Popular Woodworking 2003-12 № 138, страница 65

CLASSIC

Nothing you build will be examined as closely as a chessboard. Here's how to do it perfectly.

Building any kind of box can be a little challenging. Coving its sides can make it a little more time-consuming. But making a chessboard lid out of 64 small square blocks of wood so all the corners match up neatly can be totally overwhelming. And trust me - nothing receives quite as much scrutiny as the top of a handmade chessboard.

But there is no reason to be afraid of making a chessboard. All you need is some basic woodworking experience, a well-tuned table saw and, most importantly, lots of patience.

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I tackle this project in four steps:

• First I prepare the wood.

• Next I make the chessboard, which will be inset in the box lid.

• Then I assemble the box.

• And finally I cut the lid off the box, install hinges and finish the piece.

As with any project, quality materials are important. For my chessboards, I use walnut and maple, although any contrasting woods will do. Select wood that is equally dry, and joint and plane it to thickness. As always, your wood must be straight.

8 Strips = 64 Squares

A chessboard is made up of 64 square blocks. Thirty-two squares are dark and 32 are light. If the corners of the squares don't line up properly, the contrasting colors will make any gaps extremely noticeable and the project will be ruined. The prospect of accurately cutting and gluing together 64 blocks is daunting, so don't do it. Instead, make the squares in strips.

by Barry Black

Barry Black builds custom furniture in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, using hand tools as much as he can. His passion for antique hand tools has become a sideline and he sells them on his web site, blackboardcreations.com.

72 Popular Woodworking December 2003