Carving a Knight Chess Piece

Use a simple design when carving a chess piece.

Carving is a skill that is developed by practice as well as challenging yourself with more difficult projects. One common project many intermediate carvers eventually tackle is the construction of a chess set. The pieces range from simple to complex as you work, depending on the type of pattern you select to work with. The knight is often considered the most difficult and intricate piece in the set. Often in a custom-made set, it is the quality of the knight piece that sets the price for the entire set. Crafting a knight involves time and patience as there is a good amount of detail involved in carving the face and mane of the piece.

Things You'll Need

• Chess piece designs
• King piece for the set
• Bench knife
• V-gouge knife
• Hammer
• Chisel set
• Vice
• Hand saw
• Fine grit sandpaper
• Coarse grit sandpaper
• 4 5-by-2-by-2-inch blocks of wood
• Wood stain, dark and light

Instructions

Planning Your Piece

1. Find a design for your set. Pick a design that is not beyond your skill level for carving. Find patterns for chess sets in wood carving pattern books. Search online for carving websites to find patterns.

2. Print out the pattern for your design. The pattern must be to scale. The king will always be the tallest piece. Compare your pattern against the king piece to obtain the correct sizing.

3. Reduce or enlarge the pattern to the proper size, using a photocopier. Cut the pattern out.

4. Select a wood. Basswood and pine are softer woods and will be easier to work with for a novice carver. Walnut, cherry and mahogany can be used as well but they are a harder wood and more difficult to carve.

Carving the Piece

1. Lay the pattern over the block of wood. Trace the outline of the pattern on opposite sides of the block with the nose facing the same direction on both sides.

2. Place the block in a vise to secure the base. Use a small chisel -- 1/2-inch or under -- to remove the larger sections of wood around the pattern marks. Chisel the block down until it is close to the pattern marks. Use the V-gouge knife for the difficult angles around the ears and under the mouth.

3. Start with the coarse grit sandpaper and gently wear down the wood before creating details. Sand evenly around the piece until you reach the pattern lines.

4. Mark detail points on the knight including the eyes, mouth and mane.

5. Carve the small details of the knight, using a bench knife. Work slowly and match the shape of the mane and eyes on both sides of the piece. Carve additional details not in the pattern as well.

6. Smooth out all rough spots -- with fine grit sandpaper -- after carving is complete. Sand the wood gently until it has a smooth feel. Repeat the above process for the three other knight pieces.

7. Protect the final pieces with wood stain. Stain two knights with a light wood stain and the remaining two with a dark wood stain. Let the stain dry completely before using the pieces.

Tips & Warnings

• Always work in a well-ventilated area when working with any wood staining products.

References

• Little Shavers Wood Carving Supply: Chess Set Pattern
• Wooden Chess Sets You Can Make; Diana Thompson

Resources

• Complete Book of Woodcarving; Everett Ellenwood