- Mark the 1.25” intervals along the center lines you’ve drawn.
- Draw the diagonal Garden Lines by drawing lines through the the points 7 away from the center.
- Lightly draw the main grid lines, note that they should intersect each other and the diagonal Garden Lines at the same time, so you can use that to make your lines even.

I also marked 9 spaces from the center after marking the Gate points, which is the edge of the board. I poked a hole in a scrap piece of cardboard and measured and poked another hole 9 spaces length away (11.25"). I held one of the holes on the center of the board in order to draw a circle around the edge of the playing field.

# Step 3 - Paint!

Now tape off the areas for painting - red in the Red Gardens and Gates and then white for the White Gardens. Just wait for things to dry between painting sections or colors, depending on how you tape things off.

After painting the Gardens, I could see the faint grid lines, at least in the unpainted Neutral Garden areas. Now you need to paint over those grid lines. I used a paint pen and a scrap piece of cardboard as a straight edge, but you could paint the lines with black paint and a thin paintbrush as well.

# Step DONE!

Afterwards, I used some shellac to put a nice finish on my board, but you can be done right there and you've got yourself a board Smile]]>
Homemade Pai Sho boards are fun and unique. Making your own will give you a special board to play on that you’ll always be proud of and it will be a great conversation piece.

Here's my DIY board:
[Image: IMG_20200910_074833.jpg]

Here’s my suggestions on how to make a Pai Sho board cheaply without the need for any tools.


Here’s what I bought to use. I will list recommendations for cheaper options later.

Sample size paint - red $3.48
Sample size paint - white $3.48
Paint pen - black $3.98
24” Pine round $11.25
Yardstick $1
Paint brush $5

Tip: Look for a set of kids paints instead to reduce the cost. Since you don't need much paint, you might find something that has enough paint and also a brush or two to use already. But by getting the sample size paints I was able to choose my colors more closely.

For finishing:
Spray Shellac: $7.98
Super fine sanding sponge: $7.38

Any kind of lacquer or fine sandpaper will work, but I had these items already.

Things I assume you have:
- Pencils
- Scrap cardboard
- Scissors or a knife

You could also use an 18” pine round, which will cost about $4 less.

When using a Pine Round for making a board, I recommend going into the store so you can choose one that looks good and lays flat. Some warp more than others or have slight cracks or nicks in the surface or edges, or simply aren’t as good looking due to knots in the wood.


# Step 1 - Find the center of the board

I was surprised when I sat down to mark the center of the board that I had no idea how to find it! Here is one way - https://www.manmadediy.com/m/how-to-find-center-circle - and I will describe another way, which is what I did.

Using paper to find the center:
I figured my pine round was not going to be a perfect circle. Here’s how I used paper to find the center of my board:

- Tape some regular paper together to have a big sheet of paper that can cover the board. You could use newspaper, scrap paper, etc. Put it over the board and mark the edges so you could line it up on there again after taking it off.
- Take off paper and fold it in half, matching up the marks of opposite sides of the board. Unfold, fold in half matching up the other corners.
- Poke a hole in the paper at the intersection of the creases from your folds. This is the center of the board.
- Put the paper back onto the board, and make a mark on the board through the hole in the center.


# Step 2 - Measure and mark the important points of the board

You’ll want to either lightly draw the grid lines now in pencil, or simply mark the important points on the board. Start with the important points.

Remember that a Pai Sho board is an 18x18 square grid that’s cut into a circle. The edge of the base grid marks the outermost edge of the board, so most of that outer edge of the grid is cut off. After being cut to a circle, all the intersections visible inside the circle are playable. See SkudPaiSho.com to take a look at the playable points that are close to the edges to see which are playable. Note that on a coordinate plane with the center of the board being (0,0), the Gates are at (0,8), (8,0), etc. being 8 points away from the center. The diagonal Garden Lines of the board go through the points just before the Gate points, (0,7), (7,0), etc. Note there is a point that is 4 points to either side of a Gate point that is just barely inside the circle, and it is a playable point. You can draw the circle of your board slightly bigger to make those points more visible.

The numbers here will be for a large size board, with 1.25” squares. For a small size board, the math is easier since the squares are 1”.

