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