Protected from the elements, your board should last for many, many years.

We do see the appearance of “character” as a positive for the board. Small dings, dents, and scratches add to the sense of history of a well-used and cherished board.

Most boards are finished with shellac. Brushing or spraying on a light coat of shellac will probably restore the finish like new.  Light sanding with fine sandpaper, such as 400 grit, before and between coats, will help too.

Should you wish to strip the finish completely, shellac dissolves in alcohol.

Please beware that we apply any paint on your board between layers of shellac, so stripping back the finish may remove paint too.

On rare occasion, we use polyurethane to finish boards, particularly those with padauk wood and other similar alcohol-soluble natural coloring.  Even with this finish, a fresh layer of shellac on top should work fine.

As long as you have permission to use the logo, we can usually add it to your board.

If you contact the team​​ or organization directly and ask for permission to have a craftsman create a one-off custom cribbage board, they will often grant permission.

If you want us to get permission for you, we now offer that service here

If you can’t get permission, we can alternatively make a blank board for you to add a logo to yourself or a photo board to which you can add a metal print.

For all other boards, we convert photos to a format that we can use to engrave using a traditional router and v-bit.

We don’t use a laser or silk-screen printing so there is a limit to the detail we can capture in the wood.

We engrave, then hand-paint the image.

The larger the photo, t​​he better – try for at least 1Mb in size and as clear a photo as possible.

Most formats are OK, such as a jpg, bmp, pdf or other picture file formats.

If in doubt, please send what you have and we’ll advise.​

We can add most images and logos onto your board.

The key to a good image is a quality source image – ideally large with clear outlines and edges.

We use a traditional router and v-bit to engrave, then hand-paint the engraving, so half-tones and light shadows are not going to work.

We can now also add actual photos onto boards: admin@heirloomgraphics.com

If you are not sure, please send us the highest-resolution version you have or provide a link to it and we’ll work from there

As long as you have permission to use the logo, we can usually add it to your board.

If you contact the team​​ or organization directly and ask for permission to have a craftsman create a one-off custom cribbage board, they will often grant permission.

If you want us to get permission for you, we now offer that service here

If you can’t get permission, we can alternatively make a blank board for you to add a logo to yourself or a photo board to which you can add a metal print.

We used to make inlays, but in some climates, the humidity and temperatures reduce the life of the board considerably.  We have decided to not offer inlays any longer.  We do still make laminates, where the different species are glued together and clamped until dry.  All woods change shape throughout the year due to climate changes and some movement should be expected of all our boards. So far we have had an excellent record with our laminates, but as all species move at different rates and in different ways, laminates should not be expected to last as long as a solid plank from one species.

Below is a maple-padauk laminated board.

Our drilling and engraving takes place in dust cabinets to protect us from the fine particles.  This restricts us to boards 23-24″ long.

Hole-wise, we strive to leave a good gap between holes, even in the corners. Too far apart and players can become lost.  We use traditional methods of engraving, with a router and v-bit, so that limits the engraving somewhat. We don’t use lasers or screen printing so half-tones and tiny text are out. And we hand-paint the engraving, so full color illustrations are not possible.

Even with those restrictions, we manage to make so many beautiful boards that people love!

When your order is placed, you should receive two emails, one of which is your invoice with your order number.

You will also be taken to a “Thank You” page on the website which shows your order details.

If this doesn’t happen, please contact us at admin@heirloomgraphics.com

Protected from the elements, your board should last for many, many years.

We do see the appearance of “character” as a positive for the board. Small dings, dents, and scratches add to the sense of history of a well-used and cherished board.

Most boards are finished with shellac. Brushing or spraying on a light coat of shellac will probably restore the finish like new.  Light sanding with fine sandpaper, such as 400 grit, before and between coats, will help too.

Should you wish to strip the finish completely, shellac dissolves in alcohol.

Please beware that we apply any paint on your board between layers of shellac, so stripping back the finish may remove paint too.

On rare occasion, we use polyurethane to finish boards, particularly those with padauk wood and other similar alcohol-soluble natural coloring.  Even with this finish, a fresh layer of shellac on top should work fine.

For all other boards, we convert photos to a format that we can use to engrave using a traditional router and v-bit.

We don’t use a laser or silk-screen printing so there is a limit to the detail we can capture in the wood.

We engrave, then hand-paint the image.

The larger the photo, t​​he better – try for at least 1Mb in size and as clear a photo as possible.

Most formats are OK, such as a jpg, bmp, pdf or other picture file formats.

If in doubt, please send what you have and we’ll advise.​

We can add most images and logos onto your board.

The key to a good image is a quality source image – ideally large with clear outlines and edges.

