Popular Post Chestnut Posted July 14, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 I had a request from a friend to build a chess board for his wife's birthday. I figured it would be a fun project so I agreed. My plan was to make the board out of veneer initially but couldn't wrap my mind around how to ensure the veneer was cut perfectly. So instead i cut 1/8" thick shop veneer and just used the table saw. I started by sawing enough veneer to make roughly 2 boards as I'd need to do a balanced panel. Once i had the veneer cut and sanded on the drum sander I ripped out 2.25" wide strips. I figured it'd be easiest to make this like a cutting board and glue the pieces together into a board then cross cut strips. I used plywood cauls to keep everything nice and flat. Then alternating the cross cut strips it was easy to build out the checkerboard. The backside was more walnut and maple, I didn't go through the effort to make the hidden underside checkered but it still looks nice. To glue the checkerboard onto the Baltic birch core, i used blue tape that I stretched out. There is just enough elasticity in painters tape to hold a project like this together. On the left side of the core i glued down a scrap strip that I jointed and used to align the checkerboard. It helped me get everything strait and square. after glued I'd just trim this piece off. To glue my shop veneer down i used a layer of pink insulation 3 pieces of plywood and a lot of cauls and clamps. I just used my regular TB II wood glue. This got me some good squeeze out around the edges so I figured it got me enough pressure. I really should buy a vacuum bag kit. After the glue set I trimmed the board to size this revealed a nice sandwich with no visible voids. After the core was done I just made a frame and box to raise the board a bit. Finish was applied and project complete. I used miters to make the frame and box that acts as the stand. The corners of the box were reinforced with splines. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askland09 Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 Nicely done! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belle City WW Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 Very nicely Done! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 Now that’s cool!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 Well done ChessNut! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradpotts Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 Looks really nice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted July 15, 2021 Report Share Posted July 15, 2021 Nice work, Drew! I think the "cutting board" approach really is the most reliable way to build one of these. Since you raised it with a box structure, did you consider making ut a container for the pieces? I see a lot of folks do that, but the board seems uncomfortably tall on a box that big, IMO. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted July 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2021 1 hour ago, wtnhighlander said: Nice work, Drew! I think the "cutting board" approach really is the most reliable way to build one of these. Since you raised it with a box structure, did you consider making ut a container for the pieces? I see a lot of folks do that, but the board seems uncomfortably tall on a box that big, IMO. Yes i was going to make storage but ran out of time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted July 15, 2021 Report Share Posted July 15, 2021 Well, and then you would of had to turn some chess pieces, too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted July 16, 2021 Report Share Posted July 16, 2021 Looks great. I have made a couple of chess boards recently - used veneer. Used basically the same approach that you used for cutting and assembly to get nice squares. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Coop Posted July 21, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 21, 2021 I made an end grain checker board a couple of years ago and used 1/4” ply as a substrate. I talked of my plans on here and someone mentioned applying the same material to the backside to keep a “ balanced panel” I ignored the recommendation and ended up with a checkered cistern. Learned the hard way. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted July 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2021 9 hours ago, Coop said: I made an end grain checker board a couple of years ago and used 1/4” ply as a substrate. I talked of my plans on here and someone mentioned applying the same material to the backside to keep a “ balanced panel” I ignored the recommendation and ended up with a checkered cistern. Learned the hard way. I remember that build and it's one of the reasons i used the exact same material as a backer. Thanks for teaching me something Coop ! I can't remember, did you manage to fix your chess board? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 21, 2021 Report Share Posted July 21, 2021 No, it went to the burn pile. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wtnhighlander Posted July 22, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 That's too bad, Coop. I did the same thing, but flipping it over for a day exposed the other side to enough humidity that it flattened out, and I quickly slapped a backer on it. Been using the board ever since. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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