How to Build a Chessboard

Chess, the paramount game of strategy in the western world, may have originated as early as 100 AD. Written references to chess, and artifacts pertaining to it, have been uncovered in Scotland, northern India and Afghanistan. While the finest chess boards may be made of precious metals, rare wood and even gemstones, it's perfectly reasonable for an amateur crafts person to build an all-wood chessboard in about an hour with nothing more than simple tools.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Four 16-inch-by-2-inch-by-1-inch strips of light wood
• Four 16-inch-by-2-inch-by-1-inch strips of dark wood
• One 20-inch long board
• Rotary saw
• Wood glue

1. Glue all eight strips of wood together so that they form one continuous 16-inch-by-16-inch-by-1-inch block of alternating light and dark stripes. Use the 20-inch long board as a straight edge. Press each end of the block you've glued together against it while the glue is still wet, to make sure that the strips of wood all line up evenly with no protruding edges.

2. Wipe off any extra glue, then wait until it's completely dry.

3. Use the rotary saw to cut 2-inch strips crosswise, perpendicular to the light and dark stripes, from your glued together block. You should end up with 8 16-inch-by-2-inch-by-1-inch strips of wood, each with 2-inch squares that alternate between light and dark colors.

4. Flip over every other strip of wood. This gives you an alternating checkerboard pattern of light and dark squares.

5. Glue your chessboard together, again pressing each edge against the 20-inch board or another flat surface to ensure that all the edges are flush.