Chess Board

I made a chess board in order to deepen my understanding of woodworking and still get something cool out of it. I've always been interested in chess, so I figured it'd be cool to make my own chess board from scratch.

Supplies

• 5x36” Maple wood 
• 5x36” Walnut
• Table Saw
• Miter Saw
• Satin Polyurethane finish

Step 1: Rough Cuts

Cut three 1.75” strips lengthwise and one 2” strip out of each wood species.

Use the Miter Saw to cut all strips to 18" long.

Step 2: Glue Ups

Glue up all strips, alternating woods, making sure the 2” strips are on the outside, we will be cutting them to size later.

Cut 1.75" strips perpendicular to the grain, creating 8 checkered strips

Flip every other strip lengthwise and glue up, to create the chess board pattern.

Trim the ends as needed after gluing to create a 14x14" square

You can choose to sand here, or after the next step. I would recommend doing it now, since later it will be difficult to sand against the grain.

Step 3: Creating a Border

Cut four 1.25"x18" strips of walnut, and use the miter saw to cut 45° angles, making sure the inside of the piece is 14" long.

Glue the border pieces to the outside of the board.

Sand down the border to the same height as board if needed.

Step 4: Router Edge

Router the border with whatever bit you choose, I went with a Roman Ogee since it looked appealing.

Step 5: Sanding and Finishing

Sand the full board to 320 grit, then apply finish. Use whichever finish for the look you want, I used a polyurethane Satin finish.

In between coats of finish, sand with a progressively higher grit, using 600 grit on the final layer.