Phil Mueller
05-16-2020, 8:05 AM
Sometimes I get into a project and wonder, what was I thinking? While holed up at home, I decided to make my son a chess board using whatever I already had on hand. I found some redwood and elm burl veneer and thought, what the heck.
How hard could it be? Cut out 2 1/4” strips, tape them together, then cut 2 1/4” strips cross wise, flip end for end and tape them together. Well as it would turn out, something went awry. When I flipped the strips to make the checker pattern, the corners did not match up. My bad. So ended up removing all the tape, and assembling it square by square. Cut a square, sand it to fit, tape it down. Do a row, take a break. At the moment, 60 down, 4 more to go. And did I mention, burl veneer loves to crack and chip? And yes, there is a little light showing through a few seams that will need some attention.
In the end, it will get glued down to MDF, with a cherry border and probably some inlay stringing. One of those projects that could turn out nice, or a hang on the wall as a reminder of what not to do. If nothing else, a nice distraction for the last week or so.
433052 433053
How hard could it be? Cut out 2 1/4” strips, tape them together, then cut 2 1/4” strips cross wise, flip end for end and tape them together. Well as it would turn out, something went awry. When I flipped the strips to make the checker pattern, the corners did not match up. My bad. So ended up removing all the tape, and assembling it square by square. Cut a square, sand it to fit, tape it down. Do a row, take a break. At the moment, 60 down, 4 more to go. And did I mention, burl veneer loves to crack and chip? And yes, there is a little light showing through a few seams that will need some attention.
In the end, it will get glued down to MDF, with a cherry border and probably some inlay stringing. One of those projects that could turn out nice, or a hang on the wall as a reminder of what not to do. If nothing else, a nice distraction for the last week or so.
433052 433053