I made my son his first chess board for his upcoming birthday. In fact, it's my first time making one. I wanted him to have a decent one to use. Hopefully he’ll like it.
For many of you who have made chess boards this writeup may be "old hat" but nonetheless I wanted to share just the same.
Step 1
I started by cutting up eight 2-5/16" wide x 20" long pieces on the table saw. Four out of Cedar and four out of Pine. I then used one of my shooting boards and hand planed each side edge of the 2 - 5/16 wide lengths down to 2 - 1/4".
Step 2
Then I setup up in the clamps for the first glue up. Alternating back and forth with the Cedar and Pine lengths... one Cedar.. one Pine... then Cedar, etc.
Step 3
After drying, I removed the clamps. I used a card scraper to remove any glue lines and surface imperfections. And then I had a Pine / Cedar 18" x 20" sheet. The extra 2” was to allow for kerf width loss. Then I put this back on the tablesaw and using a very good Forrest blade, cut into 2-1/4" lengths across the alternating Cedar/ Pine sheet. After cutting and cleanup etc., I then flipped every other length, glued, and put back into the clamps.
When dry the clamps were removed and then the board was finessed to a final size of 18" x 18".
Step 4
I wanted a nice yet simple profiled moulding to frame the board. I cut some lengths and mitered to fit the perimeter. I then pulled out my sticking board and used my moulding planes to make a Classic Ogee moulding profile.
Then the moulding was glued and reclamped on the board.
Here’s the completed board. I then proceeded to French polish with blonde shellac.
I bought some wooden Chess pieces. Here’s the board with them on it.
Step 5
Next the chess pieces needed a box. I could have gotten all elaborate and built a drawer in the board for storing the chess pieces. But thought if he wanted to change the pieces then what would happen if by chance they didn’t fit?
So I made a separate box. It has a flush lid. Again with a Classic Ogee profile on the front edge of the lid. This matches the Chess board. It also has dovetailed corners and a flush hinge on the back. Like the Chess board it was French polished with blonde shellac. Lastly, I did a blue velvet inlay for inside bottom.
Here’s an inside view with chess pieces stored.
The whole completed set.
Thanks for looking!
Feel free to comment, ask questions, and thumbs up if you like it.
Great looking board and storage box MrRick, your son now has a keepsake from dad. Nice working with the molding plane, adds fun to the project and gives a nice appearance.
Thank you so much Oldtool! It was fun doing it and challenging too! Really love my using moulding planes to do work like this. It's peaceful and a joy to use hand tools.
I agree with this being more special than just a game board, something to cherish!
The "how" LBD mentions is always a bonus. It may appear simple to build but the details are everywhere. Framing is always something left for last and often overlooked as it can really work well or become a headache.
I do have a question on the border - is there any worry about wood movement? I've been wrestling with this on a project so am in an information gathering phase. I've seen chess boards framed as you have done - such a nice way to finish the board. Does the orientation of the smaller pieces factor into the design of the frame?
BB1.... wood expansion and contraction happens across the grain with the width. Running with the grain sees very little to none. With small pieces, especially with each glued to the other the change is fairly negligible. With the frame there's nothing to worry about. There's simply not enough width and cross section to pose an issue. I try to orient the squares so one grain looks like it runs continuously with the next but it's hard to do. It's was a fun project that I learned from and can benefit from with my next one.
Thanks SplinterGroup! The build was a challenge. I think many may view making one as a simple thing but really it takes alot of planning and precise work. Especially the square piece work. One really has to think it out before cutting and gluing that's for sure!
MrRick commented about 3 hours ago new Thanks SplinterGroup! The build was a challenge. I think many may view making one as a simple thing but really it takes alot of planning and precise work. Especially the square piece work. One really has to think it out before cutting and gluing that's for sure!
That is the unsubtle difference between"seeing what" and "telling how"!
If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD
BB1.... wood expansion and contraction happens across the grain with the width. Running with the grain sees very little to none. With small pieces, especially with each glued to the other the change is fairly negligible. With the frame there's nothing to worry about. There's simply not enough width and cross section to pose an issue
Thank you for the added info. I'm still trying to wrap my thoughts around this. I'm trying to be "smarter" on how to design. I've made some items that should have had issues based on my construction but (thankfull) so far are fine. Guessing the climate controlled environment of our house plays a role.
BB, Having a tight frame may have problems with the width of the board expanding/contracting against the frame piece which for all intended purposes wont change length.
A good option, if the design allows for the game area panel to overlap the frame a small amount (1/8" - 1/4" is great), is to key in the frame with the expansion hidden inside. Just like a floating panel in your recent box.
Cross section looking into the board where it expands/contracts.
A good option, if the design allows for the game area panel to overlap the frame a small amount (1/8" - 1/4" is great), is to key in the frame with the expansion hidden inside. Just like a floating panel in your recent box.
BB1 .....I've made some items that should have had issues based on my construction but (thankfull) so far are fine. Guessing the climate controlled environment of our house plays a role.
You are correct. The stable temperature in the house plays a huge role in wood stability. Still it's best to think about it all the way you are doing. Woodworking is all about the journey. Trying, learning from mistakes, what could be better, making improvements are all part of joy and journey in woodworking.
SplinterGroup.... good points about floating the board within the moulding. Definitely something to think about. I did not do this and took a risk that with each square being glued to each other and the frame glued on to board as well as underneath there's a beautiful finished plywood substrate where the entire surface is bonded to board ..... I very much doubt there will be any issue. Especially inside the house. It's actually light to pick up and very solid. Time will tell.
SplinterGroup.... you're right. Sometimes it's having faith! In fact most of the time it is because woodworking always carries an element of chance ergo you need faith. Like life. Nice cutting board. I haven't made a cutting board yet but have it in mind to do so.
Looks good. As an alternative veneer on marine ply gets over any worries of movement with the board or the frame. I also find multiple coats of a durable poly finish - I use satin, really seals the grain and eliminates movement.
