Project Information
Y'all may recall the first set I posted a while back. This is wobble chess set # 3. ( and 2 ).............I stole the idea from a set made by Umbra which you can buy for $250. I wish I knew how it was made but since it was manufactured in China, I doubt that solid wood was used for the board. But it was such a cool concept, I just had to figure out how to make one myself. I think mine is a little bit nicer. I have a blog on how I set up a jig and cut the square pieces for the board….................Purpleheart and maple, brass half balls on the bottoms. The pieces stand straighter and firmer by grinding about a 1/8" dia. flat spot on the bottoms. I turned the playing pieces in pairs as a spindle and separated them in the middle…...........As always, sanding is the most labor intensive and least favorite task in the build process. I made sanding drums out of plywood discs then sanded each square after the glue up. I've got around 40 hrs.+ or - in the project. About 10 hrs. of that was sanding….......For the finish on the board I used a few coats of zinsers seal coat shellac. This left the board too glossy so I top coated with spray on satin lacquer. Playing pieces finished with spray on shellac…..The board is 16" square, 1.75" thick and very heavy. Put tapered legs on the bottom just inside the border to elevate 3/4". Maybe next time I'll try a flat board.