I found a beautiful piece of maple that had some slight curly figure in it for this build. Sandwiched in with a little walnut, this scrap will become a great game set.
Of all my time at the computer, this is what likely took the longest to get all the spacing the best and fitting within the requirements; but man am I glad I took the time. It turned out great.
http://easel.inventables.com/projects/kPzHudQJW9VxO2UPXBXHpA
Estimated time: 30 minutes
With the conservative settings that I ran with this, it took quite some time to cut through it, but I am very satisfied with the cut quality and smoothness that the pockets made.
Estimated time: 45 minutes
I must have previously used this board because it was already pretty smooth from my drum sander, so all I needed to do was knock down all the little fuzzies and soften the edges.
Line up the blocks with the mancala board to the inside (better area to store the pieces). Be sure to make sure that all the pieces are oriented correctly before drilling!
Estimated time: 10 minutes
I put on 2 light coats of spray finish to give it a nice shine, but also to protect it during play.
I have attached the rules for Mancala, marble solitaire, and the impossible triangle.
Mancala http://boardgames.about.com/cs/mancala/ht/play_mancala.htm
Marble Solitaire http://board-games.wonderhowto.com/how-to/play-marble-solitaire-326260/
Impossible Triangle (Cracker Barrel Triangle) http://www.madoverlord.com/projects/crackerbarrel.t