Turning a chess set, take 2

Turning a second chess set, maple and bocote

Wooden Chess Board and Set, Dividers

Making dividers for the drawers

Youtube video on turning a chess set

Here is a short video of the chessmen I turned out of maple and sapele. https://youtu.be/oIvOAfzUY5k

Turning Chessmen: The Rook

Turning the rook is similar to turning the pawns, but the challenge that is specific to this piece is the top section where grooves/slots are found. One must find a way to make these cuts clean and perfectly aligned. The rook is also the only piece in the set for which I cut the blank...

Turning Chessmen: The Bishop

When compared to the pawn, the bishop’s particularity lies in the miter. Some people cut it on the tablesaw while the blank is still square, much like I did for the rook based on Mike Darlow’s suggestion in his book on making chess pieces. Given the challenge of aligning the blank perfectly on the lathe...

Turning Chessmen: The Queen

The particularity of the queen resides in the crown. In the case of my own design, it required the completion of the turning process, followed by some work with a round file while the piece was still mounted on the lathe. It should be noted that a minimum of four queens should be made, two...

Turning Chess Pieces: The Pawn

First pieces in maple and sapele

Turning chess pieces

Turning a set of chess pieces. Design considerations, and my plans.