# How to finish Giant Jenga set



## jengarific (Dec 30, 2009)

I'm going to have a giant Jenga set made for a friend of mine who runs a bar. You know, a 5' high Jenga tower made from 2x4s, or whatever. It's in China, so labor is cheap but materials will be a problem. I'm not a woodworking guy myself, although I'm good at supervising (aren't we all?) My questions are: (1) What kind of wood to use to get the lightness and slipperiness necessary to play the game, and (2) what sort of finish to ensure slipperiness? 

I did play a giant Jenga game at a bar once, and it had heavily varnished pieces to make them slippery enough to pull out. They were regular 2x4s though, which made the tower rather heavy and hazardous when it collapsed. The original Jenga game uses lightweight alder wood, but I rather doubt that's available in China. The alder blocks appear to be sanded, not finished? 

I just worry that I'll spend a lot of money on wood and then end up with sticky pieces that won't pull out of the tower, or overly varnished pieces that are too slippery to stack five feet high. Sort of an odd question, usually you want lumber to stay in one place!


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## joesdad (Nov 1, 2007)

Cedar comes to mind as being light and stong. However it dents easily, so after the pieces collapse a few times, you'd probably notice some dinged edges and corners. Any gloss clear coat like lacquer or poly will provide you with a smooth surface after proper sanding. If you want the pieces really slick you could use butchers wax on top of the cured clear coat, and buff it out just like you would on a car. I'd stay away from shellac as a top coat as it will not withstand having alcohol spilled on it. Sounds like fun, post pics if you build it and why not go for a 7ft. one?


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