- Use a straight edge to mark the leftmost and rightmost points of the board. Mark the points that are 8.75” (7 points away) and 10” (8 points away, the Gate points) away from the center. Lightly draw a line through all of these points, through the center of the board.
- Use something that’s a right angle to draw a perpendicular line across the board from top to bottom.
- Mark the points the same distances away from the center on the new line so you have marked all four corners of the board.
- Mark the 1.25” intervals along the center lines you’ve drawn.
- Draw the diagonal Garden Lines by drawing lines through the the points 7 away from the center.
- Lightly draw the main grid lines, note that they should intersect each other and the diagonal Garden Lines at the same time, so you can use that to make your lines even.

I also marked 9 spaces from the center after marking the Gate points, which is the edge of the board. I poked a hole in a scrap piece of cardboard and measured and poked another hole 9 spaces length away (11.25"). I held one of the holes on the center of the board in order to draw a circle around the edge of the playing field.

# Step 3 - Paint!

Now tape off the areas for painting - red in the Red Gardens and Gates and then white for the White Gardens. Just wait for things to dry between painting sections or colors, depending on how you tape things off.

After painting the Gardens, I could see the faint grid lines, at least in the unpainted Neutral Garden areas. Now you need to paint over those grid lines. I used a paint pen and a scrap piece of cardboard as a straight edge, but you could paint the lines with black paint and a thin paintbrush as well.

# Step DONE!

Afterwards, I used some shellac to put a nice finish on my board, but you can be done right there and you've got yourself a board Smile]]> <![CDATA[3D printing Sets]]> https://forum.skudpaisho.com/showthread.php?tid=96 Tue, 23 Jun 2020 01:36:33 +0000 MrSns]]> https://forum.skudpaisho.com/showthread.php?tid=96
Just wanting some feed back on these pieces i have printed. I intend on printing a board as well, it just takes considerably longer to print. I have Fire nation tiles as well but no pictures yet. What other colours would you like to see?

Metal Clan tile

[Image: JPEG_20200620_133331.jpg]

Earth kingdom tile

[Image: JPEG_20200620_143343.jpg]

Fresh printed water tribe tiles

[Image: JPEG_20200621_234903.jpg?width=1214&height=911]

Fresh Printed Water Tribe tiles next to one of Skuds wooden tiles

[Image: JPEG_20200621_235556.jpg?width=512&height=910]]]>
Just wanting some feed back on these pieces i have printed. I intend on printing a board as well, it just takes considerably longer to print. I have Fire nation tiles as well but no pictures yet. What other colours would you like to see?

Metal Clan tile

[Image: JPEG_20200620_133331.jpg]

Earth kingdom tile

[Image: JPEG_20200620_143343.jpg]

Fresh printed water tribe tiles

[Image: JPEG_20200621_234903.jpg?width=1214&height=911]

Fresh Printed Water Tribe tiles next to one of Skuds wooden tiles

[Image: JPEG_20200621_235556.jpg?width=512&height=910]]]> <![CDATA[How I make and sell The Garden Gate boards and tiles - and how you can, too]]> https://forum.skudpaisho.com/showthread.php?tid=82 Mon, 11 Feb 2019 05:14:44 +0000 Skud]]> https://forum.skudpaisho.com/showthread.php?tid=82
The laser cutter/engraver I use is a Glowforge Basic. My referral link to learn more or buy one for yourself is https://glowforge.us/f/rqq2fk - using that to purchase one will save you money and will get me a credit as well. I have enjoyed working with the Glowforge and recommend it. Glowforge also sells laser-ready materials that are (supposedly...) pre-finished and masked and guaranteed to work well. I've had some issues with the quality of finish on their materials not being as good as they've shown that it could be sometimes. But overall, working with their materials is great. By selling Pai Sho boards and tiles, my Glowforge paid for itself in less than a year.

Design Downloads


Any designs mentioned here as freely available are available at the Design Downloads page.

Tiles - Designs


I have offered tiles for Skud Pai Sho, Vagabond Pai Sho, Capture Pai Sho, Nick Pai Sho, and a set of Canon Tiles (a set of tiles that have designs that are true to the show). I did not design the tiles for all of these games. The few tile designs I have created are freely available.

Skud Pai Sho


The "Modern Designs" tiles I make for Skud Pai Sho are designed and owned by artist Hector Lowe. Please contact him at hector.lowe[at]gmail[dot]com - he would love to work with you so you can use or produce his designs.

The "Vescucci Designs" tiles I make for Skud Pai Sho are designed by Vescucci. Many thanks to him for offering the designs to everyone as freely available to use!

The Ancient Oasis expansion for Skud Pai Sho features tiles designed by Vescucci.

