I'm designing a chess table for my daughter to my wife's
specifications.........that being said and trying to fit everything into the
design restrictions, measurement wise, I was curious what others have use
for contrasting woods?

The legs and surrounding structure will be cherry so I was thinking quilted
maple and black walnut for the chess board.

?

Gary

try wenge nice color contrast and works well
"GeeDubb" wrote in message
...
I'm designing a chess table for my daughter to my wife's
specifications.........that being said and trying to fit everything into
the design restrictions, measurement wise, I was curious what others have
use for contrasting woods?

The legs and surrounding structure will be cherry so I was thinking
quilted maple and black walnut for the chess board.

?

Gary

I am using hickory (cream coloured) for the light, black walnut for the
dark, and mahogany for the border.

I have been toying with making some lacewood inlay in the border, but I am
not sure I want to spend the time when this is a freebie to a colleague.

Dave Paine.
"GeeDubb" wrote in message
...
I'm designing a chess table for my daughter to my wife's
specifications.........that being said and trying to fit everything into
the design restrictions, measurement wise, I was curious what others have
use for contrasting woods?

The legs and surrounding structure will be cherry so I was thinking
quilted maple and black walnut for the chess board.

?

Gary

Why not Cherry & Maple? If the cherry isn't dark enough, the maple can
be masked after assembly & sanding and sprayed with a darkening agent.
Then simply pull off the mask & finish as usual.
Phil

GeeDubb wrote:
I'm designing a chess table for my daughter to my wife's
specifications.........that being said and trying to fit everything into
the design restrictions, measurement wise, I was curious what others
have use for contrasting woods?

The legs and surrounding structure will be cherry so I was thinking
quilted maple and black walnut for the chess board.

?

Gary


This site has a few designs and also tell you which woods are used.
http://www.thebestchesstables.com/ca...x.php?cPath=22

David Marks built a nice one on his show on DIY.
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/ww_dec...278237,00.html



--
Brad Curfman
http://www.curfman.net

It probably wouldn't work well for this project but I like birch with
cherry. They both just have that same glow.

GeeDubb wrote:
I'm designing a chess table for my daughter to my wife's
specifications.........that being said and trying to fit everything into
the design restrictions, measurement wise, I was curious what others
have use for contrasting woods?

The legs and surrounding structure will be cherry so I was thinking
quilted maple and black walnut for the chess board.

?

Gary


I'm contemplating doing this with quilted maple and rosewood.

~Mark.

On Wed, 7 Dec 2005 16:53:07 -0700, "GeeDubb"
wrote:

The legs and surrounding structure will be cherry so I was thinking quilted
maple and black walnut for the chess board.

At http://web2.airmail.net/xleanone/ind...l/Bride%20Box/ you can
see what black walnut and fiddleback maple look like (Waterlox
finish). If you darken (or get darker) walnut, it will be striking.
Wenge is nice, but I find it splintery to work.

Regards.

"Woody" wrote in message
...
GeeDubb wrote:
I'm designing a chess table for my daughter to my wife's
specifications.........that being said and trying to fit everything into
the design restrictions, measurement wise, I was curious what others have
use for contrasting woods?

The legs and surrounding structure will be cherry so I was thinking
quilted maple and black walnut for the chess board.

?

Gary


I'm contemplating doing this with quilted maple and rosewood.

~Mark.

Thanks for all of the replies. I went to one of the expensive places that
carries exotic woods (rockler) and I like the Brazilian Rosewood. I liked
the contrast of this against quarter sawn white oak but I also liked the
piece of birdseye maple they had (but at nearly $50 for the one
board.......!). Rockler also had a nice looking piece of spalted maple
(from a distance) but the board had some cracks that would have been
difficult to cut around.

I think I'll opt for the rosewood and depending on what I find appearance
wise, the light colored wood is still up in the air!

Now to get this done in two weeks........

Gary

"Tom Banes" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 7 Dec 2005 16:53:07 -0700, "GeeDubb"
wrote:

The legs and surrounding structure will be cherry so I was thinking
quilted
maple and black walnut for the chess board.

At http://web2.airmail.net/xleanone/ind...l/Bride%20Box/ you can
see what black walnut and fiddleback maple look like (Waterlox
finish). If you darken (or get darker) walnut, it will be striking.
Wenge is nice, but I find it splintery to work.

Regards.

Beautiful piece. How did you cut the hinges?

Now I'll be looking for fiddle back maple.........

Thanks for sharing,

Gary

On Fri, 9 Dec 2005 08:12:50 -0700, "GeeDubb"
wrote:



Beautiful piece. How did you cut the hinges?


Appreciate the compliment.

The hinges were cut on the same jig I used to cut the box joints at
the corners of the walnut box. I had a hunk of the maple left so I
planed it thinner, cut a bunch of box joint fingers in it, rounded
them off on the router, ripped the board narrow on the non-fingered
side, then cross-cut (by hand, too small to use power tools on after
all this) the hinge pieces, taking care to line up the fingers offset.
Put each hinge together, hold with masking tape, drill one 9/64 hole
through all and "find" 1/8 a pin to fit. I say "find" 'cause I had to
make the pins by chucking short pieces of 5/32 brass rod (smallest I
could find) in the DP, then sanding it down with crocus cloth.

I'm told "it's actually quite easy". Liars abound.

Good luck with the chessboard. A chessboard was the first thing I made
in woodshop class many years ago (too many!). It was teak and maple,
Looked nice. I have no idea where it is now.

Regards.