Mast puts added beauty into an old-time game favorite
The family game board is made of natural woods and comes with all the necessary game pieces, and designer Al Mast can even have each individual game board personalized with an engraving of names, dates and even company logos.
The challenge of taking a wooden cue, striking a plastic ring and driving it into another plastic ring, and sending it careening into a corner pocket is a game that may bring back many memories to some, but Al Mast is hoping what he is currently creating will entice new generations to enjoy a game that has been around for ages.
The family game board is akin to the old-time favorite game carom, but the game boards Mast is creating have taken that game to a whole new level in terms of beauty and functionality.
“I grew up in a woodworking shop, and I’ve been building things since I was 14 years old,” Mast said. “We did custom furniture, kitchen cabinets, and I went into partnership with my dad.”
Eventually, Mast’s two sons got the family gene of creating with wood, and they began cutting out wooden toys, which impelled Mast to move away from furniture making and into a new world of wooden toy making.
“We really got heavily invested in making all types of wooden toys, from animals with wheels to wooden trucks and trains,” Mast said. “At one point my job was to simply come up with new items because the boys were getting really great at making just about anything.”
Recently, a friend suggested the family game board, and it piqued Mast’s interest because the popularity of the old-time game continues as a family activity for all ages.
“This is a game that we played in school when I was a kid, and it continues to be a very popular family game that’s fun for all ages,” Mast said.
Mast has taken this old-time game favorite and added plenty of beauty by producing a board that is aesthetically pleasing and can be custom-made as gifts for family, friends, companies and more.
The playing board is made of Baltic Birch, a material Mast said is one of the finest plywoods available on the market. The board’s edging, frame and pockets are made from high-quality maple while the cue sticks are made with a dark walnut wood. The game also includes all the hard plastic rings that are red and green and the one black ring that is the most valuable piece in terms of scoring.
Mast said there is a less expensive board available with some plastic parts, but the focus is on producing the all-hardwood board.
What makes the board even more special is Mast is able to customize each model with laser printing, meaning boards can be imprinted with names and dates commemorating anniversaries, birthdays or other special dates, and they can even do company names and logos.
He said he already has several area companies that have invested in purchasing boards as gifts for employees celebrating anniversaries.
Mast said Wengerd Wood does all the custom lasering for each board.
“One of the neatest things is that we can custom make each individual board for clients with different names and dates, so a company ordering multiple boards can still individualize each board for a specific person,” Mast said. “Every board can be different.”
Mast came up with the idea after talking with various friends who encouraged him to produce the game board and stand.
Initially, he created a stand that was stationary and didn’t fold, but someone came up with the idea of building a folding stand that assembles quickly and can be folded and stored with ease.
The stand puts the board at a nice height that allow players to get an eye-level view of the board and the pieces, with the game often playing either sitting or kneeling.
The foldable stands may be purchased separately from Hometown Merchants on County Road 77, so people or companies can purchase the board, the stand or the entire package depending on their needs.
All Mast needs to personalize a family game board is the correct spelling of names and dates or whatever verbiage a person may want to add. He also can do customized logos. Anyone wishing to add a company logo to a family game board simply needs to provide a pdf logo in black and white.
Anyone with questions or who is interested in purchasing a game board can call or email Mast at 330-600-5213 or rt62bd@emyprinter.net.