Antique Toys: Chess Board

Today I am going to show you how to build a chess board that looks kinda vintage. This is one section of a series I am hoping to start about making old toys with new twists on them. I am hoping to publish an instructable on building custom pieces for this board. This project is good if you want to make someone a gift for Christmas or their birthday. It is also good for teaching someone how to play chess since it is an easy project and not a big deal if it gets dinged up. This instructable is for the Toy Challenge contest please vote for me.

Step 1: Tools and Materials

First things first we have to gather our materials. I used a band saw to cut my wood only because my parents won't let me use a table saw by myself...it may be dangerous! Anyways you can use a table saw if you like, actually I would recommend it because you get a straighter cut than with a band saw and it is also quicker.

Tools:
Band/Table saw
Pencil
Tape Measure
Hand sander
Rags or brush for staining
Exact-o knife/Drywall knife

Materials:
Wood stain
Scrap piece of plywood 1/2in or thicker
Masking tape
50 grit sand paper
150 grit or more sand paper

Comments

[deusprogrammer]

Its always been my understanding that a band saw is far more dangerous than a table saw with proper hand guards.

[phynicfirebird]

You are right a table saw with proper hand guards is safer than a band saw without any guards. But the table saw at my house has not been used in a long time and we misplaced the hand guards. So in my house a band saw is a lot safer.

[phynicfirebird]

well good luck if you do. I was planning on making actual chess pieces with it but I can't make it over to my grandpa's house any time soon and he is the only person I know with a lathe.

[Wi11]

This is an awesome project! I like the staining method. I'm thinking of making a wooden chess set for this contest.

[Robot Lover]

Great instructable! Good job! Here's a tip, antique and vintage are different. Antique is supposed to be very old. Vintage is 20-60 ish years old. 5*

[phynicfirebird]

Thanks i will keep that in mind for my next antique instructable.

[phynicfirebird]

Nope no inlay. Thanks i really appreciate all the nice comments. Just remember to vote for me in the contest.

[LeumasYrrep]

Wow that is amazing looking, from the intro picture I thought it was all inlay.

[dj99ae]

In alternative to leaving the lighter coloured squres natural you can stain the entire board a lighter colour prior to putting the tape on, and then apply the darker stain over the lighter stain once you have exposed the desired areas. Test the colour first on a scrap peice of wood to determine the best colour match

[phynicfirebird]

true you could do that if those are the colors you want but I liked the natural look of the board. Plus I was trying to make this an easy project for like a father and son to do together. But you are right about the staining.

[phynicfirebird]

Thank you. Like I said before I really like working with wood and making my own things from the bare essentials. I was originally going to add a lot of fancy trim and decorations but decided against it because I want people to see the true beauty in a simple project.

[zazenergy]

wow! this chess board is beautiful.

[phynicfirebird]

Thanks. I like wood working a lot ever since my grandpa taught me to use some of his tools. I wish I could of used a table saw to get a better edge but I think it turned out nicely.

[Kaptain Kool]

Beautiful work!