Last Week's Chess Board Project

Though my grandfather was an expert woodworker and carpenter, I never learned the art. But Ifekali inspired me to mask and spray my own boards, which are good for just pushing wood. It also helps keep my local Lowe's afloat, d2.

1/4" finish maple plywood ripped into quarters at the store and cut down to 20" x 20" for a 2.25" board. Then sanded with 220 grit.

Sealed top, bottom, and sides with spray shellac.

Measured and masked for the first sixteen squares, then sprayed forest green.

Remove the masking, and then remask for the final sixteen squares.

Unmask, and add the border with a green Sharpie and a straight-edge. Then seal top and sides with spray-on polyurethane.

Add felt to the bottom with spray adhesive.

And voila! 

Nice job Chuck

Thanks, Mike. I won't be giving up my day job.

I don't know, you may have a side job now! Look forward to trying it out in a few days. :)

Nice looking board!

Thanks!

Now this board looks like it will be very nice to play on.

The coloring of the squares is just about perfect for a very nice game.

I bet Bobby Fischer would have liked it.

What color did you use for the kight part?

Wow, beauty!

I applaud the DIY spirit! Recently I'm using the same spray-on technique on unsuspecting public concrete tables in neighbourhoods of Ljubljana.

-Izmet Fekali (http://bestchessmenever.com)

Great job! Are the pieces there too? 

May I ask where in Ljubljana is this? Thank you.

Jonas, as I said, you were my inspiration with your signature red-square table board and your prototype magnetic boards. Those park boards are stunning. Are those your 3D printed BCE pieces?

You may.

-Izmet Fekali

Eye, the can said "dark green." The light squares are maple. They have a couple coats of shellac topped with a couple coats of polyurethane.

You have an eye of a connoisseur my friend. Indeed they are, indeed they are.

-Izmet

I can't wait to see your pieces on it.

Thanks!

I am inspired!

The home-made board looks great and that one on the public table is a gift to the community.

Hello,

Just curious, how do proceed to create the squares and making sure they lay properly? Basically how do you start  the squares process? 

Thank you

nice work but you got the rest of the surface a bit massy! Better masking next time!

Giampo, I can't speak for Izmet but I just measure them with a ruler, draw the lines in pencil, and lay the tape along the lines. It takes 2 iterations because you can make 16 squares at a time this way. Another way to do it, and I have done this, too, is to mask the entire board, draw the lines on the mask, then cut out the squares to be sprayed with a straight edge and blade. That looks to be how Izmet worked, but he can speak for himself.