CHESSBOARD GLASS / WOOD

(may to july 2006)

JOB DONE , chessMAN

Workshop do not means only STEEL , means create everything that the mind think: "transform dreams into reality"

This projects is a nice glass / wood chessboard that I will stick on my living room table.

I know people that made chessmen with the lathe, but I fount these on internet and the love came after one second that I saw them.

these are the LEWIS chessmen SEt, the most extraordinary chess pieces ever discovered. Found in the early 1800's on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland they are believed to be a Norse design carved from walrus tusk circa 1280. The original chess pieces are in the British Museum

few computer adjustments and this is what I wanna have:

I fount on ebay the chessmen for 50 gbp and I placed them on a provisory chessboard to "see" how is the combination "chessboard/chessmen" .

few hours playing with CO-REL and PHOTO-SHIP to have the keyboard ready to print with a good quality plotter (a friend one)

plotted....

The construction of the base starts with few cuts of wood parts, with a cheap mitre saw.

The wood is to big to match the heigh ot the glass, I need to sand it down 2 mm.... how can I do it ? with the mill.

this is the solution: fixed table, fixed quill, moving part by hand, sliding it under the cutter!!!! NICE

after this, about 10 5 minutes of machining, I glued the 4 lower woods on the base of the chessboard and I left them overnight.

and next day same stuff for the 4 top woods, the one that will gonna be more visible!

few quarters spent to sand the woods giving a gentle round shape to the corners, and then the chessboard is ready to be painted.

now, after 4 coats of paint, many quarters spent to sand down the paint between coats, the chessboard is done, the paper and the glass are assembled and this is the result!!!  WICKED !

just place on it the chessmen set and start playin'!!

I am very pleased about this projects, it comes exactly as I planned in my mind!! The style is modern for the chessboard but match perfectly the old school historic chessmen set of lewis: I love modern artstyle with a touch of history !!

first game (I won!!!)