Vagabond Pai Sho


The Vagabond Pai Sho tiles I make are designed by Coeur De Lion and myself. I love Vagabond Pai Sho and the designs of these tiles, and I have arranged for them to be freely available.

Capture Pai Sho


The Capture Pai Sho tiles, and the game itself, are designed and owned by Tom Ford.

Nick Pai Sho


I designed a Nick Pai Sho set using the glyphs representing the elements (which you can find on the Avatar World Maps and other places), the Lion Turtle tile design by Vescucci as the Avatar tile, and the White Lotus design by me.

Tiles - Materials and Quality


I have offered three levels of quality for tiles. Each level uses different materials and a different engrave quality. Note that I no longer do the White Lotus Initiate quality tiles.

General Glowforge Tile Printing Notes


I print one row of tiles at a time. This is both to prevent any alignment issues when cutting out the tiles and also so I can peel the masking off the tiles while the next row is printing.

I use the "honeycomb material hold down pins" to hold the material in place while cutting. See the Glowforge forum post for more details.

I use a coaster-sized square (because it's a coaster I made) to help place the material on the Glowforge bed. I should share a picture of this so you know what I mean.

Glowforge Settings

The format of any shared Glowforge settings are as follows:
[speed] / [power] / [lines per inch]

Focus Height will always be the default of the Proofgrade material or the measurement of the material being used unless it is provided after the lines per inch value.

White Lotus Initiate


These tiles are made from the least expensive plywood that is available directly from Glowforge. The designs are engraved in low quality, resulting in a design with less detail when compared to the higher quality tiles.

Materials:
Least expensive Proofgrade Medium Plywood. For Capture Pai Sho, I have done light colored plywood and walnut for dark tiles.

Glowforge Settings:

* Proofgrade Medium Plywood: 1000 / 90 / 225

White Lotus Master - Proofgrade Hardwood


These tiles are made from the hardwood available from Glowforge. The designs are engraved in good quality. Note that I have switched to using thicker hardwood from Colorado Heirloom (see below).

Materials:
Proofgrade Medium Hardwood - Maple, Walnut, Cherry, Red Oak, Poplar

Glowforge Settings:

* Maple, Walnut, Red Oak: 560 / 60 / 270 or 1000 / 95 / 270
* Cherry: 560 / 55 / 270 or 1000 / 90 / 270
* Poplar: 540 / 50 / 270 or 1000 / 90 / 270

White Lotus Master - Colorado Heirloom Hardwood


These tiles are made from 3/16" hardwood available from Colorado Heirloom - their "Solid Hardwood Laser Strips". The designs are engraved in good quality.

Grand Lotus


These tiles are made from exotic wood that can be purchased from various sources. I've used materials from Inventables and The Wood & Shop. Before lasering, I hand-finish the boards with Shellac, which is a laser safe finish, and apply masking.

The idea behind the Grand Lotus tiles was that they are a special way to support The Garden Gate. Exotic woods and extremely high quality engraves.

Tools and other materials needed: Shellac (spray or brush); sanding sponge; sandpaper (all purpose 220 grit); masking - EnduraMASK MHT 130 Medium-High Tack Transfer Application Tape from SignWarehouse (12x100 or 16x100 depending on the material used for tiles)

Materials:
White Lotus Master woods, and these 1/8" woods from Inventables or Wood & Shop: Purpleheart, Narra, Yellowheart, Chakte Viga, Katalox, Zebrawood, Padauk

Glowforge Settings and wood notes:

* Maple: 380 / 30 / 340
* Cherry: 395 / 30 / 340
* Walnut: 375 / 30 / 340
* Red Oak: 375 / 30 / 340

Note: Cuts all at FULL power. Cut settings in the format of:
[cut speed] / [# of passes, if more than 1] / [Focus height, if not 0.125 in]

* Bloodwood: 380 (or 375?) / 30 / 340 | CUT: 155
Beautiful dark red wood with a near holographic feel to the color. Keeps color well but is dark. Smells fantastic.
* Chakte Viga: 385 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 165
One of my favorites. Beautiful orangish color that gives fantastic engraves.
* Katalox: 340 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 145
One of the strongest woods in the world. Wonderfully dark. Engraves and cuts surprisingly well. I think this one works best with no finish at all - just a fine sanding.
* Mahogany: 410 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 175 / 2 / 0.09 in
Char city (but not compared to Bubinga)! Some of the biggest flames I've seen while cutting. I won't be using this more if at all.
* Narra (Red Narra from Wood 'n Shop): 395 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 175
One of my favorites! Finishing gave it a golden brown/bronze color and it has beautiful grain patterns, gives great engraves and cuts well.
* Padauk: 380 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 180
Color darkens fairly quickly if exposed to light often. Works well in the laser.
* Purpleheart: 360 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 145
Let Purpleheart sit in the sun before lasering and finishing - it adds to the purple! This wood chars a fair bit. Worth it.
* Redheart: 405 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 185
Can be very bright red, but will lose it's color fast and go dark and dull. Works very nicely in the laser though, so you may want to give it a shot.
* Yellowheart: 380 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 165
Finish it nice and carefully to get the best color. Works very well and keeps color well.
* Zebrawood: 390 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 155
Finish it nicely to give it a golden color. Very striking, works well in the laser though it does char a fair bit.

