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#1
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Hi all. A chessboard I had made for me is quite bowed, and I'd like to
fix it. It is big though--almost 22" square. The stock is thick enough that I think this could be corrected. Can I find a planer at a furniture shop so big? Otherwise it looks like a lot of sanding is in my future. Getting it flat by hand: I was thinking of glueing the sand paper on a board and then placing my chessboard face-down and moving it back and forth for a few weeks. I don't have a better idea on getting it flat, and I probably can't hold a belt sander at the right angle to fix the board and not ruin it with wrong and excessive removal. I'm hardly a woodworker so a better solution is always welcome. |
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#5
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![]() "Andy Dingley" wrote in message ... It was somewhere outside Barstow when wrote: Hi all. A chessboard I had made for me is quite bowed, and I'd like to fix it. What's it made of ? If it's veneered, then you'll take the surface off it and lose the board. If it's made from glued up solid blocks, then it shouldn't have warped so much. This type would be thicknessable to flatten it, but then it shouldn't need to have it done. What's it made of, and how much bow is there ? I made a chessboard that twisted just a little and made it uneven when I placed it on a table. I put it under my television and over time it became flat again. m. |
#6
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Check out the current issue of Wood magazine.
They have an article on how to flaten any board using a router and a pretty simple jig. This would get it down pretty quickly compared to sanding with a hand sander. Lou In article .com, wrote: Hi all. A chessboard I had made for me is quite bowed, and I'd like to fix it. It is big though--almost 22" square. The stock is thick enough that I think this could be corrected. Can I find a planer at a furniture shop so big? Otherwise it looks like a lot of sanding is in my future. Getting it flat by hand: I was thinking of glueing the sand paper on a board and then placing my chessboard face-down and moving it back and forth for a few weeks. I don't have a better idea on getting it flat, and I probably can't hold a belt sander at the right angle to fix the board and not ruin it with wrong and excessive removal. I'm hardly a woodworker so a better solution is always welcome. |
#7
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#8
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![]() Doug Miller wrote: I think your first step ought to be to talk to the guy who made it for you, and see what he can/will do to fix it. Can I find a planer at a furniture shop so big? Otherwise it looks like a lot of sanding is in my future. Possible, but somewhat doubtful. You're *much* more likely to find a cabinet shop, or hardwood dealer, with a thickness sander wide enough to handle that. Post your location here, and I'll bet somebody chimes in to tell you who to contact. You probably don't want to plane it anyway. Chessboards are usually built with the wood grain in the dark and light squares mutually perpendicular, like this: ||==||==||==||== ==||==||==||==|| ||==||==||==||== ==||==||==||==|| etc and no matter how you plane that (except diagonally, in which case you'd need a 30" planer) you're going to get some tearout. A sander avoids that problem. Probably, it will be necessary to shim it on the bottom side as it goes through the sander, to keep it stable and level. After one side is sanded flat, turn it over and sand the other side too. Try to remove an equal amount of wood from each face; otherwise, it's likely to cup again. Once it's flat, you should use a random-orbit sander to remove the ridges and grooves left by the thickness sander. I'd start out with 100-grit sandpaper, then 150, and then 220. Apply the finish of your choice, and you're done. -- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com) Thanks. I have some cabinet shops not so far away from me. Thanks for the advice. |
#9
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![]() Andy Dingley wrote: What's it made of ? If it's veneered, then you'll take the surface off it and lose the board. If it's made from glued up solid blocks, then it shouldn't have warped so much. This type would be thicknessable to flatten it, but then it shouldn't need to have it done. What's it made of, and how much bow is there ? Hmmm, about 1/4" bow. The board is 3/4 walnut and soft maple. There should be enough thickness that it could be fixed. Why the bow? Maybe the amateur board maker didn't use seasoned wood, and he didn't quite sand it flat either. I've read that finishing the playing surface but not the underside can induce stresses? The bottom panel looks like ash to me and is unfinished. Well, I got it for cheap. I hope one pass at fixing it will be enough. I'm an avid chess player and I really enjoy fine pieces and boards (I don't know how many thousands of hours I have left to stare at a chess board in my life but I'd like a nice board to size-match my nice House of Staunton Collector pieces). I maybe ought to have a professional (instead of my good-natured eBay contact above) make my next board to my specs, and get a guarantee against warping and splitting, etc.. Live and learn I guess. I knew I was taking a chance going the cheap route. Apart from the bowing the board was quite good for its colors, contrast, geometric precision of the squares, and satin finish though. A good practical board for a "serious" player. That can run from a couple hundred dollars to a thousand, depending on materials--or more for boards that use exotics like Brazilian Rosewood, which I don't have to have. Anyone interested can poke around here for what HOS buys for its customers: http://www.houseofstaunton.com/board5.html HOS gets some of its boards from Europe and some from domestic makers. When the pricetag rises above $200 you begin to get away from veneers. This one I like, a simple and traditional design: http://www.houseofstaunton.com/boards/SigTradPH25x.jpg but $1000 seems a lot for it, even if there is a lot of purpleheart in it. Maybe an experienced woodworker could look at it and say that's a reasonable price. Thanks for your time, Andy. |