We use a traditional router and v-bit to engrave, then hand-paint the engraving, so half-tones and light shadows are not going to work.

We can now also add actual photos onto boards: admin@heirloomgraphics.com

If you are not sure, please send us the highest-resolution version you have or provide a link to it and we’ll work from there

We usually start with Lucida Handwriting when designing a board.  This has a friendly, personal look to it and engraves very well.  The method of engraving we use lends itself better to fonts that have bold lines as the wood has to be engraved and then hand-painted.

Tiny serifs (the points at the top and bottom of letters) and thin lines can easily get lost during the sanding stages of board preparation.

If you have a particular font you would like, please let us know as soon as possible and we’ll see if we can work it into the design for you.

Wood will do what wood will do!  We drum-sand each board completely flat before we drill and engrave it.

However, when we add hundreds of holes, engraving, pockets, and finishing, sometimes the wood reacts, especially well-figured and wide (over 12 inches) boards.

Wood can do all kinds of crazy things – warp, twist, cup, crook (wain), kink, and even crack – as the internal tensions are released and the moisture content re-settles.

Sometimes this happens within hours and sometimes not for years.  Changes in climate – humidity, and temperature – can also instigate these changes.

Again, we can do little to correct this natural occurrence, except to offer extra felt pads that can be applied underneath to re-balance the board.

Often we use a smaller pad or two under a larger one to add even more depth where needed.

If you have an issue with movement in your board, please get in touch with us and we’ll arrange for a selection of felt pads to be sent out to you.

If we notice the beginnings of movement in your board before shipping, we’ll include extra pads for you with the board.

Sometimes, giving the board a little time to acclimatize is all that is needed. if the movement becomes too much for you and there’s an email and we will carry placement with you send an email to  admin@heirloomgraphics.com

Wood will do what wood will do!  We drum-sand each board completely flat before we drill and engrave it.

However, when we add hundreds of holes, engraving, pockets, and finishing, sometimes the wood reacts, especially well-figured and wide (over 12 inches) boards.

Wood can do all kinds of crazy things – warp, twist, cup, crook (wain), kink, and even crack – as the internal tensions are released and the moisture content re-settles.

Sometimes this happens within hours and sometimes not for years.  Changes in climate – humidity, and temperature – can also instigate these changes.

Again, we can do little to correct this natural occurrence, except to offer extra felt pads that can be applied underneath to re-balance the board.

Often we use a smaller pad or two under a larger one to add even more depth where needed.

If you have an issue with movement in your board, please get in touch with us and we’ll arrange for a selection of felt pads to be sent out to you.

If we notice the beginnings of movement in your board before shipping, we’ll include extra pads for you with the board.

Sometimes, giving the board a little time to acclimatize is all that is needed. if the movement becomes too much for you and there’s an email and we will carry placement with you send an email to  admin@heirloomgraphics.com

We are happy to work on the design for you, create free mockups, and do other such work before you commit to the purchase.

We do not, however, place your board on our production list until it is paid for in full.

If you are pressed for time, we would recommend paying for your board as soon as possible to reserve your place on the production list

e keep our credit and debit payment system very simple.  We never see entire card numbers or security codes.  All that data is handled by an encrypted PCI-compliant processor.

We maintain current PCI compliance for our industry type and systems.

Our website is hosted on a third-party secure server using industry-standard encryption technology, similar to that used by financial institutions.

We receive summary information about credit and debit transactions – card type, name, exp. date and the last 4 digits of the card number but never the entire card number or security code.

When your order is placed, you should receive two emails, one of which is your invoice with your order number.

You will also be taken to a “Thank You” page on the website which shows your order details.

If this doesn’t happen, please contact us at admin@heirloomgraphics.com

We cannot run orders with credit or debit cards by phone, mail, or email.

We maintain PCI compliance and we are not authorized to do so.  If we start doing this, we will become liable for ALL losses should your card ever become compromised!   We can’t afford to take that risk so we accept these payments through our website only.

This happens occasionally and we can’t always tell why.

Please check you have the billing address correct as registered with your card issuer.  If that doesn’t work, please consider using the PayPal option – you don’t need an account with them, just the card.  They seem to use a different verification method and sometimes that does a better job.

When you receive a thank-you email with your 5-digit order number, then you have succeeded!

We recommend using a credit or debit card, or Paypal.

The payment is immediate and will place your board on our production list as soon as you approve the design.

Checks and Money Orders are fine, but boards are not added to production list until they have arrived and cleared.

Please contact us within 14 days of delivery.  We will replace boards broken in transit.

You, the customer, are responsible for lost and stolen boards.  If you request, we can attempt to claim the loss from USPS and pass any funds recovered to you.  If you purchased by Credit Card or Paypal you may have coverage for the loss through them