I built a simple chess board based on an idea I saw in a book. Once I had
the board, I decided to frame it. Once I had the framed board, I decided
to make it become the lid of a box.
Usually a travel chess set involves a hinged board, but I didn't want to cut
this in half. I was afraid I'd screw that up, and wanted to keep it
simple, so I built a box proportionate to the board. In order to get it to
look right to my eye, I made the box 3" tall.
So now I have a chess board with an empty 18"x18"x3" box under it. I want
to store the pieces under there, in removable trays, but that's the only
detail I've really finalized.
The kings in the plastic set I ordered for this will stand up with 3/32"+ to
spare. The most obvious solution is to just Forstner out some holes in
something, and stand them up. Easy to make, and I don't see why that's
necessarily a bad way to go.
The other way is to make flat trays and cut out outlines. A lot more work.
I don't have a bandsaw/scroll saw/coping saw, and I'm loathe to think about
doing this with my POS B&D jigsaw. It *could* be done, and it might look
good. I haven't ruled it out. I can almost certainly afford a coping saw
at least.
I want to line the inside of the box with red velvet. It sounds sort of
lame, but I think it will look nice. I figure glue the velvet to poster
board, so I can hide the cut edges. Inside the lid, and around the inside
perimeter for sure. I could go either way on the bottom, but I'm thinking
that lining the bottom too would provide the most balanced look.
I'm debating whether to cover whatever sort of trays with velvet too.
Either way, it would be hard to fit it properly, but it would add a certain
froofiness to the thing I think.
There's also the question of space. I could build either sort of tray with
copious amounts of room left inside the box. What could I use this space
for?
I don't own a chess clock, and don't see one in my future anytime soon.
What else would I put in such a box? I could maybe do some checkers and
throw in a couple decks of playing cards and make it a travelling game
center, but neither of those seems somehow worthy of this fine box I've
built.
OK, Wreck, hit me with your ideas.
Pictures of this will go up as soon as I scrounge a digital camera. I sure
am proud of this stupid thing. It's the most complicated thing I've ever
made that had to be pretty, and it *is* pretty. It's one of the few
non-mechanical things I've made which I'd actually like to show off. :)
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
I just saw an article (1950s something Pop Mechanic) for a chess board
that hung on a wall. The pieces were held in by a sort of dovetail on
the shelf that the base of the chess pieces slid into. The right side
of the shelf was hinged to allow removal.
In other words, the base of the shelf had a dovetail-like groove cut
in it and the base of the piece slid in from the side. With the side
latched, the pieces wouldn't go anywhere.
This would only work if the base of the pieces have some kind of
triangular base which most I've seen do.
On Sun, 05 Oct 2003 02:03:38 -0400, Silvan
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I built a simple chess board based on an idea I saw in a book. Once I had
>the board, I decided to frame it. Once I had the framed board, I decided
>to make it become the lid of a box.
>
>Usually a travel chess set involves a hinged board, but I didn't want to cut
>this in half. I was afraid I'd screw that up, and wanted to keep it
>simple, so I built a box proportionate to the board. In order to get it to
>look right to my eye, I made the box 3" tall.
>
>So now I have a chess board with an empty 18"x18"x3" box under it. I want
>to store the pieces under there, in removable trays, but that's the only
>detail I've really finalized.
Sun, Oct 5, 2003, 2:03am [email protected] (Silvan) says:
<snip> The other way is to make flat trays and cut out outlines. A lot
more work. <snip>
Definitely the way to go. Don't want to wimp out now, do you? Oh
yeah, cover everything in velvet too.
Me now, I'd just get a cloth bag and put the pieces in. Maybe one
of those velvet bags some type of booze comes in. Either that or an old
cigar box. Or a Tupperware container. Or a cardboard box. Or paper
bag. But, that's me.
'Course if I'd made my own pieces, then I'd go the extra route.
JOAT
There must be a hundred silver dollars in here. I can't handle that sort
o' money, you've gotta be in the league of lawyers to steal that much.
- J. H. "Flannelfoot" Boggis
Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
Web Page Update 4 Oct 2003.
Some tunes I like.
http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofalltrades/SOMETUNESILIKE/
Silvan <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I built a simple chess board based on an idea I saw in a book. Once I had
> the board, I decided to frame it. Once I had the framed board, I decided
> to make it become the lid of a box.
>
> Usually a travel chess set involves a hinged board, but I didn't want to cut
> this in half. I was afraid I'd screw that up, and wanted to keep it
> simple, so I built a box proportionate to the board. In order to get it to
> look right to my eye, I made the box 3" tall.
>
> So now I have a chess board with an empty 18"x18"x3" box under it. I want
> to store the pieces under there, in removable trays, but that's the only
> detail I've really finalized.
>
> The kings in the plastic set I ordered for this will stand up with 3/32"+ to
> spare. The most obvious solution is to just Forstner out some holes in
> something, and stand them up. Easy to make, and I don't see why that's
> necessarily a bad way to go.
>
> The other way is to make flat trays and cut out outlines. A lot more work.
> I don't have a bandsaw/scroll saw/coping saw, and I'm loathe to think about
> doing this with my POS B&D jigsaw. It *could* be done, and it might look
> good. I haven't ruled it out. I can almost certainly afford a coping saw
> at least.
>
> I want to line the inside of the box with red velvet. It sounds sort of
> lame, but I think it will look nice. I figure glue the velvet to poster
> board, so I can hide the cut edges. Inside the lid, and around the inside
> perimeter for sure. I could go either way on the bottom, but I'm thinking
> that lining the bottom too would provide the most balanced look.
