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U.S. Source for 40mm, Square, Cardboard Tiles

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Mon, 01/12/2009 - 17:43
fa-1397
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Hello, everyone. I'm trying to locate a U.S. source for blank, 40mm, square cardboard tiles like those offered by Spiel Material.

http://www.spielmaterial.de/english/index.html?d_C0005_Square_40x40_mm66...

If this has been covered in a previous post, I apologize. I've considered cutting tiles from vinyl floor tiles, or heavy card stock, but I need 500 of them and they need to be relatively square (a 17x17 grid of these tiles will be randomly placed to form the game board). I'm just not sure if I can get the consistency I'll need with a pair of scissors or metal shears.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

fa-1397

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Mon, 01/12/2009 - 18:44
#1
Ekobor
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Do they have to be cardboard?

If not, consider getting some realitively cheap bake harden clay, a square cracker/cookie cutter of the approximate size, and a rolling pin.

Or see if you can find bulk cheap 40mm miniature bases, some lots go for only a few dollars.

If you just need it for prototyping, will you consider being a bit leiniant on size? It's likely you could find cardboard squares of a different size on some teacher's reasource site...

Good Luck.

EDIT: If you're worried about cutting straight, I made a 40mm square table template on MS Word. You can stick it to the back of some self-adhesive vinyl tiles, or glue it onto cereal board(the aprox. thickness of the ones you posted.) and cut along the lines with an exacto.

Download:
http://www.2shared.com/file/4634155/cde37f53/40mmSqs.html

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Tue, 01/13/2009 - 00:59
#2
MatthewF
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Get a simple rotary trimmer

Get a simple rotary trimmer like this one (which sells for $24 at Costco, for example, much less than Amazon, or use one of the ubiquitous "40% off one item" coupons for JoAnn or Michaels or whatever local craft emporium you use).

Make a cutting fence out of a piece of scrap cardboard at the 40mm mark (or however large you want the tiles). Then simply cut double-thickness chipboard (to which you can first glue some paper if you'd like) along one axis, then cut those strips along the other. They'll be perfectly square and the exact size you want. And you'll have a rotary trimmer for cutting all kinds of other prototyping things!

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Tue, 01/13/2009 - 01:28
#3
bluepantherllc
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Cardboard Tiles

You can laser cut cardboard and matteboard of similar thickness - if you power down low enough you can avoid burning the edges - we do for Rocks For Sale game boards at Blue Panther. You might see a little bit of residue on a white piece of cardboard - at least one side of it.

www.litkoaero.com does custom bases in multiple materials - they could do it for you too.

Steve Jones
Blue Panther LLC

S

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Tue, 01/13/2009 - 02:08
#4
Zzzzz
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Another possible option,

Another possible option, though potential costly is to look for

INCHES 1.5 inch square chipboard

If you do that search on Google, you will get hits from various sites including ebay, such as : http://cgi.ebay.com/heavy-duty-CHIPBOARD-INCHIE-blanks-1-5-inch-square_W...

This is a package of 50 1.5inchx1.5inch chipboard squares. Sadly it looks like it could be roughly $2.00 per 50, so 500 would be like $20 + shipping.

I looked quickly at other sites and they seem to be in the same cost range, though $2.00 seems to be the low end that I found.

Another option would be to look around for something like the following, but at 1.5 inch : http://www.learningresources.com/product/teachers/shop+by+category/manip...

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Tue, 01/13/2009 - 13:03
#5
fa-1397
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Thanks

Ekobor - Does the bake harden clay maintain it's dimensions when you cook it? Thanks for the MS Word template. I'll try a sheet on a vinyl tile, cut it with an exacto knife, and see how that works out.

MatthewF - Are you saying you can cut chipboard with a rotary trimmer like that? Hmm. That's pretty cool.

bluepanterllc - I've been lusting after a set of acrylic Litko Aero tiles since I found their site, last spring. The combination of acrylic tiles and labels with removable adhesive would create a virtually indesctructible tile that would be very easy to change/reuse during the course of playtesting. They're expensive, though. The 40mm acrylic tiles are $48/100 tiles and I need 500 of them. It would be great for playtesting, but I think my wife would assassinate me. I'll have to do some research on the laser cutter idea. Is there a brand/model that would make sense for a home user? How much do these things cost?

Quintuple Z - The chipboard squares look pretty cool and relatively cheap (compared to the other pre-cut options I've seen). I'll get a bag and try them out.

