Creating a chess game is an inexpensive project, but many people run into trouble when trying to build their board. Here we will give you some quick and easy tips for building your chess game board so that you don’t run into the problems that most encounter.
Start by selecting your woods with contrasting dark and light colors. Hardwoods will last longer and are good choices when looking for a durable game board that can be passed down from generation to generation. Most people will begin by cutting out sixty-four pieces of wood in identical shapes and sizes. Then, they realize that it is almost impossible to perfectly line up sixty-four little squares. Not only is it nearly impossible to cut them exactly the same size, it is also hard to glue each side of each piece together and make it to the end before the beginning has already begun to dry.
Another problem with pre-cutting your squares is that they are almost impossible to clamp. For a chess game board, there can be no spaces between each square. The center of, say, four squares, will slip around and create an imperfect connection while drying. But don’t worry. There is an easy solution that will help you to create a perfect game board in no time.
Instead of cutting individual squares, line up your long wood boards, alternating between light and dark pieces. Assuming that they are already the same height, depth and width, they should line up to look like a striped, as opposed to a checkered, game board. Go ahead and line these up, glue them together and clamp them overnight.
When the “board” is clamped and dry, use the guide on your table saw to measure exactly how wide you want each square to measure. Place the game board with the stripes going left to right, or horizontally, before you. Cut off each section and keep the board aligned on your work area. When complete, simply go through and flip over every other board. This will make the squares that you just cut alternate in color and give you the chess board appearance that you’ve been going for. Because they were all cut together, you shouldn’t have the variations in cut that you would have if you had cut out sixty-four squares.
Glue the strips together and clamp overnight again. Add trim pieces, sand and polish however you’d like. We’ll discuss different polishing and finishing techniques for your game pieces and chess board in our next article, “Polishing and Finishing a Homemade Chess Game”.
About the Author: Dave Murphy is the founder and president of Good Wood, Inc., which makes a high quality wood dowel and the best hardwood dowel on the market. They also create wooden balls, wood knobs, wooden toy parts, custom wood parts, and more. They offer safe wood finishing, wood turning and can import from off-shore when necessary. Visit http://www.goodwoodinc.com for all of your wood product needs.
