Handcrafted Kubb Set

Build your own set. For the love of play.

A weekend build from one fence post and a length of dowel: cut, sand, and you have a tournament-legal Kubb set. Beginner friendly, about 2 to 3 hours of active work.

Materials

Wood for the blocks: untreated softwood (pine, spruce, or fir) or hardwood. A standard 89 mm by 89 mm (3.5 in by 3.5 in, nominal 4x4) fence post or landscape timber is close to king size and works for both the king and the kubbs. Avoid pressure treated lumber since you handle these pieces a lot.
Wood for the batons: 6 hardwood dowels (birch, oak, beech, or ramin) at 44 mm (1.75 in) diameter, or rip them from stock. Hardwood lasts far longer than softwood for the batons since they take all the impact.
6 field marker stakes: thin dowel, garden stakes, or short cut sticks, plus optional string or cord to lay out the lines.
Sandpaper (80, 120, 220 grit), a saw (miter saw or hand saw), tape measure, pencil, square.
Optional: exterior oil finish (Danish oil, tung oil, or boiled linseed oil), wood glue and clamps if you laminate stock to reach block size, a chisel or rasp to shape the king's crown.

Cut list

10 kubbs: 7 cm x 7 cm x 15 cm (2.76 in x 2.76 in square, 5.91 in tall). Regulation is 7x7x15 cm.
1 king: regulation allows anywhere from 8x8x25 cm up to 9x9x30 cm. A common tournament size is roughly 9 cm x 9 cm square (3.5 in) by 30 cm tall (11.81 in). A 4x4 post at 89 mm square sits right in that range, so just cut it 30 cm long.
6 batons: 4.4 cm (1.75 in) diameter, 30 cm (11.81 in) long. These are round dowels.
6 field stakes: any thin sticks roughly 20 to 30 cm long to mark the 4 corners and 2 sideline midpoints.
Pitch (not cut, just marked on the ground): 5 m x 8 m (about 16 ft x 26 ft).

Steps

1. Mill or pick your block stock. For the kubbs you need a 7 cm by 7 cm cross section. If you cannot buy that exactly, rip a wider board down, or glue and clamp thinner boards into a blank and let it cure overnight. For the king, an 89 mm (3.5 in) 4x4 post is already in spec.
2. Cut the 10 kubbs to 15 cm long. Cut them all in one batch with a stop block clamped to your saw so every kubb is identical. Consistent height matters because uneven kubbs wobble and fall on their own.
3. Cut the king to 30 cm long (or anywhere from 25 to 30 cm if your stock is on the smaller 8x8 cm side). Keep the ends square so it stands upright without rocking.
4. Optional but classic: shape a simple crown on top of the king. Make four shallow angled saw cuts or carve small notches around the top edge with a chisel so it reads as a crown. Purely cosmetic.
5. Cut the 6 batons to 30 cm each from your 44 mm (1.75 in) dowel. Use the same stop block trick so all six match. Matching batons throw more predictably.
6. Cut 6 field stakes from scrap. They only need to mark corners and the two sideline midpoints, so length is not critical.
7. Sand everything. Start at 80 grit to knock down saw marks, move to 120, finish at 220. Ease (round over) every sharp edge and corner slightly. Rounded edges throw better, survive impacts, and save your hands from splinters.
8. Finish if you like. A coat or two of exterior oil keeps the wood from graying and soaking up water. Bare wood is fine too and many players prefer the grip of unfinished wood. Let any finish fully cure before play.
9. Lay out the pitch: measure a 5 m by 8 m rectangle, plant the 4 corner stakes and 2 sideline midpoint stakes, run string if you want crisp lines, set 5 kubbs along each baseline, and stand the king in the dead center.

Notes

Regulation sizes to hit: kubbs 7x7x15 cm, king 8x8x25 cm to 9x9x30 cm, batons 4.4 cm diameter by 30 cm long, pitch 5 m by 8 m. The single most important tolerance is keeping your 10 kubbs uniform in height and square at the ends, because tippy kubbs ruin the game by falling over on their own. Use a stop block for repeat cuts. Round over all edges and corners: this is the difference between a set that feels nice and one that splinters and chips. Hardwood for the batons is worth the extra cost since they absorb every hit; softwood batons mushroom and crack within a season. Skip pressure treated lumber entirely, the chemicals are not something you want on pieces you grip and toss all afternoon.

Made with love by Moehr Games. Build it, play it, pass it on.