Thanks again for your input.

fa-1397

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Tue, 01/13/2009 - 14:15
#6
MatthewF
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fa-1397 wrote:MatthewF - Are

fa-1397 wrote:
MatthewF - Are you saying you can cut chipboard with a rotary trimmer like that? Hmm. That's pretty cool.

Absolutely, works like a charm. Takes a couple of passes once your blade starts to dull, but everything is held firmly in place and doesn't get moved slightly like it does with a guillotine-style cutter, so a couple of passes aren't a problem.

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Wed, 01/14/2009 - 11:15
#7
Ekobor
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It depends a lot on the type

It depends a lot on the type of clay, but some types will tell you on the packaging. You would probably want to cut out 50mm tiles, to allow for slight variation, but as long as you cut the same thickness and size, they should all shrink to the same size.

If you or your wife have a rolling fabric cutter like this one: http://www.strima.com/item/161629/en/
with the right allowance for the tile thickness, you'll be more likely to get a straight line on the vinyl.

Good Luck again.

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Thu, 01/15/2009 - 13:03
#8
fa-1397
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The Mysterious Origin of Inchies+

I'm intrigued by the low cost, 1.5" Inchies+, but aside from the ebay Vendor (who only has three 50 piece bags available), I've been unable to locate another source OR the manufacturer for these pieces. I've been able to find other craft dealers that stock 1" chipboard squares, but 1.5" Inchies+ squares have, thus far, eluded my google-y tentacle.

Zzzzz - I wonder if the 0.05" thickness of these tiles will make them too difficult to handle. In the game I'm working on, these 1.5" tiles will be shuffled, placed into stacks, ala Carcassonne, and flipped to organically build the world map as players move from the starting location. Have you used these chipboard squares in the past? I'll check my local craft stores and see if I can find a stray bag of these. I should be able to tell fairly quickly if they'll work. Thanks again for your help.

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Wed, 04/15/2009 - 01:29
#9
saganth
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How well does chipboard take paint?

I just joined the site and found this discussion topic. I too am working on a game idea using tiles like in Carcassonne, and the chipboard squares look a lot cheaper than using wooden ones. However, I'd like to know how well the chipboard takes paint? Specifically acrylic or spray paints. I'm working on a Chess variant, and the tiles don't need fancy pictures on them; they just need to be solid colors. I'd rather not bother applying paper layers to them if they'll take paint well and the paint will look as good on them as it does on wood.

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Wed, 04/15/2009 - 10:38
#10
nomadsgames
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44mm Square tiles

Hello fa-1397,

Gale force nine sells lasercut masonite tiles. They offer hex, oval, round and square shaped tiles.

I have purchased tiles from them and have been happy with the product. The only problem is you must wipe off the lasercut dust from tiles.

website:

http://www.gf9.com/store/index.php?cPath=64&osCsid=9760e863af6ba2cb3aa42...

Best Regards
Sean

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Wed, 04/15/2009 - 21:12
#11
saganth
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Nomadsgames, You say you have

Nomadsgames,

You say you have to wipe the lasercut dust from the tiles. I looked up the product at Gale Force 9 and read a review of the product. They said the burnt edges will mark up one's hands or anything else it touches, and that it does not wash off.

Is the dust you refer to the same stuff as what the reviewer was talking about? What do you suggest wiping the dust off with, and once wiped does the tile remain neat? Also, how well do these masonite tiles take paint, and how does it interact with the burnt edges that the dust comes from?

Adam

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Thu, 04/16/2009 - 03:13
#12
nomadsgames
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Lasercut dust

Hello, Adam

All I do is wipe the dust off the tile's edges with a damp rag. The rag does get really dirty. The dust will come off your hands after a few washings. but, it will stain clothing.

In my opinion the tiles say neat, but the edges do show the burn marks from the laser cutting.

As for painting on them, I can't help. I have only put stickers on the tiles and clear coat. I do believe alot of artist use masonite rather than canvas for their paintings.

The only problem I had with tiles is the intial smell. I suggest putting the tiles in a plastic bag with baking soda for a day, so as to asorb most of the smell before cleaning.

One little hint:

The tiles have a smoothe side and not so smoothe side. I keep the smoothe side down. The tiles will move better on table top surfaces.

So with a little effort, the tiles work out great.

Thats my 2 cents.

Best Regards
Sean

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