Material Preparation:
To finish the non-Proofgrade boards, I prepare them ahead of time by at least a day, by doing the following:

* sand with sandpaper
* coat with shellac
* between coats, use fine sanding sponge
* apply multiple coats until finished well (3 or 4 coats, can be less or more depending on the wood)

The Pai Sho Board


Proofgrade Thick Plywood Bold Score Settings:
Thick Plywood Score: 170 / 28 / 0.35 in

Glowforge's Proofgrade thick plywood should have a great finish, but the thick maple plywood began to consistently have a poor unfinished feel. I never got a satisfactory response from Glowforge support; it seemed like they didn't really care. So I have switched to using 1/4" plywood from Colorado Heirloom. It's much cheaper, but has to be masked and is sold in 12"x24" size so it has to be cut down by 4" as well. I have a great saw that I can recommend to you for this if you don't have a tool for it.

Colorado Heirloom 1/4" Plywood Score Settings
Coming Soon

Colorado Heirloom 1/4" Plywood Cut Settings
Coming Soon

Running An Online Store


Etsy will take a sizable percentage of a sale as a fee. That's more than $20 when selling a full Pai Sho set, so I have switched from Etsy to a different store hosting called Ecwid. Ecwid's free plan is very good, and their $15/mo plan is great. I have upgraded once for one month only, because I wanted to use some of the paid features that month (inventory management, etc).

With Etsy, you get the buyers who discover your products through Etsy, so you may want to set up shop both places. Though if you're following in my footsteps and getting help from me, you'll have all of The Garden Gate community being referred to you!

Shipping and general shop materials needed:

* Padded shipping envelopes, both small 4"x8", medium 6"x10" and large 10.5"x16"
* Shipping scale, to weigh packages: I use this kitchen scale
* Bubble wrap, to wrap and protect Pai Sho boards: I use this
* Packing tape
* A working printer to print shipping labels
* Masking tape: masking

---

Note: I'll be able to update and add remaining details as needed when anyone needs them, just contact me.]]>
The laser cutter/engraver I use is a Glowforge Basic. My referral link to learn more or buy one for yourself is https://glowforge.us/f/rqq2fk - using that to purchase one will save you money and will get me a credit as well. I have enjoyed working with the Glowforge and recommend it. Glowforge also sells laser-ready materials that are (supposedly...) pre-finished and masked and guaranteed to work well. I've had some issues with the quality of finish on their materials not being as good as they've shown that it could be sometimes. But overall, working with their materials is great. By selling Pai Sho boards and tiles, my Glowforge paid for itself in less than a year.

Design Downloads


Any designs mentioned here as freely available are available at the Design Downloads page.

Tiles - Designs


I have offered tiles for Skud Pai Sho, Vagabond Pai Sho, Capture Pai Sho, Nick Pai Sho, and a set of Canon Tiles (a set of tiles that have designs that are true to the show). I did not design the tiles for all of these games. The few tile designs I have created are freely available.

Skud Pai Sho


The "Modern Designs" tiles I make for Skud Pai Sho are designed and owned by artist Hector Lowe. Please contact him at hector.lowe[at]gmail[dot]com - he would love to work with you so you can use or produce his designs.

The "Vescucci Designs" tiles I make for Skud Pai Sho are designed by Vescucci. Many thanks to him for offering the designs to everyone as freely available to use!

The Ancient Oasis expansion for Skud Pai Sho features tiles designed by Vescucci.

Vagabond Pai Sho


The Vagabond Pai Sho tiles I make are designed by Coeur De Lion and myself. I love Vagabond Pai Sho and the designs of these tiles, and I have arranged for them to be freely available.

Capture Pai Sho


The Capture Pai Sho tiles, and the game itself, are designed and owned by Tom Ford.

