What type/types of woods and other "mods" of Kubb sets are out there?

Question

Just played at the US Nationals and I'm now hooked.  :)  A few questions...

1)  I know all the sets were from Old Time Games.  They advertise "Using only seasoned U.S. Hardwood (not pine) to make our games and your investment last for years of enjoyment. "  Q:  What kind of wood is it?

2)  What sorts of other woods have been tried (successfully and unsuccessfully) in creating Kubb sets?

3)  What other sorts of "mods" are folks doing with their sets?

Answer 1

I know of a couple sets made out of aluminum.  Needless to say, when you hit it with the aluminum dowel, it is really loud

Answer 2

1. It is Poplar. I know because...well...someone else told me. I have also just made 25 poplar sets in my garage. I guess I should have spent that time practicing. Probably be a few of these sets for sale at Nordic Fest.

 

2. I have a walnut set that was made from a tree in my parents back yard. Very heavy kubbs. They are about 5 years old. Looks like they have barely been used. I make sets out of pine as well, but still use the poplar dowels. That seems like a very cost effective rout. Similar density, but 1/7th the cost(just for the kubbs). I know I have to look into that when I make sets and figure out what to charge. Before I knew there was official sizes we used to play with 1'' pine closet rod. That stuff spinters and gives lots of slivers. Haven't had a sliver yet from the poplar.

 

3. At Nordic Fest there will be an all Steel set that was made in Des Moines.  There will also be an Aluminium set made in Cresco, IA at Featherlight. The company that makes all those fancy trailers for Nascar and stuff. It isn't official size or fancy, but it is fun to toss these things.

Answer 3

OTG sets are White Poplar,. Southern Yellow Pine makes a great substitute, as it's roughly the same weight, has better resistance to impact damage, is cheap, and can be found in 4x4 at just about any lumber yard. I've played on Red Oak which is very durable but VERY heavy.

My favorite wood to use is Ash - it's quite a bit heavier than Poplar or Pine, but it's still lighter than Oak and is one of the most impact resistant woods there is (Baseball bats are Ash). I also happen to think its a beautiful wood, so I like to use oil rather than stain or paint to finish it.

Answer 4

This isn't really a "mod", but I have an older (not Mad Wood) Menards set where the pieces are smaller.  I use the kubbs for baseline practice since they are the same height, but about 75% of the width of OTG kubbs.  That makes me focus more on accuracy since as they are much harder to hit.

This week during the Friday practice at the fields, I played a team using a heavier set.  The heavier kubbs were much easier to drill.  Because of that, I'm thinking about getting a set and drilling some material out of the center of the kubb to make them lighter.  Not too much, but enough to notice the lighter feel when throwing.  If I practice drilling with the lighter ones, the heaver regulation kubbs should stick pretty well.  I'll have to see if this mod pays off or not.

Comments

I also have a circa2011 Menards set, the mini one made in China by a birdhouse manufacturer. Toothpick sized warped batons are useless but the kubbs are excellent targets, as you mention same height, smaller width. Because of the small size, I use them for backline practice only, and use them on my home pitch which has "kubb anchors" - small, decorative, flat-topped concrete cups that are sunk into the ground where each of the 10 baseline kubbs are set. The anchors offer a stable place for them to rest erect, otherwise those skinny puppies don't stand in the grass. The anchors serve many other purposes, too.

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I'm thinking about using some spring-loaded hinges with Kubbs mounted on them for a target line I can hit and have them pop right back up.

Answer 5

I love playing at night and in the early morning, and in Winter when daylight is slim. I've tried glow-in-the-dark paint on an OTG poplar set, both spray paint and using a brush. The spray paint stuck well but wasn't bright enough. Saturation would have taken 10 cans and they were $10 each! So I bought a can of GItD paint and brushed it on. I should have probably prepped the wood better, because the paint went on and the thick parts glowed perfectly. But that paint has now mostly chipped off, though, so I'm back to the drawing board.

The one thing I did like from this experiment was a thick dab of glow in the dark paint on each end of the batons. Helps finding them in the dark weeds of night play, but doesn't interfere with handfeel or kubb play.

Comments

One word Aaron: Lasers!

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I would love a laser/mirror setup! Hook me up!I'll take it with foot fault detection software and the "blackhawk down" helicopter elimination suite.