If You Need Information On Type Of Wood Then This is The Best Untapped Resource On The Web
What type of wood should I use to make a monopoly board?
I'm making my own customised monopoly board. I plan to cut it in half and connected by hinges to make fold into a full board. It has to be a strong wood so it doesn't get worn easily, and also a wood that can easily be cleaned.
I'm not a profession in this field... So could anyone please tell me what type of wood I should use? (Along with any other tips for making the board lol 
)
I'd go with :
1. Oak
2. Maple
3. Cedar
Your budget will determine which you want & your personal preferences will influence that decision.
Next you'll want this to be sooo smooth by the time you come to finishing the wood. So obviously, all carving ( hand carving) engraving and routing & drilling would be done first.
Once your ready to sand prior to the finish you'll want to follow these steps.
Look for holes, if any they should be filled in with wood putty. Once this dries continue ...
Begin sanding with a 60 grit paper.
next move to a medium grit paper like an 80 grit
Wood Stain goes on now
Use #0000 Steel Wool and run over the wood in one direction only ..very lightly to " knock down any raised fibers"
next move to a fine grit like 120 grit and complete the sanding with a very fine paper like 140 grit or higher.
Once this is all said and done it will be very smooth but very dusty.
You want to get rid of all of this dust over two or three days...take your time and do not rush this phase.
Once all of the dust is removed and you know it won't be there to mess up the finish it is time to decide:
Water Based Finish ( my favorite)
Oil Based Finish ( the harden Polyeurathane we are familiar with).
.
Water Based, dries faster and posses less chance of dirt or debris getting to the finish to mess up the final product.
Oil Based, takes longer to dry and posses above risk but is a much harder finish once it is complete.
I'd say use scrap wood and sand it like described then finish it using both..decide then which you prefer.
Never begin the final finishing phase until you have cleaned the area up after the sanding phase. Do Not Rush This Job...
You may require more than one finish coat too....and may have to sand very lightly with a very high grit paper between coats...never sand prior to the last coat no matter what.