Nick Pai Sho


I designed a Nick Pai Sho set using the glyphs representing the elements (which you can find on the Avatar World Maps and other places), the Lion Turtle tile design by Vescucci as the Avatar tile, and the White Lotus design by me.

Tiles - Materials and Quality


I have offered three levels of quality for tiles. Each level uses different materials and a different engrave quality. Note that I no longer do the White Lotus Initiate quality tiles.

General Glowforge Tile Printing Notes


I print one row of tiles at a time. This is both to prevent any alignment issues when cutting out the tiles and also so I can peel the masking off the tiles while the next row is printing.

I use the "honeycomb material hold down pins" to hold the material in place while cutting. See the Glowforge forum post for more details.

I use a coaster-sized square (because it's a coaster I made) to help place the material on the Glowforge bed. I should share a picture of this so you know what I mean.

Glowforge Settings

The format of any shared Glowforge settings are as follows:
[speed] / [power] / [lines per inch]

Focus Height will always be the default of the Proofgrade material or the measurement of the material being used unless it is provided after the lines per inch value.

White Lotus Initiate


These tiles are made from the least expensive plywood that is available directly from Glowforge. The designs are engraved in low quality, resulting in a design with less detail when compared to the higher quality tiles.

Materials:
Least expensive Proofgrade Medium Plywood. For Capture Pai Sho, I have done light colored plywood and walnut for dark tiles.

Glowforge Settings:

* Proofgrade Medium Plywood: 1000 / 90 / 225

White Lotus Master - Proofgrade Hardwood


These tiles are made from the hardwood available from Glowforge. The designs are engraved in good quality. Note that I have switched to using thicker hardwood from Colorado Heirloom (see below).

Materials:
Proofgrade Medium Hardwood - Maple, Walnut, Cherry, Red Oak, Poplar

Glowforge Settings:

* Maple, Walnut, Red Oak: 560 / 60 / 270 or 1000 / 95 / 270
* Cherry: 560 / 55 / 270 or 1000 / 90 / 270
* Poplar: 540 / 50 / 270 or 1000 / 90 / 270

White Lotus Master - Colorado Heirloom Hardwood


These tiles are made from 3/16" hardwood available from Colorado Heirloom - their "Solid Hardwood Laser Strips". The designs are engraved in good quality.

Grand Lotus


These tiles are made from exotic wood that can be purchased from various sources. I've used materials from Inventables and The Wood & Shop. Before lasering, I hand-finish the boards with Shellac, which is a laser safe finish, and apply masking.

The idea behind the Grand Lotus tiles was that they are a special way to support The Garden Gate. Exotic woods and extremely high quality engraves.

Tools and other materials needed: Shellac (spray or brush); sanding sponge; sandpaper (all purpose 220 grit); masking - EnduraMASK MHT 130 Medium-High Tack Transfer Application Tape from SignWarehouse (12x100 or 16x100 depending on the material used for tiles)

Materials:
White Lotus Master woods, and these 1/8" woods from Inventables or Wood & Shop: Purpleheart, Narra, Yellowheart, Chakte Viga, Katalox, Zebrawood, Padauk

Glowforge Settings and wood notes:

* Maple: 380 / 30 / 340
* Cherry: 395 / 30 / 340
* Walnut: 375 / 30 / 340
* Red Oak: 375 / 30 / 340

Note: Cuts all at FULL power. Cut settings in the format of:
[cut speed] / [# of passes, if more than 1] / [Focus height, if not 0.125 in]

* Bloodwood: 380 (or 375?) / 30 / 340 | CUT: 155
Beautiful dark red wood with a near holographic feel to the color. Keeps color well but is dark. Smells fantastic.
* Chakte Viga: 385 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 165
One of my favorites. Beautiful orangish color that gives fantastic engraves.
* Katalox: 340 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 145
One of the strongest woods in the world. Wonderfully dark. Engraves and cuts surprisingly well. I think this one works best with no finish at all - just a fine sanding.
* Mahogany: 410 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 175 / 2 / 0.09 in
Char city (but not compared to Bubinga)! Some of the biggest flames I've seen while cutting. I won't be using this more if at all.
* Narra (Red Narra from Wood 'n Shop): 395 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 175
One of my favorites! Finishing gave it a golden brown/bronze color and it has beautiful grain patterns, gives great engraves and cuts well.
* Padauk: 380 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 180
Color darkens fairly quickly if exposed to light often. Works well in the laser.
* Purpleheart: 360 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 145
Let Purpleheart sit in the sun before lasering and finishing - it adds to the purple! This wood chars a fair bit. Worth it.
* Redheart: 405 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 185
Can be very bright red, but will lose it's color fast and go dark and dull. Works very nicely in the laser though, so you may want to give it a shot.
* Yellowheart: 380 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 165
Finish it nice and carefully to get the best color. Works very well and keeps color well.
* Zebrawood: 390 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 155
Finish it nicely to give it a golden color. Very striking, works well in the laser though it does char a fair bit.

