About Us

Spools' mission

Board games anyone can bring to the table.

Some of my best memories are the click of dominoes on my godmother's kitchen table, the clack of mahjong tiles on a felt mat, a 5th round of catan with my mom and sisters, and my dad walking me through the finer points of a backgammon doubling cube. Board games were our family's language. A way to pause the week, crowd around the table, and cheer each other on. Or talk a little friendly trash.

From tinkerer to tile-maker

I grew up taking things apart. That led to a mechanical engineering degree, hardware design on rockets, aircraft, and iPads, and eventually a deep dive into 3D printing.

Then my grandmother couldn't carry her mahjong set anymore. A traditional set weighs about 14 pounds, and she had no intention of giving up her game over it. So I printed her one. Full-size tiles, same game, about 1.6 pounds. Then friends wanted one. Then strangers did too.

A set you can't carry is a set that stays in the closet. Everything we make is built so the person who wants to play can bring the game.

Where we are now

It started as me, a 3D printer running around the clock, and two dogs providing moral support from the couch. Peaches is a wienerdog who takes her supervisory role very seriously. Bailey, our chihuahua mix, is less supervisory and more ambient.

A year later, Peaches and Bailey have both been promoted, and a team of people runs printers 24/7 to keep up with demand. Every tile, rack, and pusher is still designed and 3D printed here in the USA.

How we make our sets

Every product starts as a design file and ends as something you can hold, click, and play with for years. A chess board takes about 12 hours to print. A full mahjong set can take 48 hours before finishing, inspection, and packaging. Everything is made to order.

3D printing lets us do things traditional manufacturing can't: custom initials, themed editions, and the occasional commission for someone with an idea we've never tried. Those are some of our favorite orders.

What we make

Full-size mahjong sets light enough to take anywhere, with tiles that float. Chess and backgammon with clean lines and magnetic pieces. Themed and seasonal editions, including a braille mahjong set for blind and low-vision players.

In the press

This year, Spools has been featured on Good Morning America and Live with Kelly and Mark and in People and Grazia USA, and our sets are sold at Anthropologie. More to come.

A note on mahjong

Mahjong originated in 19th-century China and has been beloved across East and Southeast Asia for generations. Our tiles draw on the structure and spirit of traditional sets, and we're grateful to the communities who have kept this game alive. For more on mahjong and our other games, see About Spools Games.

Thank you for being here

Your purchase funds the next print run, the next design, and the next round of "just one more game" with the people you love.

Pull up a chair. Let's play.

Keen
Maker, engineer, lifelong board game fan