A question about stability in chess boards.

[Bryan Hall]

I've been playing chess my whole life and have been playing around with making boards recently. Finding it to be surprisingly satisfying.

I've seen a lot of chess players complain about warping of solid wood boards. People go to quite the extreme to stop this, storing them in climate controlled cases, etc.

It's gotten me to thinking: would a solid wood board be less likely to warp if was multiple layers thick? In other words. Are 3 1/4" glued strips more stable than a single 3/4" board?

Some makers claim putting a frame around the board stabilizes it, and keeps it flat. This goes against my knowledge and understanding of how wood works. Putting a mitered frame around a solid board sounds like it's inviting the frame to be pushed apart? Maybe I'm missing something there...

I also wonder about shipping something like that. I assume board sellers aren't shipping items across the country that they know are warped. I'm guessing something happens in transit and then a warped board is the result. Everything I make and sell is local, so I do ponder the requirements for shipping something like this across the country. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap? Brace it in a plywood box?

Thanks for any insight.

[Stewart Lang]

I've never made one, but personally the only way I'd ever make one is by veneering the squares on top. 1/16" veneer on top of a stable substrate like MDF with a same thickness veneer on the back to even it out would ensure it stays flat forever.

Not sure if 1/4" strips would be better, however that's kind of the theory behind plywood. However I've seen some pretty warped plywood too.

[Bryan Hall]

I've never made one, but personally the only way I'd ever make one is by veneering the squares on top. 1/16" veneer on top of a stable substrate like MDF with a same thickness veneer on the back to even it out would ensure it stays flat forever.

Not sure if 1/4" strips would be better, however that's kind of the theory behind plywood. However I've seen some pretty warped plywood too.

Yeah, many boards are made that way. The goal is solid wood though.

[John K Jordan]

Yeah, many boards are made that way. The goal is solid wood though.

In the late '60s I worked at the Berea College Woodcraft Industries and we made chess boards among many other things. I don't know how they are made now but then, IIRC, they were solid blocks glued together. As a student I was given a variety of jobs, one was putting chess/checker boards through a huge 3-drum sander, first one side then the other. I didn't know enough at the time to pay attention - perhaps all the wood was quartersawn for stability. That's the way I'd do it now.

However, I found a picture of one (with no date) that indicates a lamination or at least a solid wood bottom, see photo 6: https://www.ebth.com/items/8854297-b...made-chess-set

If the college and/or wood industries is open now you could try calling and asking. Or perhaps someone who lives in the area could stop in and ask. I'd volunteer to do it but it's a 3-hour drive.

JKJ

[Jim Becker]

You can use solid wood and marquetry techniques to create a hopefully stable construction, but no way would I build it with full thickness pieces of solid stock. If the relatively thin tiles are set into the field with the grain going the same direction as the solid substrate and by using species that are close in wood movement characteristics, you should be fine. But there is a reason that so many game boards are build using veneering techniques.

[Bryan Hall]

You can use solid wood and marquetry techniques to create a hopefully stable construction, but no way would I build it with full thickness pieces of solid stock. If the relatively thin tiles are set into the field with the grain going the same direction as the solid substrate and by using species that are close in wood movement characteristics, you should be fine. But there is a reason that so many game boards are build using veneering techniques.

Very interesting. It's no wonder the solid wood boards are so highly sought after, fetching high prices, and profound levels of criticism.

[Alan Schwabacher]

My guess is that most boards that look like solid wood are veneered plywood or MDF that is edged in solid wood.

If you truly want solid wood, I'd use a traditional frame and panel construction where grooves hold the panel flat while allowing room for movement.

And the squares would be applied as thick veneer.

[Paul Haus]

I made a solid wood chess board probably 40 years ago out of walnut and maple, wrapped the perimeter in walnut. I admit I haven't even looked for it for at least 5 years now (no one to play with any more), but the last time I saw it, it was just fine.
I also turned my own chess set along with hand cut some pieces like the knights, but it was a lot of fun.

[Bryan Hall]

My guess is that most boards that look like solid wood are veneered plywood or MDF that is edged in solid wood.

If you truly want solid wood, I'd use a traditional frame and panel construction where grooves hold the panel flat while allowing room for movement.

And the squares would be applied as thick veneer.

Yes, there are some that are veneered, but there's also a high end market of boards that are solid wood.

The frame around the board is the confusing part to me. This picture is where I get confused:
brdwsig25-wbmb_03.jpg
It's a gorgeous board, real wood, but I'm dumbfounded on the frame construction and how it holds the playing surface in place? The bottom half of the board appears to be chamfered going back towards the frame. I'm not sure how this finds a suitable connection?

[Warren Wilson]

Mike McCrory https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdv...2u0r0U49ZFD6Hg has made a lot of chessboards. I seem to recall that he made them like end-grain cutting boards, but he seems a responsive fellow and he might have an answer for you.

[Mel Fulks]

I don’t think veneer ,or thick wood makes a board high end. Marquetry is seldom rejected for being too thin. Many family heirloom boards were made Grampas when they were kids, and most of those are made of wood blocks.

[Jim Barstow]

I made 3 solid wood backgammon boards 20 years ago for the kids and me. They are now scattered across the country in different climates. No issue with wood movement. Not quite as thick as a stand-alone chess boards but even a small amount of movement would have been noticed.

[Bryan Hall]

I made 3 solid wood backgammon boards 20 years ago for the kids and me. They are now scattered across the country in different climates. No issue with wood movement. Not quite as thick as a stand-alone chess boards but even a small amount of movement would have been noticed.

That's great to hear. About how thick would you say yours were?

[Patrick Kane]

Bryan,

Did you watch any of MTM's youtube videos? Hes a Russian/Eastern European gentleman that makes very elaborate end grain cutting boards. Ive also seen him make a chess board or two. If i remember correctly, the playing field was thin end grain--about 1/4-1/2"--laminated on top of less expensive maple/oak end grain substrate. What i cant remember is if the border/frame species was oriented end grain or not. Worth a watch, im sure.

I was a very big chess player from 12-college, and like everyone else, i no longer have anyone to play against. Would love to make my own board and pieces one day.

[Bryan Hall]

Bryan,

Did you watch any of MTM's youtube videos? Hes a Russian/Eastern European gentleman that makes very elaborate end grain cutting boards. Ive also seen him make a chess board or two. If i remember correctly, the playing field was thin end grain--about 1/4-1/2"--laminated on top of less expensive maple/oak end grain substrate. What i cant remember is if the border/frame species was oriented end grain or not. Worth a watch, im sure.

I was a very big chess player from 12-college, and like everyone else, i no longer have anyone to play against. Would love to make my own board and pieces one day.

Andrei from MTM is amazing. He does entirely end grain boards which are fantastic. He uses a press to butt joint the end grain top to the frame below. Truly masterful work, but slightly different from what I'm trying to do. I'll make a few and see how it goes.

Agreed on noone to play with! Doomed by the internet.