Giant jenga makes for a great outdoor fall activity – and you can build your own set with less effort than you might think. It only takes about 8-10 hours, and provides a whole lot of entertainment for kids and adults alike.

Materials Required

• 6 – 2x4s @ 8′

Tools Required

• Saw – miter saw or table saw with a sled
• Sander – belt, or handheld orbital sander
• Sandpaper

Cutting the giant jenga pieces

Cutting the giant jenga pieces is fairly straight-forward. You want to cut each piece to 10 1/2″ in length. To do this, I like to use the sled on my table saw with a swing stop set at the 10 1/2″ mark. You can also use a miter saw with a stop block; either way, you want to do your best to make all of the pieces as close to 10 1/2″ as possible and measuring each piece individually takes way too much time.

Using 8′ long 2x4s should produce exactly 54 pieces – which happens to be the exact number you need to have 18 layers (the number of layers a standard jenga set includes). Just try to find the straightest, and most knot-free 2x4s you can.

Sanding, sanding, and more sanding

I’ll admit it, I’m not a huge fan of sanding; but when you’re making a giant jenga set you’ll want to be prepared to do a lot of it. Starting with 120 grit sandpaper, and working all the way up to 220 grit sandpaper, you are going to want to sand all of the corners and faces. The smoother you sand your jenga blocks, particularly on the long faces, the easier they will slide.

Finishing your giant jenga set

You actually don’t have to apply any finish to your giant jenga blocks, but doing so will help preserve them the elements a bit. For finishes, you have several options such as deck stain, a hard paste wax, or even just a spray on poly will work. Just ensure you look at the full cure time for the finish you choose, as the blocks will need to be allowed to dry that long before usage. Otherwise they may not slide well over each other. Also remember, this game is going to be played outside, so the blocks are not going to stay perfect for long, so don’t get too particularly with the finish itself.

Love the idea of having a giant jenga set for your fall outdoor festivities but don’t feel like making one for yourself. We’d be happy to build one for you if you happen to live in the greater Charlotte area. Just click on over to our store and order yourself one of our giant jenga sets.

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