Great looking board! Is it home made?
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Sep 6, 2014
0
#123
Hi. Here's a board I made for someone a few years ago. The squares are made from Pohutakawa (dark), and Kahikatia (light). They were hand cut veneers about 5mm thick. The border is Kauri and the feet are made from Kanuka. All of these timbers are native to NZ.
The engraving on h1 was done using a laser engraver after the board was glued - a bit risky because you have to get the positiong just right or you might spoil the whole thing.
I'm doing a bit of turning and I've made myself a carvers vise so I could have a go at making knights. The first one looked like a sheep with downs syndrome (the knight I mean)! I'll keep trying.
I could post a photo of it but it's too stupid for words!
Sep 6, 2014
0
#124
Very nice board SixRavens. If I saw that in a shop, made from those woods, my card would be out in a flash. Keep at it with those pesky knights!
the-kriegspiel wrote:
I've always kind of enjoyed the look of faded ebonized wood. Some of the pictures floating around here of the 70s Dubrovnik set that recieved the ebony treatment have a certain appeal, I believe.
This! Nothing like wooden tools, instrument or game pieces worn by years of play/work. Old wood tells a story; appreciate it.
There is a picture in the HoS vs chessbazaar Dubrovnik set topic where someone posted a picture of some original Dubrovniks in ebonized wood and the pieces are worn smooth by touch. It's the sexiest set I've ever seen.
Two of my sets. Both pictures were taken on a really crappy phone camera.
Sep 8, 2014
0
#127
Here's a set I picked up in NZ recently for $16 . One of the White knights is signed 'Feast'.
A bit of research showed it could be Frederic Bonner Feast, born in 1872 and co-author of 'Simple Two Move Themes', a book of chess problems published in 1924. There is a signed copy currently for sale and the signatures bear similarities. I'm well happy with this set - they feel nice. Here you can see the signature.
Sep 9, 2014
0
#128
My latest set purchased on holiday in Amsterdam, 3 inch king, double weighted, made from Palisander. 
Reb wrote:
Some very nice sets here . Anyone know what became of goldendog ??
"Well run, old dog, well run. I. The end."
I don't think he gave any specific reason, just typed this on his home page and that was it. 
Sep 10, 2014
0
#131
Reb wrote:
Some very nice sets here . Anyone know what became of goldendog ??
--------------------------------------------
He was a good 'ol dog. He had a lot of insight into sets old and new. He is definitely missed.
HOOOOOWL
Sep 27, 2014
0
#135
Here's a plastic set I bought yesterday for $3 from a charity shop. Circa 1970 New Zealand.
The knights look like smug sheep from some angles - for $3 who cares.
The board is one of those folding cardboard affairs. It has numbers printed on some of the squares. I thought they were for training purposes - then last night I drunkenly dialled them into my mobile phone and got through to the Kasparovs who live at number 12.... who'd have thought!
Oct 1, 2014
0
#136
seasterl wrote:
Here are a few of my sets:
First is a Custom Wood Creations 2.5" ribbon bloodwood with spalted maple light squares and ebony accents with HOS 4.4" Golden Collector pieces:
Next is another Custom Wood Creations board in 3.5" with red malle burl and maple burl with spalted maple accents and corners with ebony framing. Resting atop are custom HOS 6" Imperial Collector in ebony and antique boxwood. This setup really changes the perspective since it practically forces the players to stand while playing. I bought this to teach my daughter to think on her feet!
Last is one of my favorites. The framing of this one was East Indian Rosewood with 2" squares are holly and spalted maple. The pieces were a custom-order HOS 3" Collector in boxwood and golden rosewood. I prefer these smaller boards slightly over the bigger 2.5" boards.
Okay, here's a bonus pic from where I was messing around one night. It is two boards stacked. The bottom board is a scaled-down version of the big 3.5" setup listed above except with 2.5" squares and no corner treatment, and the top board has 2" squares and is very similar except the squares are amboyna burl and bird's eye maple. The pieces are the HOS 3.5" Harrwitz in ebony and antique boxwood.
I know these sets anywhere, because I've had my eyes on them from HouseofStaunton for a while; it's really too bad that my own lower-middle-class finance doesn't permit me to foolishly buy these really elegant sets that I've wanted for a long time.
How much did it cost you? haha
Oct 1, 2014
0
#137
SixRavens wrote:
The board is one of those folding cardboard affairs. It has numbers printed on some of the squares. I thought they were for training purposes - then last night I drunkenly dialled them into my mobile phone and got through to the Kasparovs who live at number 12.... who'd have thought!
If I'm not mistaken, those are for checkers notation.
Oct 2, 2014
0
#138
Oh, Ok. That explains why there were a few checkers pieces in the box too. It wasn't the original box so I wasn't sure what the numbers were on there for.
Hey BattleChess - don't feel sad because you can't afford chess pieces carved from petrified mammoth scrotums or some-such exotica - you are not alone! Finding $3 plastic sets buried under piles of unwanted games is hugely satisfying. Have a poke around in your local second-hand/Red Cross shop and grab a bargain. I only have cheap sets, and I can give them away if someone wants to learn the game.
BattleChessGN18: I'm not rich in the financial sense. All the sets I acquired were over a two-year time period when I worked two jobs and got a volume discount. I've since sold about 2/3 of the sets for about 1/4 to 1/2 of what HOS or other retailer would sell them. On the days I worked both jobs, I'd leave early in the morning and get home around 1AM in the morning the next day. By the end of the month, I'd have the spare funds to spend on chess stuff. I still have one small (2 1/8" square size) board left I'd be happy to sell, and the rest I plan to keep or give to my daughter or nephews.
Thanks!
I like the prominent wood grains.