Learn To Make This One-Of-A-Kind Chess Board 

the author does like to from scratch, shaping and trimming wood from large blocks into fine finished products. ru-vid.comUgkxD-QRFQz730FJEh4f9BYSf-nkIMIC9hL_ as another reviewer mentioned, most projects require a lot of high-dollar equipment that most of us dont have the room or budget for. But, knowing how to do these things, even if we wont be able to practice the full stack project, is still great.

As a chess player myself I tend to prefer boards with flat surfaces, I love the feeling when you glide a piece from a to b. Other than that, beautiful work! I might try to make one at some point.

Glue line is a game changer! Brilliant idea! One of those “Why didn’t I think of that!”. Thanks and great work!

It is a fantastic looking chessboard. But as a chess player I would prefer a flat board instead of the raised squares on this design.

What a fabulous piece of workmanship. It showed ingenuity and detail to design. I really liked the way you used/reused pieces of coping when making the feet. All of those little details you showed and used add up to help make others improve their own work. But, more importantly Wes, your delivery and demeanor making this project used methods of demonstration both visually and vocally very well. Each and every step you did was either proceeded or discussed while you were actually demonstrating the action. All to often, others on RU-vid either skip steps or don't show/demonstrate what they just discussed. Enough for you to say "what did they just do?" You must have been a teacher sometime in your life because that phrase never crossed my mind. I can say I'm an above average woodworker and was very impressed with you and your project. Just to let you know I just subscribed to your channel and look forward to more. Keep up the great work, David

I wanted to post a picture of my first try at making this chessboard, but wasn’t sure if that was allowed. I admire the amount of work and experience this must take; I appreciate your teaching method, soft voice, and Jedi mind trick making me think, “Heck, I can do that.” I am appalled at the amount of ego I must have: we both know this was harder than a honeymoon pecker. But, I am hooked and just wanted to say thank you.

Wow! What a gorgeous piece, Wes. Cool techniques too. Thanks for sharing! 👍🏼

Well done, sir! Even if I never make a chess board, I've learned a few cool and useful tips. Thanks!

Thank you Wes : You are a true professional wood worker. Love your teaching style. Thanks for sharing with us your God given talent. You explained it all very well in a way that I know I can build a beautiful board like this one.

I really want to get into woodworking when my wife and I move and i think this will be a fantastic project. Years ago my parents got me a custom handmade wooden Civil War chess set and I'd love to make a chessboard to match it. Thanks for the tips and walking us through it. And i appreciate that you used lacquer to let the wood grains pop rather than paint over them. I love the natural wood look.

Love the glue line idea. I will be incorporating that in future projects. One thing I would like to point out is grain direction on chessboards... You may want to remember that it is always white square on Right... On this board you're grain will run east to west instead of north and south with the white square on the right... Not a big deal... Just wanted to point that out on future chess boards if you're particular on grain direction.

Love the glue line idea. Been looking at converting one of our coffee tables into a combo chess board and this has just spurred me on into doing it. Thank Wes. 👍

The chamfer is a really nice touch. The glue line is a brilliant tip when you’re gluing up a piece you can’t sand or don’t want to do any extra finishing. Great video!

The best detailed presentation on woodworking ive ever seen. The attention to detail along with full explanation, hints and tricks is second to none. Im on board.Love it. Absolutely sensational. U must have been a teacher in your former life.Thanks for sharing your woodworking skills with the world.

Thanks for the demonstration of your skills.

Thank You for this Video,Good Job! God Bless You!

Beautiful board, thanks for sharing the process and finished product. Really like the glue line cut idea. A couple of tips / corrections: 1) Typo in description: "Raise you chess game to a new level." should be "Raise your chess game to a new level." 2) When feeding the board through the thicknesser / planer / drum sander put it at 45 degrees to pull direction if possible (yours looked wide enough) to lengthen board and reduce chance of edge tear / chatter especially with all those raised bevelled (chamfered) edges. 3) When gluing don't place the glued piece on top of other already glued pieces, it creates cleanup work. Just flip the edge and glue with the already glued edge resting on some scrap. 4) When gluing it is best to spread the glue bead into a thin film (with finger or paint brush) instead of relying on clamp pressure to squeeze across join evenly / completely. 5) When scraping dried glue place the piece on some non-slip surface (like you used when orbital sanding near end) to avoid the piece moving - makes the glue removal easier and reduces chance of damage to display surface.

