CHESS BAORDS

Not a new topic by far but before I lay out $350-$450 for a board has anyone here ordered off of MTMWOOD before?  This video on you tube is really impressive, especially the inlaid numbers & letters, they are off the charts.  

The board looks like a great board for a very good price when you consider the labor this guy goes through and what the end product looks like. Surely this is a board you would want to hand down as a heirloom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knpes6fKhpQ

Any and all opinions are welcome that are constructive to the topic.

Yes I do see that it comes from Russia and shipping will be about another $38 to $55 for decent service.  My concern would be if it is opened in customs, which it has a good chance of happening, and it gets damaged, what then?  

If anyone knows of someone in the USA that does work like MTMWOOD and charges the same please let me know. This guy as fas as I know does the best work I have seen for the best price.  Too bad that is someone would wholesale the boards in the USA the price would more than likely double.  

The first time I heard of mtmwood was when someone posted that video on chess.com

I contacted Andrei at mtmwood, sent him a few pics of a board I wanted. I didnt have to pay until the board was done and I got pics of the finished board.

I got the board in this video but mine is 2.36" walnut, maple, wengue. Towards the end of the video you see how he makes a special crate for the board and how well it is protected.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m1eIB5KPls

It cost me $44 shipping to Yerevan, Armenia. I banged the crate a couple of times before I got it home. When I unboxed it there was not a scratch on it.

These boards really are heirlooms, and then some.

This is my second $350 plus board, I bought a Drueke grandson board last year, it looked beautiful in the pics on the website. After I got it, I was very disapointed. It looked like it had been sitting around on a shelf for a few years and the finish was gone. I had a few issues with that board and regretted spending that much money on a board of that quality.

With mtmwood I was completely satisfied with the quality of the board.

If you watch some of his other videos you'll see that making chessboards must be easy for him compared to the 3D cutting boards he makes.

I would definitely encourage you to get a board from mtmwood, even if it costs you $100 shipping it will still cost much less than boards that are sold by vendors.

Wahzoo.. That is one nice looking Board.! I am going crazy wanting one now.

Agreed, that is a very beautiful board. 

The more I watch the you tube videos the more I want one.  No one I have seen so far on Etsy gets to this class of a board. YOu can buy nice ones on Etsy for $180 or so but nothing like this. DId you see how he gets the numbers & letters on the board, wow.  His boards are just as nice if not nicer than boards I have seen at USA sites selling for $800 on up. 

Wow... I'm not one of the connoisseurs here, but that board is a thing of beauty.

Cool boards, but I've been wondering why people charge so much money for chess boards, and why even more people are willing to pay the price.

Would you charge less if you made that? What is your time worth. They guy has a ton of time in that board.  Actually if that was made in the USA that board I saw on you tube would sell EASY for $800+.  

James, have you ever done any woodworking? That is a pure skill what he does with those boards. I have done small woodworking projects (mostly just scroll saw projects) and those have taken hours to do. People ahve told me I could probably sell what I do for $40 - $50 or more.

The time and effort (not to mention the investment in the equipment he uses - not cheap!) is well worth the price he is charging.

James1011James1011 wrote: Cool boards, but I've been wondering why people charge so much money for chess boards, and why even more people are willing to pay the price. I watched a youtube video of a guy that made guitars and he filmed the process step by step. After watching all that I can't believe anyone goes to all that trouble. It's a cool video, I'll post a link later.

OP thank you so much for the post... was glued from start to finish... a truly beautiful board... My first online chess set and board was ordered this year from chessbazzar, the mtm board looks likely to be my second order!

Gorgeous board, Tango. Thanks for the pics.

Yeah, but I'm too cheap for that!

Wow, that is a stunning board!!

Wow. those mtmwood boards are looking more and more tempting. I myself have been contemplating between getting a Drueke 2.25" inch or an mtmwood. I'm starting to lean towards mtmwood...