Period castle-ing

[vicky whitworth]

Hello, I'd like to buy an antique chess wooden board. I have my chess pieces but at the moment we play on the back of an old piece of wrapping paper marked out with chequers in felt tip pen. It works Ok but is hardly classy. I've had a good search on the net but most come as chess sets or tables or are crazy money. Any bright ideas?
Vicky

 

[Flyfisher]

I made a chess board at school back in the days when kids were actually allowed, nay encouraged, to make things out of real wood and real metal in real workshops with real tools.

It would probably qualify as an antique these days.

 

[Owain]

What you don't do is make it square by square and glue it all together.

Simpler method using alternating strips is shown here

http://www.chess.com/blog/SonofPearl/how-to-make-your-own-chessboard
http://www.marquetry.org/chess_board.htm

However, you can get all your squares cut for you from marquetry suppliers ready to lay onto your own base
http://www.originalmarquetry.co.uk/product_details_300.htm
http://hobby.uk.com/crafts-hobbys/marquetry/500-series/chessboard-pack.html

(Note you also have to veneer the other side (with a cheaper veneer) or the base with warp.)

Admittedly it may not be as nice as this one at first attempt
http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/an-elm-and-marquetry-chess-board-19th-5581025-details.aspx

 

[Owain]

Alternatively if £45 isn't "crazy money" then
http://www.thechessstore.co.uk/walnut-veneered-chess-board-46cm/
has some from £45 -- 65 (and upwards)

Which as chess has two players is only £22.50 each and it is Christmas soon

Of course it's not antique yet but you could keep it for the great grand children when it will be

 

[Flyfisher]

What you don't do is make it square by square and glue it all together.

Simpler method using alternating strips is shown here

http://www.chess.com/blog/SonofPearl/how-to-make-your-own-chessboard

That method is exactly what I was taught by my woodwork teacher, Mr Hollingsworth. Lovely man, how he had the patience I'll never know, but that chessboard is the only thing I've still got from those schooldays just over 40 years ago.

 

[Penners]

that chessboard is the only thing I've still got from those schooldays

That's much more useful than the only thing I've got left from school - a scar on my right index ginger where I cut off the tip with an X-Acto knife, while building a Keil Kraft Soarer Major glider.

The plane never lost the large red stain on the number 1 former in the port wing.

 

[Feltwell]

That's much more useful than the only thing I've got left from school - a scar on my right index ginger

Poor Ginger.

FF's chess board is better than the only thing I've got left from school - a lifelong hatred of taking part in sport, especially cross-country running, a sport clearly devised by sadists as a way of torturing unenthusiastic teenagers. Sadists, or was it PE teachers? Ahh, sorry, same thing, silly me.

 

[Moo]

Well-spotted, Feltwell!

 

[Penners]

Curses!