Very nice! Brilliant use of the Yellow Mountain Magnetic set. Looks like fun. You should play on it
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“Strange things happen at the 1-1-1 point” 
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Yes, definitely.
My prototype is far less impressive.
For others that are curious about this interesting goban, see: Playing Cube Go (Vorlon Go) on OGS
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Well, I had a small wooden box that was about the right size. I had to trim it a little to make it cubic and drilled a hole in a corner, for the skewer.
Then I cut six squares from a tin cookie box and glued them to the wood with epoxy.
Some acrylic paint and a precision marker and eventually an acrylic gloss finish.
The stones are from a corean portable set.
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I think forum-goers will want to see this thread again? Correct me if I’m wrong~
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I got all excited, eager to see another fool enthusiast building a goban…
But sadly, no new projects, just a bump…
Do virtual 3D gobans count?
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- 17th century
Since when did my posts need mod approval?
Oh, I typed a forbidden word inside “ped*rum” (Latin genitive of feet), so the system is blocking my post…
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You remember, in that 16th century Latin work about Chinese board games, the author says the gobans have “duorum pedorum” – two feet. How about a two-footed goban project?
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You know, I’m able to search for this thread on my own. I’m not dependent on random bump posts to see a thread.
I actually had my brother apply sharpie to where I used the laser to engrave the lines to my self-built goban because the lines were just too weak but he was not quite as careful as I told him to be and some serious errors were made.
One of these days, I will purchase some more polyurethane and sand the top back down to remove the sharpie and reapply it myself. Perhaps I will post some pictures of that procedure.
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Well, I’m not against threads being bumped, but I do wish some effort to add to it is made when doing so, even if it is just to ask a question or make a quip.
However, how can we regret anything in the chain of events that led to Vsotvep posting that marvelous picture of a goban with two human feet? All of human existence thus far has brought us to that wonderous moment.
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To search for a thread, you have to know or remember that it exists in the first place. It hadn’t been bumped for four months, probably a fair few forum-goers weren’t even on here back then.
The way I see it, the forums is in large part made up of threads that have no lasting value such as review requests, outdated bug reports, completed forum games, tournament promotions etc. They were useful in their time, but should be allowed to fall down to the bottom of the board.
The remaining percentage is “good threads” that people will probably still be interested in: image threads like older & newer times, handiwork threads like this one, ideas for Go variants, Go book discussions and so on. If we keep some of these threads modestly bumped, say once every few months, new users can receive inspiration from them and come up with their own ideas.
Also, five people showed their support for this bump by liking my post.
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Not that I’m going to order one or build one myself anytime soon, but does anybody know if pinus cembra or larix decidua make good Go boards? Their wood smells quite nice, I like their reddish hue, and they’re native trees around here and have for long been used as material for furniture and boiserie. I just don’t know if they’re maybe too soft, too branchy, or too resiney.
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Hi there! Objectively, conifers like pine and larch are going to be softer, knottier and more loosely-grained when measured against the metric of a genuine Kaya board. That is not to say those woods are unsuitable, but just know what you are dealing with.
The upside is they will create a wholly unique experience for players who appreciate the aesthetics and tactile sensations of the game. Subjective opinion will decide whether the experience is better, worse, or just different. Certain things can make the ultimate performance more kaya-like, or you can revel in the inherent properties of the native lumber.
Here is my hot take on the woods you mention:
Traditional gobans have very light grain patterns and a fairly uniform surface color. If you decide to build with those woods, just be ready to contend with high-contrast figuring and knots in the grain. The dark and light spots will create an irregular color pattern and might compete with the grid for visual prominence.
I imagine it would be difficult to find a solid block without any major knots, unless it was a very old tree that had been pruned regularly to remove branches and joints from the trunk.
Some filler may also be required for a flat, uniform surface. Voids around knotty bits are common in pine, not sure about the larch.
If it were me, I’d want to preserve the grainy/knotty nature, but stop it short of interfering with visual perception of the grid.
One option would be to use smaller pieces joined together “butcher block style” and that would allow you to be highly selective, rejecting any unwanted imperfections that might be unavoidable in a single solid piece.
Another option is to use a gel stain finish. Gel type stain is less dependant on soaking into the fibers. Instead it lays on top like paint, or a tinted clearcoat. The darker you go, the less figuring stands out. Then a light colored grid would create suitable contrast for easy recognition.
With normal penetrating stain, the light and dark grains and knots are highly disparate densities, they have different rates of absorbency, and therefore the stain will likely magnify contrast as the soft spots darken quickly where the hard spots may not take the stain at all.
As for the tactile interface, the softness and open grain of coniferous woods will definitely feel and sound different when placing stones. Traditional Kaya is somewhat soft but the grain is very tight and dense. It has a certain feel to it that works well with slate and shell stones. Kind of like pairing a certain wine with the right meat and cheese, my instinct tells me that traditional stones might create a perception of “overpowering” the pine or larch wood board. I think the stones would be more appropriately made of some other, harder woods like ebony or walnut and boxwood. Such “stones” could be easily created from exotic hardwood dowels cut into chips of whatever thickness you deem ideal.
Please keep us updated if you move forward with your construction!
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I should note I had in mind the idea of creating them with straight cuts just like poker chips or checkers. I know that double-convex stones exist so they can rock slightly, facilitating retrieval from tight quarters. But single convex stones also exist in the traditional realm and are usable without too much drama IMO.
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Thank you very much for this detailed and elaborated answer 
! As I said before, I’m not planning to build or commission one in the foreseeable future, but now that I see how it can work out, I feel inspired to do so when the right time has come.
To get you guys an idea what cembra looks like, I was gifted this kitchen board last christmas. It feels like velours to the touch and my kitchen smells like a five-star spa when I use it.
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Whattt? Avocado on a goban? Sacrilege!
Nice wood color in fact (can’t see the texture ofc I do believe you), but … a big knot.
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