Cool beans! Keep us posted.
I would have no clue what materials to think about. I'm not even sure if cardboard is what's inside a regular folding board.
Where can I get a nice chess board?
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My 30 year old Druke Linen Board looks like the day it was made. Just a fantastic board.
I guess there's not much of a call for folding boards.
My impression is that chess equipment at tournaments has fallen to the lowest common denominator with vinyl rollups and that horrid cheap plastic Chinese set the USCF sells or, for those who care and will spend the extra money, nice wooden sets and maybe wooden boards.
In Europe the tournament organizers seem to supply those rosewood German Knight sets and similar wooden boards. Maybe that's only the big tournaments.
WM: My linen board was stolen decades ago with my Drueke Player's Choice and my grandfather's Drueke wooden board which I had inherited after he died.
A sad day.
ipcress12 wrote:
WM: My linen board was stolen decades ago with my Drueke Player's Choice and my grandfather's Drueke wooden board which I had inherited after he died.
A sad day.
Wow that is a bummer. I know HOS found some folding linen boards from about 20 years ago but the bigger sizes are mostly gone. I was just on their site and they have a couple sizes just below 2" if that helps. They are selling them for 1/2 price of years ago.
Well, if I want to shell out $300 it looks like I can replace the Drueke wood board.
I did manage to buy another Player's Choice set before Drueke was sold to Carom (or whatever it was).
Who knows? Maybe I can swing a deal with MR to get a super-cool, limited edition linen board.
I just called Your Move Chess and Games inquiring about the Noj Crimson Dubrovnik. While on the phone I asked about those Drueke boards they are selling.
As we all know it is the Grandson of the original Drueke that is making them. When I see the word Grandson I think of a guy in his early twenties or so. No, this fellow is in his 70's.
Anyway, there are differences in these boards and the ones that were factory produced and sold by the company. In the words of the guy I spoke with there is no replacing the quality of the original Drueke boards, and these latest are not the same either.
For one thing there is no bevel on the edge of the board making it a square or 90 degree edge along the board. The originals all had the bevel edges.
While he didn't say it directly, I think the finish also must be different. As mentioned earlier in this thread, it would be difficult to duplicate the factory conditions and sealers, waxes or whatever to have the exact same finish. He did keep saying that these newer boards were not the same as the originals and the originals had a quality that is impossible to duplicate.
So there you have it. You can expect to pay $300 for a nice board that is the same wood content of the original Drueke boards and the same basic design, including the grooves in the top of it. But it will not be a duplicate of those original boatds.
Eyechess: Good work. Thanks, my friend.
That was my take on the new boards built by the Drueke grandson, just based on the eBay pictures in comparison to my original Drueke board:
http://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/drueke-chess-board-on-ebay
The grandson replied to my post in that that, but I still have my doubts about the quality being up to the original Drueke standards.
As a former cabinetmaker, I can assure you that the new 'Dreuke' boards are good but not of the same quality as the originals. Cheers, John C.
EBay is a great place to get a real bargain on a board. I am sad I missed the ending on this sweet board, it went for fraction of what it is worth. I would have put a bid in to snipe it at $350.00 and that would have still been less than 1/2 of what it would sell for. What a beauty. Here it is and Congrats to the winner on the board, they now have an heirloom. I want to get one of these beauties.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Handmade-Chess-Board-2-1-4-034-Redwood-Burl-amp-Holly-with-Bloodwood-border-2-25-034-/191443856427?
Anyone like this one? I have an extra one. 19" with 2" squares. Nice color combo (I believe it's maple & mahogany) contrasts well with most sets. It has very slight damage to one of the corners. msg me for pics if interested.
Dollar store.
Not true, no_one_special. What with shipping and all, that board could easily have cost as much as $50!
If you want to buy locally, I recommend using yelp. Otherwise, chesshouse is good.
No, I was answering the thread title. My board was a gift, but I'm almost certain it was bought at wal mart or the dollar store
Oh, my bad. And MKO_44, I owe you an apology too. Nothing wrong with your board; in fact I own one, also with a slightly damaged corner and "bang for the buck" it can't be beat. Sometimes my true sh#tty nature just comes out. 
baddogno wrote:
Actually $1.00 probably isn't far off the mark if you're talking about what HOS or any other retailers pay for these junk MDF/laminate boards coming out of third world sweatshops.
Not true, no_one_special. What with shipping and all, that board could easily have cost as much as $50!
If I get a screen made, I might make a folding linen board. I'd use 1/8" thick Masonite for the structure rather than cardboard or PVC (it's the same stuff they make clipboards out of), which would make it a little heavier than cardboard or PVC, and perhaps a little thicker, but it would never warp and it would have a solid feel (Masonite is very dense), and would make a nice sound when thunking a piece down on it, especially a wooden piece (which is something cardboard and PVC lacks).
I'd probably use a thin layer of PVA glue (AKA: white glue, perfect for organic materials such as wood and natural fiber cloth) to laminate the screen printed linen to the top, and some green linen to the back. In my opinion, that would be the ideal way to make that style of folding board.