>
> I'm debating whether to cover whatever sort of trays with velvet too.
> Either way, it would be hard to fit it properly, but it would add a certain
> froofiness to the thing I think.
>
> There's also the question of space. I could build either sort of tray with
> copious amounts of room left inside the box. What could I use this space
> for?
>
> I don't own a chess clock, and don't see one in my future anytime soon.
> What else would I put in such a box? I could maybe do some checkers and
> throw in a couple decks of playing cards and make it a travelling game
> center, but neither of those seems somehow worthy of this fine box I've
> built.
>
> OK, Wreck, hit me with your ideas.
>
> Pictures of this will go up as soon as I scrounge a digital camera. I sure
> am proud of this stupid thing. It's the most complicated thing I've ever
> made that had to be pretty, and it *is* pretty. It's one of the few
> non-mechanical things I've made which I'd actually like to show off. :)
Flock it.
Then put in some elastic strips to hold the individual pieces.
Dave Hall
Phil Crow wrote:
>> perimeter for sure. I could go either way on the bottom, but I'm
>> thinking that lining the bottom too would provide the most balanced look.
>
> Good use for your headliner adhesive.
Indeed. The trick is how not to get goo all over the rest of my nice
finish. :) Maybe masking tape.
I don't have a poster board, and I hate leaving the house when I don't
absolutely have to. (A professional traveller who's a stay-at-home
hermit... go figure...) Think I can cut the fabric right along the weave
lines, stick it with headliner goo, and forget the poster board?
I'm having trouble imagning a way to get the paper panels on the sides to
work out properly anyway, and am thinking the simplest course would be just
to lay in one piece of fabric, with some kind of relief for the corners, to
avoid bunching.
I guess if it looks like crap I can always try the poster board trick.
SWMBO bought two yards of the fabric. :)
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Silvan <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
Snip
> So now I have a chess board with an empty 18"x18"x3" box under it. I want
> to store the pieces under there, in removable trays, but that's the only
> detail I've really finalized.
As a kid, I had a travel chess board with a drawer in one side, but it
didn't pull out. It was hinged on one side, and the quarter-round
drawer swung (grammar?) out, revealing all of the chess pieces. That
may work...
>
> The kings in the plastic set I ordered for this will stand up with 3/32"+ to
> spare. The most obvious solution is to just Forstner out some holes in
> something, and stand them up. Easy to make, and I don't see why that's
> necessarily a bad way to go.
>
> The other way is to make flat trays and cut out outlines. A lot more work.
> I don't have a bandsaw/scroll saw/coping saw, and I'm loathe to think about
> doing this with my POS B&D jigsaw. It *could* be done, and it might look
> good. I haven't ruled it out. I can almost certainly afford a coping saw
> at least.
Once again, that set had strips of elastic woven through the drawer
bottom that would secure the individual pieces as they lay flat in the
drawer.
>
> I want to line the inside of the box with red velvet. It sounds sort of
> lame, but I think it will look nice. I figure glue the velvet to poster
> board, so I can hide the cut edges. Inside the lid, and around the inside
> perimeter for sure. I could go either way on the bottom, but I'm thinking
> that lining the bottom too would provide the most balanced look.
Good use for your headliner adhesive.
>
> I'm debating whether to cover whatever sort of trays with velvet too.
> Either way, it would be hard to fit it properly, but it would add a certain
> froofiness to the thing I think.
>
> There's also the question of space. I could build either sort of tray with
> copious amounts of room left inside the box. What could I use this space
> for?
>
> I don't own a chess clock, and don't see one in my future anytime soon.
> What else would I put in such a box? I could maybe do some checkers and
> throw in a couple decks of playing cards and make it a travelling game
> center, but neither of those seems somehow worthy of this fine box I've
> built.
>
> OK, Wreck, hit me with your ideas.
>
I got nothin, man. Nothin.
> Pictures of this will go up as soon as I scrounge a digital camera. I sure
> am proud of this stupid thing. It's the most complicated thing I've ever
> made that had to be pretty, and it *is* pretty. It's one of the few
> non-mechanical things I've made which I'd actually like to show off. :)
Good luck, and we'll be waiting.
Phil Crow
T. wrote:
> Sun, Oct 5, 2003, 2:03am [email protected] (Silvan) says:
> <snip> The other way is to make flat trays and cut out outlines. A lot
> more work. <snip>
>
> Definitely the way to go. Don't want to wimp out now, do you? Oh
> yeah, cover everything in velvet too.
I'm glad you're not trying to make my life difficult. :)
> Me now, I'd just get a cloth bag and put the pieces in. Maybe one
> of those velvet bags some type of booze comes in. Either that or an old
> cigar box. Or a Tupperware container. Or a cardboard box. Or paper
> bag. But, that's me.
They're going to come in a corduroy bag. I could always just toss it into
the box, but I want to do something spiffy.
> 'Course if I'd made my own pieces, then I'd go the extra route.
Yeah, well, that's coming eventually for sure, but probably not for this
box.
I've enjoyed this so much, I plan to do a chess table thing in the near
term. Make a proper board out of walnut and maple, or whatever I can get,
and have little ogeed fancy thingies all around, and sliding drawers on
either side with cutouts.
Toward that end, Santa needs to bring Daddy Silvan a nice scrollsaw for
Christmas. I can start with your "nifty scrollsaw trick" pieces, and then
graduate to a proper turned set once I have something more lathe-like, and
some carving tools to attempt the knights.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/