re: i've become obsessed with Tak
My local library has a maker space and design studio with a bunch of tools that are completely free to use with just a reservation and open to the general public. They have 3D printers, cricut machines and presses, laser engravers, oversize printers, various high-spec computers with CAD software and other things like photoshop. They also have a bunch of craft supplies and raw materials available for purchase.
After getting obsessed with Tak I wanted to make a more legit gameboard than some traced paper. Here's the final board from a game between my wife and I, black (my wife) wins left to right along the center row.
So after playing around in inkscape and trying a few designs I went for a simple diamond and grid pattern on a 5x5. The diamonds allow playing on a 6x6 for a longer more complex game. Feel free to download and steal if you wish. I went for an 8 inch square with the grid spacing at 1.25", for the tokens I have this gives enough spacing to grab and move the pieces without being too spacious.
The gloforge engraver they have is actually really nice, that particular model MSRP is over 7000 USD. And I get to use it for free! Using it was really easy, just uploading the image, setting the engraver settings and the outlining the edges of the piece to cut it out. For material the library had a few different types of hardwoods and acrylic but I went for walnut for a more premium look and feel.
It took about 45 minutes once it got going. I definitely could have split my image into layers by each element type so that the laser has a better path to follow, this would made it much faster. So instead the engraver rasterizes the .svg file and then scans left to right over the entire image so it takes some time. But whatever no rush.
After peeling off the protective paper and giving it a gentle wash I'm done! A custom made Tak board with marble tiles I sourced from floor tiling samples. Overall, I'm very satisfied with how everything turned out. Im still on the lookout for some better looking capstones so stay tuned!
