How to Build a Giant Jenga Set

In this Instructable I'll show you how to build a quick and easy giant Jenga set and a carrying case that doubles as a platform to play the game. It's a really easy build and can even be done with limited tools. Giant Jenga is super fun to play and lots of fun at parties.

Materials needed

1. 6 8 foot 2x4's and either 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch plywood for the case
2. sand paper
3. boiled linseed oil
4. hardware for the door (small hinges, and a door clasp)
5. 1 5/8 inch wood screws
6. wood glue
7. wood stain (optional)
8. finish for outside of box (lacquer, polyurethane, etc., also optional)

Jenga is played with 54 pieces. 1 block needs to be as long as 3 blocks are wide. The first layer is 3 blocks laid side to side, followed by another layer of 3 that are turned 90 degrees and placed on top of the previous row. After all the blocks are stacked you'll end up with a tower that's 18 layers tall.

I started by laying 3 2x4's side by side and measuring the width. 2x4's are actually 3 1/2 inches wide instead of 4 inches. You'll get a measurement of 10 1/2 inches

I used my miter saw to cut all the pieces. I set up a stop block 10 1/2 inches from the blade and went to town cutting them up.

You can stack the pieces however you'd like to in order to measure for a case. I chose to stack mine 6 pieces side by side, 2 pieces behind that end to end, and stacked up until I ran out of blocks. The measurements I got were 21 inches wide, 14 inches deep, and 10 1/2 inches tall. I added 1 1/2 inches to the length and 1 inch to the height and width. This will give me a little wiggle room inside and also some space for my fingers to fit in the holes I will be cutting as handles in each end of the case.

I started by ripping down a piece of plywood I had to 16 1/2 inches wide for the top and bottom pieces. I went with 16 1/2 inches wide because this is the original 14 inch measurement +1 inch for the extra space on the inside, and also 1 1/2 inches for the width of the 2 side pieces. I cut this larger piece in to 2 smaller pieces for the top and bottom that were both 24 inches long.

The 2 side pieces were both cut to 11 1/2 inches tall and 15 inches wide.

The back piece was cut to 11 1/2 inches tall and 24 inches long. For the front piece I cut a piece that was 24 inches long also, but I cut two 4 inch sections off each end. The two 4 inch sections will go at each end of the front and the center piece will act as the door.

For the layout of the handles I first found the center point of both the left and right side boards. From the center I measured 3 inches in each direction, marked 2 lines, measured down 4 inches from the top and marked a line across the board, measured 2 inches down from the top and marked another line across.

For the handles I first laid out a rectangle that was centered on each of the side boards 6 inches wide, 2 inches tall, and 2 inches down from the top of the board. I marked a center line horizontally across the rectangle and marked a point 1 inch in from each side. These points will act as center marks for the holes that will be drilled

Using a 2 inch forstner bit I drilled 2 holes in each board on the 2 center points I marked on the rectangle that were 1 inch in from the end.

Once the holes are drilled I cut along the outside lines of the rectangle with my jig saw and connected the two holes to make one large handle hole in each of the boards.

I sanded the insides of the holes with my oscillating spindle sander and rounded the edges of the holes over with a 1/4 inch rounder bit in my router.

For the box assembly I used glue and wood screws to put everything together. I started by gluing and screwing one of the sides with the handles to the top piece, I then put on the back, the other side with the handle, the two 4 inch pieces on the front, and then I put the bottom.

Once the box was assembled I sanded it and applied a stain to it and the door. After the stain I applied 2 coats of polyurethane.

Once the polyurethane dried I installed the hinges and door clasp.

This step is semi optional, but I'd highly recommend it. You can play the game without sanding and oiling the blocks but they tend to be a little rough and sticky which makes it hard to play.

I sanded each block on my belt sander with a 120 grit belt. I also put a slight round over on each of the edges of the ends.

After I sanded the pieces I applied a liberal coat of boiled linseed oil to each piece. Once the oil was applied to each piece I went back and wiped it all off and rubbed them down with a clean cloth.

Now that you're done with the blocks and the case load it up and take it to a party!

The rules for Jenga are simple pull a block out from any layer below the very top complete row, then stack it on the top, whoever knocks the tower over is the loser!

Thanks for check out this Instructable, If you liked it and want some more information check out the video I did on this, and please consider subscribing to my youtube channel.

The most important thing to remember about Jenga is there's no winners, there's only a loser, you either lose or you don't lose!

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