How to Make a Wooden Chess Set
Handmade chess sets are not only collectors' items but also sources of immense pride for those who have constructed them. According to the Handmade Chess website, chess sets have been made of wood for hundreds of years. Although challenging to a beginner, they can be made with time, patience and good wood-working skills. Chess set makers must have designs in mind before producing finished products.
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Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Pencil
- Ruler or tape measure
- 20 inch square dark wood piece
- Dark wood for the chess board border
- Dark wood for chess board squares
- Light wood for chess board squares
- Hand saw
- Hack saw
- Wood glue
- V gouge
- Course sandpaper
- Spinning polishing wheel
- Hard wax
Instructions
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Plan The Designs
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1
List all the chess pieces you need on a piece of paper. You will need 32 pieces in total, including 16 pawns, four rooks, four bishops, four knights, two kings and two queens. These will need to be in two different colors when you start making them.
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2
Decide on the sizes of the individual chess pieces. King pieces are typically the largest, so choose a size and work downwards through to the queen, bishops, knights, rooks and pawns. The king should be between about four inches tall and the queen a third of an inch smaller, according to Diana Thompson (author of "Wooden Chess Sets You Can Make").
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3
Choose a design theme. This can be anything from family members to futuristic shapes, but the theme must carry on throughout the set. Sketch your ideas on paper and, again, always start with the king. The king is a majestic, elegant and distinctive piece, according to the Handmade Chess website.
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4
Pick a wood you would like to use. Boxwood is the most common type, according to the Handmade Chess website, although ebony is also popular. When ebony is polished it becomes jet black: one of the distinctive chess colors. Sheesham is another popular wood that, because its grains are extremely attractive, often comprises chess boards. Buy the wood in enough four inch by two inch by two inch pieces to make all 32 chess figures, then buy a larger section of wood for the board.
Making The Chess Set
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5
Draw out a size of wood 20 inches square to allow for eight separate two-inch squares and a two inch border. Cut to size using a hacksaw and place a two-inch border of dark wood around the edge. Glue it into place using wood glue. This forms the tray into which the alternate-colored playing squares must also be glued, according to the Handmade Chess website.
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6
Measure out 32 squares at two inches by two inches in dark wood with a ruler and pencil. Repeat the process with the same number in light wood. Cut them with a hand saw and glue them into place on the board using wood glue. Alternate the dark and light wood squares.
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7
Take a four-inch by two-inch by two-inch piece of wood and start to gouge to your designs using a v gouge. V gouges are used to cut down small pieces of wood, according to the Chest Of Books website.
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8
Sand the chess piece into shape using coarse sandpaper. Add detail using a bench knife, according to Diana Thompson. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 to make all other pieces.
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9
Finish your chess piece with wax polishing. Apply a hard wax to a spinning polishing wheel that spins at high revolutions. Hold the chess piece to the polishing wheel; when the wax heats it will soften and transfer to the wood. Repeat this step for all other pieces.
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Tips & Warnings
Carve the biggest chess pieces first. If you make a mistake you can them carve again without wasting the wood.
Keep your hands away from the spinning polishing wheel when it is turning at high revolutions.
References
- Photo Credit chess image by Andrius Grigaliunas from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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Anonymous
May 09, 2011
This is a good clean article and "how to". Chess sets are not easy to make. As someone who spends his life examining, judging and sourcing quality chess sets, I highly recommend the adventure of making one yourself!
