A CNC cribbage board needs a clear route from the starting position to the winning score. Counting all the circles in a drawing will not establish that route: some holes may park pegs before play, others may record games won, and a compact board may use the same scoring positions twice.
Choose the scoring layout first, then follow each player's path through its turns and finish. A complete-looking CAD pattern and a peg that fits are useful observations, but they answer different questions from whether someone can follow the score during a game.
Choose a Continuous Route or a Repeated Lap
The American Cribbage Congress's 2025 rules set the game's target at 121 and require long boards with 60 holes up and 60 down for ACC-sanctioned and satellite tournaments. That provides 120 scoring positions along each player's route before the game hole at 121. It is a tournament requirement within that organization, rather than a definition of every home cribbage board.
Bicycle's description of a traditional compact board uses four rows of 30 holes, divided into two pairs. Each player's 60-position route is used twice for a 121-point game. These are different ways of arranging the score on a physical object:
| Chosen layout | How the scoring route is used | What the design must make clear |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous 120-position route | Follow positions 1–120 once, then reach the 121 finish. | The return path and final approach to the game hole. |
| Compact 60-position route | Use the route for 1–60, repeat it for 61–120, then reach the finish. | How players recognize the second lap and distinguish it from the first. |
A full-size route occupies more layout space; a repeated route asks the players to retain the lap's meaning. Decide which arrangement the intended players want before choosing a decorative shape. If the board is intended for an organized event, consult that event's actual requirements instead of assuming a homemade compact board qualifies.
Keep start or parking holes separate from the numbered scoring route. Optional holes for recording games won also have a different job. A shared finish can change the total physical hole count again. Label these roles in the design so that a total count of circles does not conceal a missing scoring position.
Follow the Score Through the Turns
A row of correctly spaced holes is only a piece of the route. The important transitions occur where the lane bends, returns alongside another row, repeats a lap, or enters the finish. Trace one player's sequence at a time rather than counting every hole on the board together. On a continuous route, confirm the connection from 60 to 61; on a compact route, identify where the second lap begins.
Five-hole groups provide convenient units for checking the pattern. A continuous 120-position path contains 24 such groups; a 60-position lap contains 12. Those are arithmetic checks on the chosen scoring positions, not a specification for every physical hole on the board. Count the positions inside each bend too: a decorative curved end does not automatically contain the same number of holes as a straight group.
The ACC's pegging rule advances the rear peg past the front one to record a new score. The front peg shows the current total, and the difference between the two positions shows the latest increment. For an explicitly hypothetical move, suppose the front peg is at 30 and the rear peg at 27. Adding five points means moving the rear peg to 35 while the other stays at 30. The layout should make that move understandable even when it crosses a turn or group boundary.
Finish at the intended 121 position rather than stopping at the last attractive hole in the pattern. The ACC distinguishes the game hole at 121 from position 120. A nearby parking hole or game-record hole should not look like an equally plausible destination.
Make the Path Readable at the Size You Will Make
Symmetry can help a board look orderly, but the players need to recognize their lane and the next position. Place arrows, group dividers, and selected numbers where they clarify an actual transition. A divider placed after four holes instead of five can imply a false grouping even if the overall circle count is right.
On a compact two-lap board, one physical position can mean different totals on the first and second circuits. Make that convention understandable to the recipient. On a continuous board, distinguish the outbound and return portions where adjacent rows come close together. Decorative lines should reinforce those relationships rather than create an apparent shortcut into another player's lane.
A full-size paper layout lets you inspect this before machining. Use two placeholders and follow several score advances, including one across a bend, the change of lap if applicable, and the final approach to 121. This can reveal an ambiguous route or mistaken label; it does not establish that the holes will fit the real pegs or that the toolpaths are suitable.
For makers considering CNC Christmas projects, a family name or small seasonal motif can personalize this functional gift. Reserve a place for it after the route is readable. An engraving that occupies a useful lane divider or obscures the finish trades away information the players need every game.
Keep Peg Fit Separate From the Count
Check the actual pegs, including their heads, rather than assigning a universal hole diameter from a plan. One peg may fit a single hole yet be awkward to grip beside another occupied hole. The spacing must accommodate the leapfrogging action as well as the bare shanks, particularly where the lanes turn or converge.
Scaling a file to fit a smaller blank changes the holes and their spacing together. If the pegs remain the same size, both the fit and the room between their heads change. A route that needs more room may require a different arrangement rather than uniform reduction of the entire drawing.
The original Carbide 3D cribbage-kit discussion documents two useful corrections: an initial drawing was short of scoring positions, and holes on a turn were later corrected for size. These were separate issues in that maker's kit and software context. They illustrate why checking the score count cannot substitute for checking the individual hole geometry.
Try representative neighboring holes from both a straight section and a bend with the intended pegs and finished stock. Confirm that the pegs can be inserted, gripped, and moved without depending on a forceful fit. If the underside contains storage, keep that recess in the same model: the Red Builds Badly design account describes a card recess intersecting peg holes and prompting a revised construction. Space removed from the back remains relevant to what is drilled or milled from the front.
Check the Whole Board Against the CNC Setup
When choosing a CNC router for woodworking, compare the complete blank and holding arrangement with the machine's work area. The finished board outline leaves out stock needed around it, clamps or other fixtures, and the cutter's movement. A long scoring path can require more room than a decorative preview suggests.
The TwoTrees ED1 desktop CNC router is an enclosed platform whose manufacturer lists solid wood and a nominal 300 × 200 × 120 mm work area. Use those specifications to begin the layout check, then account for the actual stock, fixture, and tool access. They do not establish that a particular long board or peg-hole operation fits.
Choose the tools by operation. For the outline and appropriate two-dimensional work, the TwoTrees wood-cutting spiral end mill is one product to examine when comparing CNC router bits for wood. Its two-flute construction and listed shank identify the tool; they do not make it a universal peg-hole drill or establish permission to plunge into solid stock. Follow the exact tool and machine instructions for the intended entry and cutting operation.
Secure the stock, use correctly rated tools and functioning guards, and follow the machine's dust-control instructions. Stop and isolate the equipment as directed before handling the board or checking peg fit by hand.
The drawing is ready to take forward when each player's route has the intended count, its turns and finish are understandable, and the actual pegs and machining arrangement have been considered separately. Let personalization occupy the space left by that working layout.