#10
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![]() J. Clarke wrote: I'm curious--do you just need to flatten the bottom so it doesn't rock or is it bowed enough that the pieces move around and you have to flatten the top as well? If the latter, then consider that the playing surface is almost certainly veneer and likely only a fraction of an inch thick. There are shops around with planers big enough to handle stock 22" wide. Best bet is to call around. Might do better to put it on a flat surface with some weight. -- --John Hi John, Both top and bottom need flattening. I already flattened the bottom (just the bottom of the frame needed it; it has a recessed panel). The bottom has bowed since then and I think the top as well. Maybe I accelerated that process by removing material from the bottom of the frame? As I said above, the squares are 3/4 walnut and soft maple, the frame 3/4 soft maple, the panel looks like ash. I'll give some effort over time and try to fix it. If the wood doesn't move over several months I'll put a finish on it. If all goes well I guess I should finish the underside panel as well or face the same problem later as leaving just the top finished may induce stress? Thanks for your reply John. |
#11
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![]() wrote in message oups.com... Both top and bottom need flattening. I already flattened the bottom (just the bottom of the frame needed it; it has a recessed panel). The bottom has bowed since then and I think the top as well. Maybe I accelerated that process by removing material from the bottom of the frame? Here's what concerns me as the plot thickens... This board is continuing to move. So yes - if you take material away you are just going to make it easier for the board to move again, and possibly more. You've got to address the underlying problem before you can deal with the impact of that problem. - How old is this board? Perhaps it needs drying time. If so, then don't take any more material off. You can only hope that it will not move past a point that you can save it after it reaches it's stability level. - Any idea how well dried the wood was when it was built? Knowing this will at least get you barking up the right tree. As well, you may have a recourse against the person or company from whom you bought the board. Don't know, but it's worth investigating. - How humid or dry is the area where you live? This is going to give you an idea how likely it is that excessive movement is a result of your environment, which could possibly point to other relief techniques. For example, if you suffer some pretty large swings in RH you can expect some pretty significant movement in your wood. Sealing the surfaces all the way around may provide the ultimate solution for you, but you also may find that having someone cut a kerf around the outside perimeter of the playing surface to provide relief for wood movement will work. I'm not suggesting that approach, I am just trying to suggest alternatives that could be as different as night and day which will be based on a number of factors including your environment. -- -Mike- |
#12
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You could also take it to a lumber yard that has a mill shop. They have big
sanders there that could do the job for you at minimal cost. "Michael" wrote in message ... "Andy Dingley" wrote in message ... It was somewhere outside Barstow when wrote: Hi all. A chessboard I had made for me is quite bowed, and I'd like to fix it. What's it made of ? If it's veneered, then you'll take the surface off it and lose the board. If it's made from glued up solid blocks, then it shouldn't have warped so much. This type would be thicknessable to flatten it, but then it shouldn't need to have it done. What's it made of, and how much bow is there ? I made a chessboard that twisted just a little and made it uneven when I placed it on a table. I put it under my television and over time it became flat again. m. |
#13
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#14
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#15
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Doug Miller wrote:
You probably don't want to plane it anyway. Chessboards are usually built with the wood grain in the dark and light squares mutually perpendicular, like this: Doug, do you know why this is so? Is it appearance, or structural? My first thought was that reversing the grain would introduce more strain from expansion/contraction. Rob |
#16
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All my commercial board have the light/dark grains in the same
direction. Ditto all the pics of boards I have on my hard drive. |
#17
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All my commercial board have the light/dark grains in the same
direction. Ditto all the pics of boards I have on my hard drive. Trying to place the grains perpendicular is a try, I think, at getting a better adhesive bond. |
#18
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In article , Rob Mitchell wrote:
Doug Miller wrote: You probably don't want to plane it anyway. Chessboards are usually built with the wood grain in the dark and light squares mutually perpendicular, like this: Doug, do you know why this is so? Is it appearance, or structural? Appearance. My first thought was that reversing the grain would introduce more strain from expansion/contraction. It does. -- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com) Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time? |
#19
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As you say, it may just be a lost cause. I'll give it some time
though--partially out of curiosity and a seed of hope here and there. I'll get a pro to make my next board, but I may attempt one or two on my own in the meantime. What do you think about cutting up some craft maple/walnut and press gluing to mdf,,,assuming I can cut excellent squares by clamping my fence down. |
#20
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