What Wood Garden Games Can You Make?

The useful answer to this question is a capability list with the constraints attached: what we can make, in which timber, at what volume, and what we would rather not take on. A list without the constraints is a brochure, and a brochure is not much help when you are building an order.

Everything below is a product we manufacture ourselves in Guangzhou, not a product we buy in and re-box.

Stacking Games

Tumble tower. The volume product in the range. Blocks are cut, sanded and finished in batches, and the whole set packs into a bag. The specification decisions are block count (below about 40 the game runs out of moves too quickly), timber (hardwood holds its edges through more rounds than softwood) and whether the blocks are branded.

Four in a row. A large-format frame with discs. Structurally the most demanding product we make, because the frame carries load and a frame that flexes will jam the discs. If you are comparing quotations on this product, compare the joint construction rather than the price.

Oversized chess and checkers. A different customer from the rest of the range: gift buyers, education suppliers and older players. No seasonality worth planning around, which makes it useful for smoothing a seasonal order book.

Throwing Games

Cornhole. Plywood playing surface with a softwood frame. Plywood rather than solid timber, because plywood is dimensionally stable and gives a consistent bounce. The numbers that matter are panel thickness, hole diameter, frame joint and carton cube.

Ladder toss. Two three-rung frames and six bolas. Packs flat, needs about five metres of space. The cord is the component that fails first, so cord specification matters more than anything else on the product.

Ring toss and hoopla. The lowest-cost entry point in the category and the easiest to brand, because the whole product is a board and a set of rings.

Skittles and bowling sets. Traditional pin-and-ball games with a strong European market. Pin weight consistency is the quality question; mismatched pins make the game feel arbitrary.

Washer toss. Two boxes with a cup in the centre and a set of washers. Compact, cheap to ship and a good impulse-buy price point. Standard washer is 2.5 inches outside diameter with a 1 inch hole.

Lawn and Court Games

Croquet. Six or nine wickets, four mallets, four balls. The most expensive product in the range because the cost sits in the mallets, and a mallet head that is glued rather than pinned will separate in damp weather.

Bocce. Eight balls and a pallino, usually in a reinforced bag. Wooden balls are lighter than competition balls and do not roll as true on grass, which is fine as long as the product is sold as a garden set rather than a competition set.

Kubb. A king block, ten small blocks and six batons. Public domain and no licensing question. The quality question is baton density: batons need to topple a block without splitting.

Mölkky. Twelve numbered pins and a throwing pin. Note that Mölkky is a registered trademark; the generic description is a numbered pin throwing game, and the packaging copy has to reflect whichever position you are taking in your market.

Table Games

Dominoes. Wooden tiles, engraved or printed faces. The double-six set is the volume item; larger sets are a smaller, more specialist line. The specification that matters is tile count, because it decides which games the set supports.

Tic tac toe. A board and nine pieces. The cheapest product to customize in the whole range, because the grid is a flat engraved surface and the pieces are simple shapes.

Puzzles and brain teasers. Tower of Hanoi and similar. No seasonality, strong gift and education markets, and one of the few products in the range that sells into museum shops and bookshops.

What We Do Not Make

This section exists because it saves both sides time.

• Anything with soft goods as the main component. Cornhole bags are the exception, because they ship with a board we make. A standalone bean bag product is a different supply chain.
• Metal-dominant products. Horseshoes, for example, are a metal game with a stake. We can make a wooden surround, but we are not the right supplier for the product.
• Flying disc games. The disc is the product and it is not wood.
• Anything requiring electronics, lighting or sound. Outside our process entirely.
• Injection-moulded plastic parts. We work in timber and panel products.

If you ask for one of these, we will say so rather than quoting and then sourcing it from someone else. A supplier who quotes for everything is usually a trading company.

Timber and Finish

Finish is either a hardwax oil, which soaks in and can be repaired locally, or a water-based exterior lacquer, which sits on the surface and resists water better. The choice depends on where the product will live. What is not optional is specifying it, because the finish carries the toy safety compliance for heavy metal migration.

What We Can and Cannot Claim

Worth being precise, because this is where suppliers overstate.

• Products are tested to EN 71 and ASTM F963 as applicable, through recognised laboratories, and the reports are provided with the order.
• FSC-certified timber is available and specified on request. It certifies the timber supply chain and nothing else.
• No finish makes a wooden game suitable for permanent outdoor exposure. Our products are designed to be used outdoors and stored dry.
• We do not claim a certification we have not been audited for, and we do not describe a factory system certificate as a product certification.

Ordering

• Minimum order. Around 500 sets per design for a custom run. Mixed containers are common, and the constraint is per design rather than per shipment.
• Sampling. Five to ten days after the specification is agreed.
• Production. Thirty to forty-five days after sample approval.
• Quotation. Within 24 hours of a complete specification. Against an incomplete one, a price is a guess.
• Confidentiality. A non-disclosure agreement is signed before drawings are shared.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make a product that is not on this list?

Often yes, if it is timber or panel based and it is a game or a garden product. Send a drawing or a sample and you will get an honest answer, including a no if the product is outside what we can do well.

Do you make all of these in the same factory?

Yes, with the exception of soft goods, which are produced on a separate line and combined at packing.

What is the smallest order you will take?

Around 500 sets per design for custom work. Below that, a stock design with your branding applied is usually the better route, because setup cost is spread over too few units.

Are the products safe for children?

They can be, if the edges are rounded, the finish is compliant and any small parts are excluded from products sold for children under three. That has to be specified and tested rather than assumed.