A few years ago, I finished a chessboard and thought I would quickly make the pieces and finish the set. Now, after several years and one epidemic, it is finally completed. Making a single piece is quite easy, and each one took around 2 to 3 hours to make. However, making 32 pieces with all the same types looking identical is really hard. But I am happy that it is finally done. There is a whole series of videos on how I made the set which I can recommend (this video covers most of the things in the blog with nice videography and a cool accent). Here is the first (links to the others be):
Most of the pieces were made from a tree in our garden that died from Dutch elm disease. I started with the pawns and quickly realised that I need a bit of help to make the pieces look the same. I made a simple pattern transfer jig which worked very well. However, after a bit of practice, I got more confident, and by the end of the pawns, I stopped using the jig and made the rest of the pieces by only referencing a sketch of the other pieces already made.
Most of it went well until I made a king that looked like he was malnourished. At this stage, I was making one piece every few weeks but stopped completely. The chess set just sat in the shop as a sad reminder that I have an uncompleted project for almost 4 years. Instead of me working on it, I complained about it on the woodworking subreddit, and the response was so nice and supportive that I made a new king a few days later. This king looked kingly, and I got working on finishing the chess set.
I went on to make the knights using a jig and a scroll saw.
With all the pieces complete, it was only a matter of adding a few details, staining, adding weights and feet, and it was done.
I made a quick detour to make a rotating display stand for the sole purpose of filming the chess pieces (plans available here).
And with that, I have a completed chess set. I am currently playing correspondence chess, but if you are in the neighbourhood, pop in for a game!
R
Induku Design 