General "Stonewall" Jackson Prayer Tree Chess Set

[Dale Winburn]

I've had in mind for some time to try making a chess set, finally got around to it.

All visible wood of this chess set is made from the wood of the "stonewall" Jackson Prayer Tree (350 +/- year old white oak).

The dark pieces and the dark squares and trim on the board were colored using ammonia fuming. “Fuming” is a method of coloring wood by exposing it to ammonia fumes. The wood and ammonia are sealed into a fuming chamber where the concentrated fumes react with the tannin in the wood and causes it to turn a rich brown to almost black.

I made a home built duplicator and used a set of templates from PSI to make the pieces. I drilled and taped the blanks with a 3/8" tap and used a bottle stopper chuck to turn the pieces. After finishing each piece I hollowed out the bottom of the taped hole then filled the piece with molten lead for weight. I then put felt on the bottom of each piece. The pieces and the board are finished with thin CA glue.

Thanks for looking, C & C welcomed.

Dale

[charlie knighton]

well done Dale, personally, i like the castle and rook

[Bernie Weishapl]

Beautiful set Dale and well done.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Nicely done Sir!

[Dan Forman]

Very well done, first I've seen, but you have set the bar quite high. Is this for you or for sale at some point?

Dan

[Keith Outten]

Stunning work Dale!

You should contact his great grandson to see if he wants to purchase the chess set. He is living in Stonewall Jackson's mansion in Richmond and I understand he is quite wealthy
.

[Roger Chandler]

Dale.......as usual, your work is first rate!!! I hope you bring this to the meeting on Saturday........there are going to be lots of ooohs and aaahs, for sure! That should fetch a pretty pricetag as well.........I know Kirk M. makes some sets, but yours looks better to me.......more detail in the pieces.

[Nathan Hawkes]

WOW!! Dale, this is stellar work!! I really like the ammonia fuming. I was talking to someone about fuming at Fred's demo the other day. I might have to give it another try after seeing your results!!

[Greg Ketell]

Beautiful set!

[Michael Stafford]

Quite a lovely piece of woodturning! The results are stunning.

[Dale Winburn]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Dan - Yes, I will probable sell the set some day.

Keith - Thanks for the tip, I may look into contacting his great grandson.

Nathan - Yes, you and I were discussing ammonia fuming at Fred demo, I can give you info on my process if you want to try it.

Dale

[Michael Tucker]

That is absolutely stunning! Not only is it superb craftsmanship it is made from wood with a great story... it doesn't get much better than that!

Congratulations on a fantastic job!
Mike

[James Combs]

Thanks everyone for your comments.
Dan - Yes, I will probable sell the set some day.
Keith - Thanks for the tip, I may look into contacting his great grandson.
Nathan - Yes, you and I were discussing ammonia fuming at Fred demo, I can give you info on my process if you want to try it.
Dale

Very very nice Dale. I too would be interested in the ammonia fuming process. Perhaps you could write it up as a tutorial and post it in our library(the "Authors" forum).

[David DeCristoforo]

I've made tons of chess boards but never pieces. This is a great looking set of pieces. There is one thing I would like to offer you and anyone else who ever thinks about making a set. The most common mistake is to make the bases too small. I have a set that is a copy of the original Cook pattern Staunton set and the bases range from 1.25" in diameter (pawns) up to 1.375 (king). This not only looks better but adds a ton of stability to the pieces in play, something that can become a real issue if one plays speed chess! It also allows more room for weight in the bases. The "standard" tournament board has 2.25" squares so there is plenty of "air" between the pieces even with the larger bases. The most difficult piece to make is the knight. Your's is simple but very "clean" and stylized. BTW, a "rook" and a "castle" are the same thing, just different names for the same piece.....

[Michael Tucker]

That is absolutely stunning! Not only is it superb craftsmanship it is made from wood with a great story... it doesn't get much better than that!

Congratulations on a fantastic job!
Mike