Material Preparation:
To finish the non-Proofgrade boards, I prepare them ahead of time by at least a day, by doing the following:

* sand with sandpaper
* coat with shellac
* between coats, use fine sanding sponge
* apply multiple coats until finished well (3 or 4 coats, can be less or more depending on the wood)

The Pai Sho Board


Proofgrade Thick Plywood Bold Score Settings:
Thick Plywood Score: 170 / 28 / 0.35 in

Glowforge's Proofgrade thick plywood should have a great finish, but the thick maple plywood began to consistently have a poor unfinished feel. I never got a satisfactory response from Glowforge support; it seemed like they didn't really care. So I have switched to using 1/4" plywood from Colorado Heirloom. It's much cheaper, but has to be masked and is sold in 12"x24" size so it has to be cut down by 4" as well. I have a great saw that I can recommend to you for this if you don't have a tool for it.

Colorado Heirloom 1/4" Plywood Score Settings
Coming Soon

Colorado Heirloom 1/4" Plywood Cut Settings
Coming Soon

Running An Online Store


Etsy will take a sizable percentage of a sale as a fee. That's more than $20 when selling a full Pai Sho set, so I have switched from Etsy to a different store hosting called Ecwid. Ecwid's free plan is very good, and their $15/mo plan is great. I have upgraded once for one month only, because I wanted to use some of the paid features that month (inventory management, etc).

With Etsy, you get the buyers who discover your products through Etsy, so you may want to set up shop both places. Though if you're following in my footsteps and getting help from me, you'll have all of The Garden Gate community being referred to you!

Shipping and general shop materials needed:

* Padded shipping envelopes, both small 4"x8", medium 6"x10" and large 10.5"x16"
* Shipping scale, to weigh packages: I use this kitchen scale
* Bubble wrap, to wrap and protect Pai Sho boards: I use this
* Packing tape
* A working printer to print shipping labels
* Masking tape: masking

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Note: I'll be able to update and add remaining details as needed when anyone needs them, just contact me.]]> <![CDATA[Download The Garden Gate Pai Sho Board and tile designs]]> https://forum.skudpaisho.com/showthread.php?tid=79 Sun, 02 Dec 2018 04:25:45 +0000 Skud]]> https://forum.skudpaisho.com/showthread.php?tid=79 https://skudpaisho.com/site/more/design-downloads/. So if you would like to make your own Pai Sho board or tiles, especially if you have access to a laser-cutter, there's no better place to start!

When I make Pai Sho boards, I follow a certain process to get the wood grain at a certain angle and to get things to work just right. Let me know if you have any questions about what I do for that or anything else you might wonder about how I do things. Thanks!]]> https://skudpaisho.com/site/more/design-downloads/. So if you would like to make your own Pai Sho board or tiles, especially if you have access to a laser-cutter, there's no better place to start!

When I make Pai Sho boards, I follow a certain process to get the wood grain at a certain angle and to get things to work just right. Let me know if you have any questions about what I do for that or anything else you might wonder about how I do things. Thanks!]]> <![CDATA[Pai Sho Board]]> https://forum.skudpaisho.com/showthread.php?tid=24 Thu, 04 Oct 2018 18:03:35 +0000 ImScheinox]]> https://forum.skudpaisho.com/showthread.php?tid=24
Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/VNSUZTH

Greetings ImScheinox]]>
Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/VNSUZTH

Greetings ImScheinox]]> <![CDATA[60cm handmade Pai Sho board]]> https://forum.skudpaisho.com/showthread.php?tid=12 Thu, 27 Sep 2018 23:51:36 +0000 SpinxKreuz]]> https://forum.skudpaisho.com/showthread.php?tid=12  :
[Image: b5TfULT.jpg]

If you're interested how I made it, here is the full album: https://imgur.com/gallery/qIlKF]]>  :
[Image: b5TfULT.jpg]

If you're interested how I made it, here is the full album: https://imgur.com/gallery/qIlKF]]>