A traditional chess set includes one king, one queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks, and eight pawns for each of the two players. Some sets also include a second queen to be used when a pawn is promoted. One set is dark, the other light. Here is the set that I made using Proxxon tools.
Here are the supplies and equipment that you'll need to make your own chess set:
- 60" length of ¾" to 1" square dowel
- FolkArt Home Décor Wax
- Chess Set Template
- Proxxon Table Saw FET
- Proxxon MICRO Bandsaw MBS/E
- Proxxon Disc Sander TSG 250/E
Let's make the chess set:
- You can purchase square dowels, or make your own. I made mine from scrap ¾" boards that I had. Using the scale on the table saw, I adjusted the longitudinal stop to ¾".
- Then, I cut my boards on the table saw. Result was a ¾" square dowel.
- Next, I measured and marked the height of the individual chess pieces. Here are the height measurements that I used: king = 3"; queen = 2¾"; bishop = 2 3/8"; knight = 2¼"; rook = 1¾"; pawn = 1½".
- Since you need sixteen pawns in total, I set up a guide rather than measure each one. Just put the end of the dowel against the guide, cut, and repeat.
- Then, I cut the grooves on the king and queen on the table saw. I adjusted the blade height to make an appropriately deep groove without completely cutting through the piece.
- Mark the cuts for the bishop and rook, and cut on the bandsaw.
- For the knight, mount the pattern on the blanks. Cover one side of the blank with painter's tape. Mist the back side of the pattern with spray adhesive, and mount on the taped blank. The painter's tape makes removal of the pattern easy without leaving any sticky residue.
- Use the bandsaw to cut out the shape.
- Sand all surfaces of each chess piece using the disc sander.
- Do any necessary hand sanding.
- Apply your choice of finishes to the pieces, making one set light/white and the other dark/black. I used FolkArt Home Décor Waxes.
- Now, go for the checkmate!!
 |
| Carole |
No comments:
Post a Comment