Your work is impeccable. Even at age 73 I learned something new - the glue break. One observation as a woodworker and a chess player (only rated 1832) if I made this I would use wood that's more "wood" looking. I made a chess table using African Mahogany and Limba when I was in high school, gave it to my mother but it was destroyed in a move. Time to make another. Thanks again for a very well done video.

Totally love the video. Awesome job.

The chess board is beautiful. Your teaching style, and voice inflections make for a truly enjoyable lesson. My Dad had a Ceramic shop, we made chess sets we sold at the Emporium High end department store. We had a man that made the chess boards from walnut and maple.

First time I watched any of your videos-truly enjoyed watching and listening to you. Great explanations and video work. Thanks for keeping it short, simple and to the point!!!

Thank you for sharing! I have to say out of all the chess boards I've seen being made on youtube, this is by far the most stunning!

You're like the Bob Ross of woodworking! Your voice is so soothing! And your work is excellent! This is the first video of yours I've ever watched. I'm now subscribed & will be watching more.

great clear, concise, professional video...thank you!

There are lots of make-chess-board videos on YT but few show skills like these. Most involve jigs and elaborate glue setups, sending everything 12 time through the table grinder, and so on. You're not treating it like a 3-month master-carpenter project and it comes out just as nice. As a chess player I can also appreciate the thin skirt around the edges. Way too often I see elaborate edges on these hobby projects; they just take up space and serve little purpose (interestingly, FIDE regulations do not mention minimum or maximum -or -*-any-* edge at all). Well done!

Love your work ,thanks for sharing

Very nice work! I'm watching from Brazil.

Nicely done. Thank you!

This is by far the very best demonstration building a beautiful chessboard. Chamfering each square definitely is the piece de resistance. Excellent presentation.

What a stunning chess board! impressive and made with lots of craftsmanship!!

Beautiful work! Thanks for the video. Learned some nice tips.

Beautiful show piece

Great craftsmanship love it

Hello thank you for sharing this excellent video. I learnt so much. It’s great that you tell us the dimensions and any angles required. 👍👍

I got to this about a year late, but this is really nice work. The squares and the chosen wood remind me so much of chocolate block squares, especially after the lacquer coat. Now, is there a corresponding chess piece project to go along with this board?

Awesome work!

Beautiful piece. How do you account for wood movement with so much opposing face grain?

Many thanks Wes. I learnt lots. You put a huge smile on my face. Beautiful board.

I'm truly inspired. Thank you

Gorgeous work, detailed instructions are invaluable.

Very nice. I will have to make one. Thanks for the tips. 😊

What a super chessboard!! And many thanks to the commenters for their tips and suggestions. I would really like to give building this board a shot, but as I am a relative newbie, I'm a bit afraid to take it on without plans. Any chance plans might be available in the future?

WOW nicely done. Thanks for the ideas!

my new project. thank you. :)

Beautiful work my friend! New sub. Well done video too by the way.

Absolutely beautiful 😊

Great video as usual Wes some great tips here and a beautiful chessboard! 👌👌👌👌🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Nice board and nice video, Wes! Thank you for explaining the reasons why you did each step. Seems like the grooves on this board may attract dirt and require more cleaning than flat boards.

Very nice looking chessboard! Wes, my only concern is that the expansion of grain over time may pop the 45° miters on your corners because you've locked in the chessboard with your border rather than creating a floating chess board panel that could expand and contract without consequence. It's been awhile since you made this, have you had any problems? I'm building one very similar at this moment and I'm conflicted about not leaving any room for expansion and contraction. Having very dry lumber is definitely a plus and if the chess board is given to somebody who's climate is similar to your shop expansion may not be a problem.

What a great board! Those squares make it look edible (like chocolate) Amazing work :)

انت فنان ....عمل رائع

This is both brilliant and beautiful. I can only aspire to be able to make this one day, once I have developed the necessary skills and acquired a few more tools. Thank you for taking the time to share this truly excellent teaching video. 👍

Great project and execution. Presentation was a joy! Well done!!

