ChessBoard
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Disclaimer: this one was done way before the Queen's gambit hit Netflix so there's no link... well, chess maybe;-)
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Trying to find ways to repurpose the off cuts from the Alaia, seeing that there was great contrast between the Polawnia and the Meranti (reason I choose those in the first place) and as my son was getting into playing chess, I thought why no? Should no be that hard right ? it was also an opportunity to fiddle with epoxy tints.
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Spoiler alert: woodwork was OK, Epoxy was again the nightmarish part...
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The video below highlights the main building steps along with the test ride but if you're interested in the issues I faced (the whole point of this website) I detailed them at the bottom of this page.
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Let me start by saying this one is not overly complicated, more time consuming than anything:
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Cut to size: if you have a table saw a fence and a sled, it is relatively simple as you can easily replicate cuts. If not, well, I probably would not try it ;-)
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My main mistake was that used a bad quality ply for the back board. Not thick enough and bent/warped. I though it would matter not and that once all the pieces were in place and clamped, it would force it straight but the contrary happened: the whole thing is slightly convex at the bottom. The top is fine, I could compensate with sanding. I could not compensate on the bottom as the ply is brittle and prone to tearing. In the end, with the addition of felt pads on each corner, it is all good. Same goes on the edges, it was hard to smooth them out without tearing the ply. Lesson learnt: shit in, shit out !
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The main struggle, as always, was the epoxy: I spent probably 10 mins leveling the board before pouring and yet it was too thick at some places and not enough at others. The problem is that the epoxy is so viscous that for the first 5 mins, you don't notice anything and you happily walk away to let is set. When you come back though, you see it, but it is too late. As a result, it took quite a bit of sanding, pouring epoxy again, sanding again etc etc... until reached the smooth finish I was after. The problem is that is now shows in/on the epoxy pattern. Not a problem is you go for transparent epoxy, but when you tint it, it is a different story. I still have no solution on this, but I'll keep trying :-)
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All that being said, I'm pretty stoked with the result, I love the natural wood contrasting colors and it works as intended (not very hard).
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