Excellent job! Love the chamfered edges on all the individual squares.

amazing work

That is an amazing video. I do not have all the woodworking tools that you have, but I am going to try to make one. Thank you for your precise video.

*THAT'S THE NICEST CHESS BOARD i'VE SEEN, NEVER THOUGHT TO DO SUCH A THING BUT I'M GLAD TO SEE SOMEONE DID SUCH A BEAUTIFUL JOB...THANKS FOR SHARING!!*

Beautiful chessboard!! Great job sir, learned a lot from this video….Thank you

Awesome chess board. Thanks for sharing.

Excellent video sir. The glue line is now been added to my list of learned tricks. Thanks for passing it on. Is that a thin blade 1/16 or thinner? What depth and setback measuremehtvdid you use for the glue line?

Love it Wes THANKS

Excellent video. The board looks fantastic!

to help the second glue up be straight, i think you could have cut a couple small strips of wood that would have fit in the chamfers to help keep everything aligned throughout the glue process, and since you dont have any squeeze out up in those chamfers, you don't have to worry about them getting glued in there.

Wes, really enjoy how you describe the process. Subscribed and looking forward to viewing more of your content. Great job!

I love watching your work.

An absolute beauty. Great craftsmanship and a pleasure to watch. I wonder, would you sell this (create one like it and sell)?

Awesome desing and construction!!

Best looking board i've seen!

One of the best I've ever seen. Beautiful video.

What a great work! Congratulations I really enjoyed your video.

Wes, you are my favorite teacher on YT...Thanks for your efforts.

I love your channel, I would like to learn how to work in this field.

Very nice. Might be my first project 👍

Simply incredible! I am trying to get into woodworking (as a hobby). I must have watched hundreds of woodworking videos and the tip about the glue line is one of the best tips I've ever seen. I have not made a chess board yet, but I have made a few American flags, and that tip will be priceless for my future projects. Thanks for a great video! You have a thumbs up and a new subscriber!

It's a real woodworking masterpiece. Thanks to the kind magician for his glue up magic. Best wishes and many perfect projects in the future.

This is definitely on my to do list for sure. I was thinking of coating the top with TotalBoat High Performance Epoxy Resin.

That is gorgeous. Nicely done!

You are a true craftsman that is beautiful watching you put it together with ease and the result I'm actually blown away haha

Very nice!!! The wood you used is just beautiful!! Thank you for the glue tip.

I loved every minute of your video, you do fantastic, clean work, thanks for sharing, the toys in your shop are nice to have, Cheers.

I worked at a woodshed before and had two attempts at a chess board. First cut each individual square.... never line up right then second I was told about this method and it came out beautifully.

That's a great job Sir! Real masterpiece!

Glue line is great! I am definitely going to be using that!!

These is a great video thank you very much

This is a awesome chess board. The run off channel what a brilliant idea Thank you

Thank You Wes!

Very nice detail !

Very nice, Wes! You do excellent work!

Great video! How thick are the boards?

Very nice video and great board. Thank you. For a boatd for a regular player I would use woods that are not so contrasting in color, that gets a little much after staring at it for a while. For a mostly ornamental board you can't have enough drama of course.

That board is gorgeous! I am relatively new to woodworking and would love to make one like this. Quick question(s): Why do the chamfer on the jointer? Could you use the tablesaw with the blade tilted to 45 degrees, or even a chamfer bit at the router table, and get the same effect? The glue line idea is genius. Makes for a lot less sanding, for sure. Do you have plans available? It looks pretty straight forward, but plans are always helpful.

Liked, Subbed, and now commenting. VERY nice board and good instruction throughout. 👍

The whole process is so satisfying to watch and of course the end product is simply amazing. You just got a new subscriber 😊

All of my doubts have been removed by this video! Thanks for posting!

Such good work, brilliant piece, pity the camera is not on a stand, the picture floats around with al the movement.

That glueline is the best thing I've learned today, and possibly so far this year! Thank you!

Great Video 👍👍

Wes- very nice board and great ingenuity. What brand of palm sander is that you are using ?

Any chance you would sell this piece? I absolutely love this piece and would make an awesome gift for my Dad!

Nice job. I was looking for a slick, modern design to copy but this is a timeless classic.